1965/67 Imp pick-up (removing O/S/R wing from half-Imp)

[foxy99]

So yesterday I set about more cleaning and examination.

One of the items was the clutch.

I was hoping to find date-codes or part numbers but nothing doing.

I did notice a paint-blob and thought this might be some sort of colour-coding: blue for Sport; yellow for Heavy Duty; green for African with no heater. That kind of thing.

Anyway when I got home and checked the parts list there was no mention of this but it did show that there were 3 clutches used (well up till 1972 print-date anyway).

The notes showed which chassis-numbers the changes were made etc but I couldn't take it in at the time but did notice that the very early ones couldn't be dismantled and that the size increased later. I must say when cleaning the parts yesterday I didn't see any signs that the cover assy could be broken down further so it points to mine being a very early one.

Looking at the WSM today it presented the information more succinctly. It basically said the 5 1/2" clutch was used up until such and such a number and the 6 1/4" one was used on all Sports from the outset.

So today I will measure my clutch and if it's the small one it's another pointer that my bottom-end isn't original. If it's the bigger one it could be. The clutch could obviously have been changed at some point but it is a very low-mileage car.




flywheel cleaned




clutch cover and plate



manufacturer



patent numbers?



still enough life in it for test-runs



colour-coding, or alignment?


In the previous post I was going on about the union for the oil drain. Well I got that a bit upside-down but the correct part is paid for and on its way to me. An Imp expert looked out the bit for me and I replied to say I already had 2 of the banjo-bolt fittings for cylinder-head and he replied to say they were for the block. Turns out the union joins the gland-nut(?) to the head. He went back to his box of bits and for £15 (posted) I'm getting the union, the studs for the water-pipe elbow and gasket for same.

Someone told me Malcolm Anderson (Imp specialist) has the seals for the union.

[Darkspeed]

Hopefully its a 6-1/4" and the release bearing pad is not wobbling all over the place- Good 6-1/4" covers are few and far between now so even good S/H ones are getting expensive - Flywheels are easy enough to come by and they benefit from a bit of a diet.

Plates are easy enough to get hold of as are roller bearing replacements for the release bearing.

[foxy99]

Mar 5, 2022 16:23:56 GMT Darkspeed said:

Hopefully its a 6-1/4" and the release bearing pad is not wobbling all over the place- Good 6-1/4" covers are few and far between now so even good S/H ones are getting expensive - Flywheels are easy enough to come by and they benefit from a bit of a diet.

Plates are easy enough to get hold of as are roller bearing replacements for the release bearing.

Yip. It's 6 1/4". I checked last night. Haven't looked at release bearing yet

[foxy99]

So in amongst the cleaning this week there was the sump and air-box for the twin carbs.

I will be stripping these by electrolysis before painting so wanted to get all the grease off the sump.

I was also determined to have one last look to find the shadow of the date on the bottom of the sump. These were painted on and a lot seem to have survived but there's no trace of mine. Sometimes even when paint or something has disappeared you can still see the ghost of it, as the metal has corroded/weathered differently, but there is nothing on mine.

Again this could be due to fact it was an unstamped engine. I don't know if the dates were stamped on as the cars left the production-line or if they were put on in the sump-painting dept.

The sump is a bit dented on bottom face. I'm thinking someone jacked it there and strangely the paint on the other side of that dent is worn away as if something was rubbing in there. There aren't any moving part but the oil pick-up pipe/strainer probably touches there and that was a bit loose. You can see in my pics it's unscrewed from the body.

As I said before my sump isn't the really early type with drain at rear but there were two later types and I don't know what the difference was.

I didn't think anything of this but noticed afterwards in the WSM that 'no attempt should be made to remove it'

The air-box is quite badly corroded inside where water has obviously puddled at some point. Probably stored in a damp shed or something before I found it on Ebay.



sump degreased inside & out. note worn paint above dented bottom face




paint sanded prior to electrolysis



air-box is very scruffy



airbox degreased and sanded prior to electrolysis



rust is heavy inside. pinholes will appear when cleaned

[Darkspeed]

It's the end of the air horn that usually suffers on the airbox lid. It ends up wafer thin where its rolled from the factory and they seem to just dissolve.

Cannot say that I have ever seen a date on a sump, I will have to have a look now.
The "T" on Sport engines for Tuftrided oil pump drive gears is also another new one on me.

[foxy99]

Mar 6, 2022 16:36:48 GMT Darkspeed said:

It's the end of the air horn that usually suffers on the airbox lid. It ends up wafer thin where its rolled from the factory and they seem to just dissolve.

Cannot say that I have ever seen a date on a sump, I will have to have a look now.
The "T" on Sport engines for Tuftrided oil pump drive gears is also another new one on me.

