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Anyone drive a Hillman Imp? Advice needed.
- Thread starter Trigger
- Start date
Uncle C
Well-known member
If its the Hillman Imp I remember they were a bag of trouble.
All aluminium engine was very expensive to work on. They were a nice little car but never became a classic due to poor reliability and rust. I'm surprised there are many left on the road. Sorry.
Heres a good little review. I would only recommend if you are handy at wealding a spanner.
http://www.hillmanimp.co.uk/
All aluminium engine was very expensive to work on. They were a nice little car but never became a classic due to poor reliability and rust. I'm surprised there are many left on the road. Sorry.
Heres a good little review. I would only recommend if you are handy at wealding a spanner.
http://www.hillmanimp.co.uk/
Last edited:
- Aug 7, 2003
- 8,090
Hillman Imp, pah! Go for the Daf 33
One reverse and one forward gear - It's the future!
One reverse and one forward gear - It's the future!
Franks Wild Years
New member
No. Buy my old e30 bmw instead.
Mackenzie
Old Brightonian
I seem to remember that the engines were prone to catching fire, parts may be difficult to find now as well, but they do look like good fun.
I had the "Californian" fast-back version for a year or so in the late sixties. From what I remember the above comments are valid.
Trufflehound
Re-enfranchised
If you're going to get a DAF, this is the only one to have (it's also the only one like it they made):
Garage_Doors
Originally the Swankers
Why, what do you know about them ?
lost in london
Well-known member
If you're going to get a DAF, this is the only one to have (it's also the only one like it they made):
Are those wicker chairs? Awesome - I want some.
Icy Gull
Back on the rollercoaster
- Jul 5, 2003
- 72,015
Trufflehound
Re-enfranchised
Indeed they are - it was their brilliant attempt at a beach buggy. It's currently in the DAF Museum here in Eindhoven.
Clapham Old Mug
New member
Uncle C's right - the aluminium bits make it an expensive repair job if you get gasket problems. I had a couple of the souped-up ones in the '70s; pigs to drive on a windy day (very light in the front) but quite fun otherwise. If you've been offered GJK103H, don't touch it. It used to be mine and was blown apart by an IRA bomb in 1974. It was an insurance write-off but I later saw it back on the road and parked outside Wormwood Scrubs prison!
otk
~(.)(.)~
If you were going to source and pay for a classic-ish car, could I suggest a Ford, like a Mk.1 Escort or a Mk.1 or 2 Cortina. Parts shouldn't be too hard to source on the net and tuning bits were plentiful in their day...
Application of the wellington is positively encouraged
Application of the wellington is positively encouraged
Garage_Doors
Originally the Swankers
Nottseagull
Well-known member
Maybe it was the getaway vehicle for an escape attempt. Was it one of the unreported victims of the Guildford pub bombings?
Nottseagull
Well-known member
You'd need to find one first
I suspect he already has, and is wondering whether it's a bargain or not. Is it in good condition cosmetically, Trigger, or is it just dirt cheap? If so, I might be interested - but only if it's tax exempt!.
GJK103H is no longer and the DVLA database so its safe
I can recommend PPO294K, though the windows used to leak. That was about 30 years ago, so they might have been fixed by now. Loved it, my first car.
Nottseagull
Well-known member
I used to have one of these, a Daf 44 in fact. But you do it an injustice - it actually had an infinite number of forward gears, due to the constantly variable transmission belt drive (also known as the "elastic band"!)