A Californian drying out in South Africa

[The Nun]

Probably there's many a person would love a classic car, if they can afford one that is that goes.
Then in todays society the houses don't have garages and enough space for off road parking and classics need regular maintenance.
In a country where it seems to be raining every other day and all weekend you cant work on you car outside, you certainly can't do it in the road as they did on the old days, and the neighbours curtains will be twitching when you get the axle stands out on the front making the whole street an eyesore especially next to them.
Folk struggle to find a classic friendly garage that knows the car locally to do work for them or the garage just doesn't want to know. So you can see why jobs get left and dont get done as regular as they should do.
Really if you haven't got a garage and tools and knowledge to to it yourself dont have a classic, just stick with a modern that needs servicing once every 20000 miles and nothing else?.

[African Imp]

The spec will be on the archive drawings but would suspect something like EN 36 and then case hardened and ground to a finish. Case hardening provides a tough outer skin for wear purposes so the white metal or bronze bushes have a smooth hard surface to move on. The grinding provides an accurate tolerance. The centre of the pin remains malleable so some flex can occur without the pin cracking. If they are assembled with grease and are regularly greased then they will last for a very long time. A bit like a well looked after engine where the oil is changed at correct intervals will not wear the crank or main/big end bearings will do more miles than an engine that is neglected or has been stood a long time and is put back in service without due consideration to any rust or debris on the surfaces or contaminants in the oil. If you read the workshop manual and look at the routine maintenance for the imp it is not hard to keep on top of these jobs and if you find doing any of those tasks hard work and try to engineer them out, is classic car motoring for you? Not having a go at anyone who has done some of these jobs on their cars but long life coolant? Why, it is not hard to drain the system and flush through and replenish, the flushing of the system will benefit the car car way more than any fancy coolant. Fitting discs to avoid adjusting the front brakes, I would suspect most imps in use these day once maybe twice a year would the brakes need adjusting, if they need more fettling more frequently I would suspect old worn adjusters backing themselves off rather than shoe wear again someone will have fitted new shoes but skimped on the adjusters and then come to the conclusion that discs are better as they are used on modern vehicles. There are probably more examples but all have come about from tired little used cars being forced back into service without due consideration to components that have been untouched for too long or neglected during their lifetime so rumors and stories come about weak points on the cars design.

Moose, Long Life Coolant? that one is easy to reply to, in South Africa we do not get products like Blucol, so more often than not the green antifreeze is used, to stop corrosion, not freezing over here.

However I have destroyed a Jaguar 4.2 ltr cylinder head using the best antifreeze on the local market, so when wanting a coolant to protect my rebuilt 916cc Sunbeam Sport engine, I did my own research and found the Caltex product, six years on and all is well, this could be seen when I removed the water pump some months back, internally it was totally free of corrosion and very clean, I expect the engine internals to be the same.

[African Imp]

Probably there's many a person would love a classic car, if they can afford one that is that goes.
Then in todays society the houses don't have garages and enough space for off road parking and classics need regular maintenance.
In a country where it seems to be raining every other day and all weekend you cant work on you car outside, you certainly can't do it in the road as they did on the old days, and the neighbours curtains will be twitching when you get the axle stands out on the front making the whole street an eyesore especially next to them.
Folk struggle to find a classic friendly garage that knows the car locally to do work for them or the garage just doesn't want to know. So you can see why jobs get left and dont get done as regular as they should do.
Really if you haven't got a garage and tools and knowledge to to it yourself dont have a classic, just stick with a modern that needs servicing once every 20000 miles and nothing else?.

Over here Jean and myself watch many a UK TV program, SKY TV and the various ones showing domestic property sales, we are often amazed at the pricing and without a garage!

New estates seem to offer nice homes but they just have parking space and no garage, I think we will stay where we are!

I designed the property myself, the first thing I drew was the double garage, the side lane came much later, it also takes two cars when required.

[The Nun]

Most new houses with what they call a single garage wont take a modern car you cant open the doors to get out of it let alone do anything to the car in there, they ought to advertise them as a built in single shed as that's what most folk use them for.