Yeah. The end of the horn on mine is a bit mashed-up. Actually looks like it used to be longer lol. I've seen pics of sumps with the date on them. Month and last 2 digits of year in what looks like white paint. I think the thing about T on gears is incorrect. Am thinking it's the number of teeth. Not sure how you'd count the teeth (vanes?) on the crank gear tho. Looks like 4 across on mine but perhaps they were thicker or thinner if the pump-gear did have a different number of teeth

[foxy99]

So from this week's cleaning sessions (day off today as have blister on foot from walking too much. It's an 8 mile return-journey from flat to barn) we have the carbs.

These are a pair of used Stromberg CD125 (I think that's correct name) that I got off Ebay. No idea of date, jetting, condition or even if they are complete.

Also got the Sport inlet-manifold and that has no take-off for the servo-hose but that's not an issue as my car doesn't have a servo and I'm pretty sure it never did. I can plug the hole with a suitably-sized bolt. I cleaned the thread last night with a tap and it was 1/2 NPT x 27TPI. The manifold has the bracket for cable or whatever but it looks a bit bent to me.

Anyway my plan was to get some carb-cleaner at Halfords as I passed by but it was shut. I walked to the barn yesterday with the Sport cylinder-head and some other stuff in a bag and it seemed to get heavier as I went along. There was shopping to add to that too and with 3 jackets and a beanie on I was a hot mess when I eventually reached my destination.

Why am I walking? well I've let the tax and MOT slide on my car so I can't work. That way I can just focus completely on my projects for a month or two and worry about the financial impact over the next few years.

Things were going fine when my 'holidays' started on Tuesday. I dug out my Raleigh Bomber, pumped tyres up and gave it a bit of a polish and was going to and from the barn on it cheaply and happily then things took a bad turn. The headstock basically ripped. It's not really worth fixing so I'm walking instead. I have another Bomber up in the rafter which I brought down last night so that should be pressed into action once I've checked for punctures etc.

But back to the carbs. They picked up some lovely white corrosion in the 2 years or so storage in my wet shipping container. Not even going into that saga .

There are various steel brackets and plates on the carbs and these are nicely rusted. That's more of an annoyance than a problem but it looks to me like some are bent and even missing which is a problem.

I don't think you can just order parts off the shelf for these other than service-kits (rubbers, seals, screws etc) so if there is something wrong will prob end up buying another pair to cannibalise.

I set about cleaning and dismantling them with some ACF50 and rags and small sharp things. Nothing broke apart from one float-bowl screw but I'm sure the bowl will still come off as it's wiggling around fine and I'm soaking it with ACF. Not sure why it won't pull up the remains of the screw if it's turning freely. Might be like the studs on my Jag V12. They were very difficult to withdraw from head despite being completely free from block. The corrosion was thick round them.


The carb spindles are connected to each other with strange little clips which are secured with tiny nuts and bolts. The clips also act as a sort of captive-nut set up to stop the nuts turning. If there was no corrosion you would just unwind the bolt (1/4" AF spanner) and the nut stays put but as things don't want to move due to rust the nut is likely to just bend the clip and keep spinning. It's difficult to get a spanner or socket on the nut as the clip gets in way.

So for something so small they were quite a hassle. I undid them by holding the nut with a 6mm spanner and unwinding the bolts with the correct 1/4" socket.

Another problem was the nuts holding the carbs to the manifold. One of them brought the stud out with it which isn't usually a big deal but you can't actually remove it from the carb as its in a tight spot. You can't hold the free end with 2 of the nuts locked together on it to have a go at the original nut as the thread is a coarse thread on the sunken side. I have a plan to tho. Just need a ball-bearing

Another issue was with the front carb...

You can't reach one of its mounting nuts with the rear carb in place, hence all the faff separating the spindles. But even with the rear carb out the way you still can't get to the nut with a spanner as one of the spindle-levers is in the way.

I've found in the past, on carbs, that even with securing huts removed often these parts won't come off their shafts easily as they are sort of nipped on to them. Thankfully that wasn't the case here so with a tiny tab-washer unfolded and a funny nut removed the bracket came off and I could get to the nut


cheap and cheerful transport for a few days



until this happened



these small fasteners need to be removed to separate carbs



1/4" socket should be all that you need as nut is captive at other end



nuts holding carbs to manifold are recessed but this one can be reached ok



this one has more in the way



to get bracket off need to remove nut and tab-washer



tab-washer hard to see in the muck and corrosion



tried turning spindle to get more room but bracket still needed to come off



carbs off manifold



looking quite filthy at throttle-plates



looks like something could/should be on round areas, something missing from end of spindle and stud trapped on carb due to seized nut



float-bowl screws came out fine except for one that head snapped off



bowls on these are unusual in that they have a component coming out the bottom



quite dirty inside at top also



these cams/levers are for fast idle but seem bent to me

[Darkspeed]

Regarding the Strom's - as per my post on page 1 - although I have reduced my hoard of Strommie spares quite considerably I still have a good few kicking about so do not be afraid to ask.





That's how they should be, it's the casting for cold start. Its on both sides of the body but only one side is machined depending on the handing on a particular engine, if its twin carb etc. If you take the cold start block off the other side of the carb you will see the same casting but ports are open so that the metering slide can feed fuel.

