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[mijfife]

I'm off to Birmingham NEC in the Omega this weekend to the Classic car show. Just wondered what other classic cars are owned by group members?
I've got a '67 Chamois Coupe, an Imp based kit called a BS Nymph based around a '63 Imp and my '84 Scirocco Storm that I'm trying to sell  
I'll bung something up about the Imps soon.

Cheers Jim

[Bo Bo]

None, but I used to have a Triumph 2.5S which I loved until the suspension went through the boot!  

[mijfife]

lol, common problem, I've had a few of the big Triumphs too  

Cheers Jim  

[Markie]

None nil nada... :(although Jim talking with my Dad the other day he reminded me he had) before i was a twinkle in his eye all sorts of Hilman avengers, Hilman Imps, Simca`s and when i was toddling MK1 Fiesta and Capri`s.

Dont know where he went wrong now owing a Kia Sedona il burning van  

Folks having seen the pics of Jims work the man clearly is talented and dedicated. Did you know the easiest way to work on the under neath of a little imp is to physically tip it up and over and lean it against a wall  

[Del Boy]

I had an old capri that blew up because of the fuel tank, smelt fuel cummin back from folkstone went in my mums to get some water because of it steaming from the engine and came back and it was up in flames so back indoors to call the fire service  

[mijfife]

Quote from Markiec :- "Folks having seen the pics of Jims work the man clearly is talented and dedicated. Did you know the easiest way to work on the under neath of a little imp is to physically tip it up and over and lean it against a wall   "

I'd recommend an extra shredded wheat if you're going to try this with an Omega  

Seriously tho, with the engine and fluids out of the Imp, it's light enough to roll onto it's side. I keep a couple of old padded boards to rest it on and it doesn't even mark the paint!

Cheers Jim

[Essex_Andy]

Few years ago re-built a dolly sprint....cracking car on twin 45s and a lumpy cam

[mijfife]

Never had a Capri, not much of a Ford fan to be honest. did have a Dolly Sprint though, great motor until the cam chain tensioner disintigrated. 16 bent valves... ouch  

Cheers Jim

[Auto Addict]

My first Vx was similar to this-



Wish I still owned it.

[Elite Pete]

Ive got a 1974 Kamm tail Alfa Spider which ive been restoring for about 6 years. I might gt it back on the road by 2020

[Del Boy]

Ive got a 1974 Kamm tail Alfa Spider which ive been restoring for about 6 years. I might gt it back on the road by 2020

I liked them once upon a time that is 2 years younger than me

[Martin_1962]

I used to have a SUnbeam hatch - that was a good car

[theolodian]

I had an Audi Quattro (ur-Quattro).  Great car, cr@p electrics.  Sold it just before it turned 20 and became a 'classic'.  Of course, by that definition I should include every other car I owned until 5 years ago  

[Timbuk]

None now, have had Triumph 2.5s, Vauxhall Magnum and a Mk 1 Escort Mexico which i gave away :-/ what a numpty!!

[Elite Pete]

Where do I start, even as a boy I was into classics rather than modern stuff. I suppose Triumphs have been the majority, the best being a 3.9 TR7 V8 now that was tail happy. I built a Mini clubman Turbo in Applejack Green sounds awful but the colour really suited it, Avenger 1600GT with lime green fur dash , Monza GSE with manual box, Fiesta RS1800, Alfa Giulia 1750 imported from Greece excellent condition and the Spider that has been sat in the garage waiting for some attention.

[Del Boy]

I had an Audi Quattro (ur-Quattro).  Great car, cr@p electrics.  Sold it just before it turned 20 and became a 'classic'.  Of course, by that definition I should include every other car I owned until 5 years ago  

OO i love the quattro beautiful looking car just not as nice as the omega

[Tony H]

I'm off to Birmingham NEC in the Omega this weekend to the Classic car show. Just wondered what other classic cars are owned by group members?
I've got a '67 Chamois Coupe, an Imp based kit called a BS Nymph based around a '63 Imp and my '84 Scirocco Storm that I'm trying to sell  
I'll bung something up about the Imps soon.

Cheers Jim

If I remember rightly cos it was a long long time ago to change the thermostat  on an imp was an "engine out"job
I passed my test in a Triumph Herald. When the tester asked me to turn the vehical around in the road using forward and reverse gears, I thought stuff that with a 22 feet turning cicle I could u turn it. compared with the space in modern car engine bays it was a dream to work on,you could actually stand in the engine bay to work on it 8-)

[mijfife]

Hi Tony, thermostat can be changed in situ once you take the dirt shield off. They do have a habit of corroding the alloy housing to the bolts and if that happens it can often be quicker to remove the engine! 30 mins and it's out of the back of the car on a trolly jack anyway  

Cheers Jim

[hotel21]

Ran a Triumph 2.5 PI for a while - a real hoot, as we are talking only 5 or so years ago.  