[African Imp]

Most new houses with what they call a single garage wont take a modern car you cant open the doors to get out of it let alone do anything to the car in there, they ought to advertise them as a built in single shed as that's what most folk use them for.

Yes, the size of cars now is plainly not a good idea, the problem is that with smaller engines now having as much or even more than the larger engines they replaced, that having a large car now means a smaller and economical one?

Our cars never stay outside ever!

[The Nun]

Our cars never stay outside ever!

I often wonder how many folk put on their insurance form yes they have a garage and yes the car is garaged yet it never goes in it? So as to get a cheaper premium.
Where I am there's probably 1 in 50 houses where the car is actually put into the garage when it's not used, all the others are outside permanently, never garaged because it's full of household clutter and garden furniture, weights and exercise machines etc
I bet their insurance form is ticked yes I have a garage for the car?
Left outside especially at night theres far far more chance of the vehicle being vandalised or stolen.
With how many cars and car parts are being stolen these days how long will it be before the insurers say we're not insuring a car left out if you have a garage to put it in and if you dont have one we will make so expensive to insure, for the non billionaires, you can't have a car?

[Uncle Henry]

I rent a lock-up for my Imp, which is very close to home. However, it costs £1000 plus per annum to have it ! If I were to leave it in the street (which I wont) the increased insurance costs wouldn't be anything like that figure. So, as expensive as it is, I'll continue to rent for convenience and peace of mind.

UH

[African Imp]

Our cars never stay outside ever!

I often wonder how many folk put on their insurance form yes they have a garage and yes the car is garaged yet it never goes in it? So as to get a cheaper premium.
Where I am there's probably 1 in 50 houses where the car is actually put into the garage when it's not used, all the others are outside permanently, never garaged because it's full of household clutter and garden furniture, weights and exercise machines etc
I bet their insurance form is ticked yes I have a garage for the car?
Left outside especially at night theres far far more chance of the vehicle being vandalised or stolen.
With how many cars and car parts are being stolen these days how long will it be before the insurers say we're not insuring a car left out if you have a garage to put it in and if you dont have one we will make so expensive to insure, for the non billionaires, you can't have a car?

I have a friend in the UK, he had a Volvo estate and to lower the insurance premium on the car by parking it off road, he cleared a parking space in front of his home, then advised the insurance company that he parks off road.

He parks in the street mind you!

[African Imp]

My Emco Maximat VP-10-P lathe has been very useful this past year but for some reason it does not run parallel when surfacing a rod of metal.

The Emco forum is helpful, lots of ideas and some over my head as I am not an engineer but I am learning!

My feeling is that the gear head is not true to the beds, I see no way to correct this?

One forum member asked me to get and use an engineer's rod, they are machined to a very close tolerance, I have set up what I have which is a Hillman Imp King pin by Quinton Hazel.

I get a run out of 0.007" (inch) next I will use my dial gauge to get the exact reading.

[The Nun]

Maybe it needs new chuck shaft bearings, or if they're adjustable, say taper rollers, then taking up a little?

If you didn't have the lathe from new you don't really know what it's been used for or how much?

You could try to see how much if any up down and axial play there is at the chuck?

If the bearings are worn then no correcting at the workpiece will cure it.

[African Imp]

Maybe it needs new chuck shaft bearings, or if they're adjustable, say taper rollers, then taking up a little?

If you didn't have the lathe from new you don't really know what it's been used for or how much?

You could try to see how much if any up down and axial play there is at the chuck?

If the bearings are worn then no correcting at the workpiece will cure it.

Have not been able to detect wear on the main shaft bearings, I checked the owners manual and tightened up as directed, made no difference so I slackened of a quarter turn as they advise against over tightening.

[African Imp]

The king pins from QH are stunning to look at but once in the lathes chuck I was seeing all sorts of readings on the dial gauge.
Then holding the two pins together and up to the light I could see they are bent!

Ok not much but thats no good for this exercise?

The Quinton Hazel pins are better and give a decent reading but the dial gauge indicator still wanders about too much.

