More Sunbeam Imp Stuff

"I like cars: Jim Spanfeller is one ugly motherfucker" (qaaaaa)
07/13/2019 at 17:14 • Filed to: None

Clutch pedal did nothing so we tried a bleed. Sunbeam buried that slave cylinder. Not super easy.

A little visible corrosion. We could not bleed it for reasons that will soon be apparent.

Gas tank pulled. Held in by 4 bolts.

Brake and clutch master cylinders, tucked away under the gas tank. Notice the passenger’s side pedal box plate thingy- I’m fairly sure these were sent to the US as RHD cars and converted to LHD rather than being built as LHD. Both brake and clutch master cylinders were stuck. The pedal box, with hard lines removed, could easily be removed as a unit with the master cylinders attached.

They also share a reservoir, with a partition between. I imagine this allows clutch to work if a brake line bursts or vice versa.

Pedal box! Rebuild kits are available for the master cylinders. One cylinder looked original, the other seemed to be an OEM replacement. Both seemed rebuildable after heavy cleaning.

Aaaand here’s the clutch slave cylinder. Yeah. I did some cleaning but it was pretty corroded. It’s in a bucket of parts cleaner for the time being but I don’t have a good feeling about it. We’ll just source an OEM replacement- one is available in the UK but the seller doesn’t ship to the US. A google suggested the same part from a TR4 would work.

Next to the Imp, the Elan is waiting on a brake master cylinder. Apart from that, it’s pretty much good to go I think. Then we can move on to the next project. There are two potential projects we have our eyes on that we got running today. First up...

A Mini delivery wagon that leaks oil, as expected, needing brakes (notice a pattern?), or...

A Sunbeam Alpine.

Beautiful. It also needs brakes. The Imp is presenting more interesting challenges, such as an automatic choke that doesn’t work (might replace with a manual choke) and likely some stuck piston rings since it smokes a lot, plus the lack of working clutch or brake hydraulics. The Elan so far hasn’t requires much work as it was recently restored before sitting for a few years, and I expect the same from the Alpine as it was parked with a August 2014 dated battery.

DISCUSSION (9)

KnowsAboutCars > I like cars: Jim Spanfeller is one ugly motherfucker
07/13/2019 at 18:34

I’ve always liked the Imps. I didn’t know they were sold that side of the Atlantic too. I guess that makes sense considering all the other small European cars someone tried to import and sell to American public over the years.

I like cars: Jim Spanfeller is one ugly motherfucker > KnowsAboutCars
07/13/2019 at 19:15

Yeah, apparently sold through Chrysler dealers. Makes sense because Sunbeam Imp, Hillman Imp, Rootes Group, Chrysler of Europe, Chrysler.

I haven’t had much luck finding info how many were sold stateside.

This is a very weird car. Hopefully in a few weeks it'll be roadworthy so I can take it for a drive.

TrickJos > I like cars: Jim Spanfeller is one ugly motherfucker
07/13/2019 at 19:56

So, don’t trust British brakes. Is that the lesson?

I like cars: Jim Spanfeller is one ugly motherfucker > TrickJos
07/13/2019 at 20:01

Moreso "don't part 2 million dollars worth of vintage cars in a leaky building". Every single car in this museum needs brakes.

RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars > I like cars: Jim Spanfeller is one ugly motherfucker
07/13/2019 at 21:00

Very cool! Forgive me if I never caught on to this, but you must work in a shop that specializes in British vehicles, or?

I like cars: Jim Spanfeller is one ugly motherfucker > RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars
07/13/2019 at 21:12

Nope! I don’t have the patience for that. This is a museum near me that’s focused on British cars. A group of people from my university go there on Saturdays and work on vehicles, giving them once-overs and making them roadworthy. We started out on a pair of MGBs that the museum bought so they could sell them to raise funds, but have moved on to refreshing some of the cars that have sat a few years.

Their site has a partial overview of their collection:

https://www.britishtransportationmuseum.org/

RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars > I like cars: Jim Spanfeller is one ugly motherfucker
07/13/2019 at 21:45

Working in an auto museum is my dream job, but there are none near me, most of the ones in Canada are far from me / mostly higher on temporary grants that I don’t qualify for. :(

I like cars: Jim Spanfeller is one ugly motherfucker > RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars
07/13/2019 at 21:50

Yeah, the official members/board that actually run the place are all retired/soon to retire folks except maybe one guy. They just let us wrench because there’s wrenching to be done, we like to wrench, and they can’t wrench as well as us anymore. We’re one of three or so area groups who come there.

It’s very relaxing working on an old vehicle that’s mechanically simple and not yours. Plus, we get to test drive them... a lot.

pip bip - choose Corrour > I like cars: Jim Spanfeller is one ugly motherfucker
07/14/2019 at 05:55

nice!