Really pi**ed off the Golf/XR3/similar hot hatch/converted crowd to be sh*t upon by an old sledge that was being driven to within an inch of its life!!

Bit like a 'Meega, I suppose.....   :-?

[Nickbat]

Had a succession of Manta Coupes as company cars (those were the days!  ). Started with a Berlinetta, then a GTE, then a GTE Exclusive  .I sold the last of the line for just £800. Still, it had a large rust area on the roof from double skin of the factory-fitted sunshine roof and I also had to Isopon huge areas in the passenger footwell which had simply rotted quietly away under the carpet. That said, it was a great car. OK, maybe not an out-and-out sports car, but the handling was great - frequently used to get the back out in a controlled power slide.

Gatsos and kids have changed my lifestyle somewhat...

[theolodian]

I had an Audi Quattro (ur-Quattro).  Great car, cr@p electrics.  Sold it just before it turned 20 and became a 'classic'.  Of course, by that definition I should include every other car I owned until 5 years ago  

OO i love the quattro beautiful looking car just not as nice as the omega

Yeah, I still hanker after having one as a project car with the Omega as the primary car.  Later ones without the quad headlights have better electrics.  A surprisingly complete car that still does well against modern cars.

[mijfife]

Hi Hotel21, I know what you mean about the PI's, I ran one for a while a couple of years back   It could certainly shift although the fuel gauge went down at about the same rate as the speed increased   I ended up selling it before it bankrupted me    Great fun though.....

Cheers Jim

[mijfife]

Hi guys, since I've now got the hang of photobucket   I thought I'd share a few pics of my classic cars. First up is my 1967 Singer Chamois Coupe. I bought this 8 years ago and did a full restoration including a bare metal respray. It has had several mods including a bigger (930cc!!!) engine, disc brake conversion and a tartan interior! Afecionately known in the Imp Club as "The Saltire" it never fails to bring a smile to my face and is a hoot to drive. I'm about to do some more cosmetic work over the next few months as it's getting a bit tatty and neglected.

 

Next up is a real rarity, a 70's kit car called a BS Nymph, based on the Hillman Imp. I fully rebuilt this last year from the ground up, including a respray and have incorporated many mods such as dual circuit brakes, collapsable steering column and led lighting through out. It also has instrumentation from a Dolomite Sprint and there are bits from over 20 different makes of car incorporated into it! The only work I didn't undertake was the hood and retrimming the rear seat. Only 42 Nymph bodys were ever produced and this is one of only 15 known survivors  



Now the one I'm selling as I've replaced it with the Omega   This was my everyday driver, a 1984 VW Scirocco Storm. Only 300 of these were made in Cosmos Blue with dark blue leather interior and it is powered by the Mk1 Golf Gti engine so it can fairly shift. I'll miss this one but it just wasn't big enough for my everyday use and the back seat is more for show than carrying passengers  

 

Finally, a pic of my two wheeled toy, my 1991 Kawasaki GPZ 900R, bloody quick and great fun  8-)



hope you enjoy looking at these, cheers Jim  

[Bo Bo]

I most certainly did, great stuff  
How about putting them in the gallery along with the Omega  

[mijfife]

Hi Bo Bo, I was going to put them in the Gallery but I thought that was just for Omegas.

Cheers Jim

[Bo Bo]

Hi Bo Bo, I was going to put them in the Gallery but I thought that was just for Omegas.

Cheers Jim

Not sure, but all kinds have been posted there, start with the Mega & then the rest of the "fleet"  

[x25xe]

Hi Mijfife

REALLY enjoyed looking at the pic of your Imp.  A great car!  As for the BS Nymph what can I say?  Great and you are to be commended for doing all the work yourself.

As you are in Scotland, have you ever travelled to Linwood to see where the Rootes factory was?  Parts of it still remain and the old machine shop still stands.  There is a web site, http://www.dcs.napier.ac.uk/~dave/rootes/Linwood/contents.htm which shows the factory and inside it. This is the site's home page: http://www.dcs.napier.ac.uk/~dave/rootes/rootes.htm.

There is also another fairly good site, http://www.rootes-chrysler.co.uk/

I am somewhat of a Rootes fan.  As a boy my dad had a Hillman Minx (the Hunter or Arrow shape) and this went round the clock twice - unheard of in those days.  I remember the vynal seats that you stuck to in the summer and were too cold in the winter.  It had a strip speedo.  Those were the days!