I am not seeing the 0.007" difference though, talk about confusing.

Next I need an engineers 3MT test rod.

Hardened and precision ground parallel to within 0.0002″. Centres protected against damage essential for testing lathes and readjusting tailstocks etc. Centered both ends.
Overall length is 220 mm – The parallel part is 120 mm

[The Nun]

Have you got any new factory pins to check if they bow too? I very much doubt they supposed to be and even if they were distorted during heat treatment say the grinding which you'd have thought would be the final stage would have trued them up?
They aren't fragile enough to bend in the box, have you had them sitting on the window sill in the hot sun?

[African Imp]

Have you got any new factory pins to check if they bow too? I very much doubt they supposed to be and even if they were distorted during heat treatment say the grinding which you'd have thought would be the final stage would have trued them up?
They aren't fragile enough to bend in the box, have you had them sitting on the window sill in the hot sun?

Yes, two packs, the shorter ones, Quinton Hazel both of them, brand new, they are kept in one of my parts cabinets.

Very nice finish, not straight mine you!

[The Nun]

Factory pins weren't QH though, QH were an after market brand and often sold in accessory shops such as Halfords, QH were generally a discount brand compared to the originals. Same with their Imp water pumps. The quality back in the day wasnt as good as the factory part, in fact the genuine factory part, if you have it or can find it, still outshines any repro parts even today as regards fit and lasting performance.

Back in the 80s I fitted new QH kingpins and they had very slight detectable play before greasing, I wasn't happy about that so replaced those with a dealer factory set and the play disappeared, they were nice and tight, so I always tried to get factory pins if I was replacing worn kingpins, but now of course we have to have what's available and make do, and as you've found the quality isn't quite there, nearly, as per usual.

[African Imp]

Factory pins weren't QH though, QH were an after market brand and often sold in accessory shops such as Halfords, QH were generally a discount brand compared to the originals. Same with their Imp water pumps. The quality back in the day wasnt as good as the factory part, in fact the genuine factory part, if you have it or can find it, still outshines any repro parts even today as regards fit and lasting performance.

Back in the 80s I fitted new QH kingpins and they had very slight detectable play before greasing, I wasn't happy about that so replaced those with a dealer factory set and the play disappeared, they were nice and tight, so I always tried to get factory pins if I was replacing worn kingpins, but now of course we have to have what's available and make do, and as you've found the quality isn't quite there, nearly, as per usual.

Thanks on this information, I do have some used kingpins. The one in the lathe is one of them and gives a better reading than the new one I have hold of.

The used one reads 0.0025" (inch) along its length, this is showing a better indication than I was getting when machining, is the problem the cutting tool that I am using, should I be using a cutting fluid?

[The Nun]

They were ground the originally for the final finish I would assume not turned, that would give a too coarse a finish?

[African Imp]

They were ground the originally for the final finish I would assume not turned, that would give a too coarse a finish?

Yes the finish is super fine, the used one I cleaned up in my blasting cabinet, must be a very hard grade of steel as I saw sparks flying!

[African Imp]

The car had not been driven for more than a week, there was evidence of water that had leaked from the re built water pump on the pavers under the car, so yesterday I went twice around our estate, parked the car and placed a drip tray under the cars water pump area.

This morning I find the newspaper in the tray to be totally dry!

[The Nun]

It's just doing it so you keep taking it out Roy

[African Imp]

It's just doing it so you keep taking it out Roy

That may be?

The pump has new seals and decent repacked with grease bearings, that idea seems to work for me these days.

Looking inside a bearing off the shelf, the amount of grease is on the lean side.

The picture shows a new bearing with its side cover removed.

I re pack using Wynns waterproof grease until the case is full.

[The Nun]

Be careful over packing the bearing though Roy, as it warms up the grease will expand and push the seals off then dirt will get in.
As you say the new bearing only has a small dob of grease in them so some more could be an advantage as long as you allow some space for expansion when they get hot.

Same really with your front hub wheel bearings, some think the outer dust cap should be fully filled with grease when actually that should be left empty and just the bearing itself packed.

[African Imp]

Be careful over packing the bearing though Roy, as it warms up the grease will expand and push the seals off then dirt will get in.
As you say the new bearing only has a small dob of grease in them so some more could be an advantage as long as you allow some space for expansion when they get hot.

Same really with your front hub wheel bearings, some think the outer dust cap should be fully filled with grease when actually that should be left empty and just the bearing itself packed.

Got that but as I pack from the one side I think there will be space for expansion on the otherside?

This is todays picture of a bearing removed from the water pump recently removed, March 3rd, 2024, it will have run around 2500 kms and four years service, looks ok too.

That water pump was not leaking, the pulley had become loose, so another pump was the best option.
As my pullies are all on the worn side in the bore hole, I now fit them using Loctite 648 fluid, its made for filling gaps so a perfect solution in my case.

No leaks under the car can be seen from yesterday's drive.

[African Imp]

The idea of fitting a ceramic seal has reached the machine shop stage, its here on my desk but as the rebuilt water pumps that I have are still on my shelf I have yet to try the idea.

[The Nun]

Machine Shop Stage, sounds like you're a multi national conglomerate of huge proportions.
Should it not be reached the lathe on my bench?

[African Imp]

Machine Shop Stage, sounds like you're a multi national conglomerate of huge proportions.
Should it not be reached the lathe on my bench?

Peter ( R.I.P ) who owned my lathe, may well of done the work on that water pump impeller on what was his lathe back then, I cannot know as he had a full-sized workshop as well in Paarden Eiland near Cape Town city.

He lived a short walk away, always happy to run off a small job for me when possible, the water pumps were done by him, now myself of course.

[African Imp]

An announcement today is that the petro chemical giant Shell is to leave South Africa, time to stock up on engine and transmission oils!

[Uncle Henry]

I wouldn't leave that there, Roy....

AG

[African Imp]

I wouldn't leave that there, Roy....

AG

That can was from the 1967 Singer Chamois 875 that got me back into imps, say thirty-three years ago, I kept the can!

[The Nun]

It will probably rattle a bit but with the lid shut it shouldn't fall out
Best place for it, if you haven't got a servo is in the nearside rear wing space.

[African Imp]

Caltex left South Africa a few years ago, their products are still sold here though.

Shell it seems want to disinvest in other countries also?

They will sell out in Saudi to Aramco?

[African Imp]

It will probably rattle a bit but with the lid shut it shouldn't fall out
Best place for it, if you haven't got a servo is in the nearside rear wing space.

Yes, its the same oil can from when I rebuilt the 1967 Singer Chamois that I was gifted !

[The Nun]

There is investment potential if you keep old cans in good condition as there are with old obsolete brands now, some fetch many thousands of pounds, especially unusual shapes from the 40s and 50s such as pyramid.
Keeping them all requires some space though, if I'd kept all mine I'd be canned up.
Yours could be £1000 soon Roy if you don't scratch it

[African Imp]

There is investment potential if you keep old cans in good condition as there are with old obsolete brands now, some fetch many thousands of pounds, especially unusual shapes from the 40s and 50s such as pyramid.
Keeping them all requires some space though, if I'd kept all mine I'd be canned up.
Yours could be £1000 soon Roy if you don't scratch it

Well, Its wrapped in clear plastic and stored in a safe place, just my idea of holding on to the past, a bit like us owning our Imps I guess?

[The Nun]

And I see you display your exhaust brackets in the same way as your pictures

[African Imp]

And I see you display your exhaust brackets in the same way as your pictures

Its not mine but one that Malcom Anderson gifted me at Wirral 2004 ( i think) as its been properly stamped and has a lip return all round, I did not bother to copy it.

[The Nun]

You mean it's on a 99 year lease type of thing from Malcolm?

[African Imp]

You mean it's on a 99 year lease type of thing from Malcolm?

No, he was so pleased to see me in person as a customer after so many years that he gave me some freebee's, that or because I spent more money with him?

[The Nun]