Wish you luck and enjoyment with the Singer and BS Nymph.

[Ghosts in my machine]

I don't know if it counts as a classic, but it is rare. I have a 1979 Landrover Series III Stage 1 V8. Basically Range Rover drivetrain in a Series III body, complete with drum brakes and leaf springs. Current status - "project", ie. not roadworthy at the moment.

It's a beasty in a straight line, but never liked going round tight bends in it. Someone once reckoned it went round corners like a motorbike. Which in my mind meant that it would fail to take the corner and end up wrapped round a lamp post!  [smiley=grin.gif] He meant, put the power on while going round the bend and it corners lovely!

[Tony H]

Hi Mijfife

REALLY enjoyed looking at the pic of your Imp.  A great car!  As for the BS Nymph what can I say?  Great and you are to be commended for doing all the work yourself.

As you are in Scotland, have you ever travelled to Linwood to see where the Rootes factory was?  Parts of it still remain and the old machine shop still stands.  There is a web site, http://www.dcs.napier.ac.uk/~dave/rootes/Linwood/contents.htm which shows the factory and inside it. This is the site's home page: http://www.dcs.napier.ac.uk/~dave/rootes/rootes.htm.

There is also another fairly good site, http://www.rootes-chrysler.co.uk/

I am somewhat of a Rootes fan.  As a boy my dad had a Hillman Minx (the Hunter or Arrow shape) and this went round the clock twice - unheard of in those days.  I remember the vynal seats that you stuck to in the summer and were too cold in the winter.  It had a strip speedo.  Those were the days!

Wish you luck and enjoyment with the Singer and BS Nymph.

I ran a Hunter for a while nice car for the time also had a mate who had a 1725 gls the one with the Holbay engine nice motor, I also thought the Hunter shaped Minx with the overdrive gearbox was a great car for its time

[mijfife]

Hi x25xe, I've been to Linwood quite often, getting less and less of the original factory there now   The Glasgow area centre of the Imp Club meet at a pub on the site every month so at least there are still Imps going in and out from time to time    
I've not seen the sites you mentioned so will check them out later, thanks for sending the links.

Ghosts, that Landi sounds like an awsome beast!! Once it's back on the road you'll probably have to sell everything else to keep it going in petrol tho  

Cheers Jim

[x25xe]

Great to hear about the Rootes cars!  Glad that the Imps are still making an appearance at Linwood.  Mijfife, you will be able to see the pics of the inside of the factory - I found them very interesting and even considered taking a trip up there myself, although a little far from Heathrow!

Tony, The holbay engine is quite sought after, I had a mate who had it in a Humber Sceptre.  Very nice car that was.  Hunters were very good for their time - much better built than the Cortina for example.  It is a real shame that Rootes demised.  Who knows what machinery they would be turning out today?

[Tony H]

Great to hear about the Rootes cars!  Glad that the Imps are still making an appearance at Linwood.  Mijfife, you will be able to see the pics of the inside of the factory - I found them very interesting and even considered taking a trip up there myself, although a little far from Heathrow!

Tony, The holbay engine is quite sought after, I had a mate who had it in a Humber Sceptre.  Very nice car that was.  Hunters were very good for their time - much better built than the Cortina for example.  It is a real shame that Rootes demised.  Who knows what machinery they would be turning out today?

A bloke down the road from us where I used tu live had a Sunbeam Rapier fastback which was also fitted with the Holbay lump.
Speaking of Humber Sceptres I presume you mean the Hunter shaped one? nice car.
I've always fancied getting hold of the mk. 1 Sceptre love the dash on them with all the chrome trimmed clocks and dials

[Admin]

I await Matchless' input on this subject as he is rather an Imp lover and use to build racing engines for them!  

I think my current beast may well qualify for classic very soon. There were only 197 2.3 CS Carlssons ever made, and rather less left now some 15 years later.

In the past I have owned a 1.3 Avenger (first car, truly awful) a Vauxhal Viceroy 2.8 (lovely for the 6 days I had it until a bus t-boned me!) and 4 of the late great Rover SD1's 2.6 and great 3.5.

As I get older I am definately appreciating the older cars.

[Martin_1962]

In the past I have owned a 1.3 Avenger (first car, truly awful) a Vauxhal Viceroy 2.8 (lovely for the 6 days I had it until a bus t-boned me!) and 4 of the late great Rover SD1's 2.6 and great 3.5.

As I get older I am definately appreciating the older cars.

1.3 Avenger - not surprised - best removed and replaced with a 1.6, my mum used to have the estate - very comfortable seats, good handling, as quick as a 2.0 Capri (I raced one!).

So good that when I went to cars I got the hatch!