[foxy99]

Mar 6, 2022 20:20:07 GMT Darkspeed said:

Regarding the Strom's - as per my post on page 1 - although I have reduced my hoard of Strommie spares quite considerably I still have a good few kicking about so do not be afraid to ask.

That's how they should be, it's the casting for cold start. Its on both sides of the body but only one side is machined depending on the handing on a particular engine, if its twin carb etc. If you take the cold start block off the other side of the carb you will see the same casting but ports are open so that the metering slide can feed fuel.

That's great Darkspeed. actually looking back at page 1 was helpful as I could see the carbs when I bought them and be curse word off about the constant damp climate I live in

Also see that I have the linkage/lver thing that's 'missing' from one of the spindles

I should have worked that out about the castings but being a pessimist just assumed bits were missing.

Question: the CDs125 versions of these carbs don't seem to be as common as the 150 and 175 ones. Are the bodies all the same size but with different jetting/piston-bore/venturi or are they all different?

[foxy99]

Ok so the regression back to 30 years ago continues: not working, no transport and arsing about with Hillman Imp bits

I may have said before but all the bits of my Imp (except interior trim) have been in various lock-ups over the years. I count 5 or 4 for some as one was being constantly broken-into by the local vermin so about 15 years ago I brought all the bits into the flats where I live. Lots of boxes of powder-coated bits (hubs etc) in tubs in my bedroom and some larger stuff (fuel tank etc) in 'pram-store' on ground level. The drawing for the flats actually call them that but no-one keeps prams in them. They are like long walk-in cupboards I guess. About 9' high, 3 1/2' wide and maybe 8' deep.

Anyway in amongst all the curse word, like Christmas trees and old carpet, the fuel tank was still there and also a large coil of cables that connect the engine to the front of the car. What am I one about?

Well I remember dismantling the car and the wires and hoses that run front to back were coiled up for safe-keeping.

I was pleased to find it but wasn't quite what I was looking for.

I have an insane plan to fire the engine up outside the car but using all the normal components - such as throttle cable and fuel-lines.

I can see on the tank there is a threaded hole for the pipe-union but no matching pipe in the coil. Looking at the parts list it shows a hard line going to a hose which connects to the fuel-pump. I'm not sure how long each one is but I won't have thrown anything away. If the hard-line is long it will be in the rafters of the first lock-up the Imp lived in. I have pics of this somewhere which I can scan

So yesterday was supposed to be heavy rain so I procrastinated all day about heading to barn with the tank. I wrapped it in plastic (to look less of a weirdo) with the coil inside too and it only weighed 5kg but bit of an awkward shape to carry under your arm for 4 miles.

Eventually got on my was about 5 and went by Halfords for carb-cleaner.

Spent the night fiddling with the carbs and digging out more bits to clean and inspect. Am thinking I may as well include the intake parts (standard carb etc) that were on the car when I got it as it will be interesting to compare the performance of the Sport and standard set-ups.

So back to the carbs. I eventually got the 2nd float-bowl off. It was strange as the bowl was rotating on the screw but just would not come off despite lots of fluid and wiggling/levering.

I eventually started removing the top of the screw with a Dremel bit but that was slow progress until I found a bit which was flat and it worked great. sort of milled the screw flat and fitted in the bowl-drilling with room to spare. There is actually quite a big gap between the casting and the screw. Just enough to build up a thick layer of corrosion.

It's not a good pic but you can see with the bowl removed all the corrosion at the end of the screw. It wasn't corroded into the carb-body at all. This was a very similar situation to the head-studs on my V12 - the studs are buried more than 2" deep in an unthreaded part of the casting and this locks-up completely with the stud whereas the threaded part is clean as a whistle.

I also got the stuck stud c/w nut away from the carb. I said last time I planned to use a ball-bearing but the ones I laid my hands on were too big to go into the tapping on the manifold so I dropped a bit of the sheared carb screw into the hole, tightened the stud down into the now-shorter hole which meant the nut could then be turned downwards onto the clean part of the stud. It then wound off no problems leaving the stud in the manifold. I assumed it would have brought the stud back out leading to more fiddling but it worked better than expected.

The last issue I have is that one of the carb pistons is stuck solid in the lid. The pistons have a tube coming up from the middle which is a close fit into a passage in the top cover. I can see, when assembled, that this piston isn't stuck at top or bottom which means it can be released either up or down but despite some strong levering last night it won't budge. I didn't want to break anything so have left it doused with ACF50. Someone has suggested putting lid back on and using a tube to drift it downwards. I did try putting a deep socket on the needle-end and tapping that but it didn't work.

I suspect this one has seized because the dashpot-damper is missing from that carb. Possibly been stored in damp or outdoors for years and the tube and cap have corroded together

Regarding transport. I used my other Raleigh Bomber (3-speed version ) and despite the freezing rain on way home it was a breeze compared to walking it.

Only problem is I'm planning to take the radiator down today and don't fancy that on the bike



not used this brand before




more parts to clean



carb ready for carb-cleaner



top end needs cleaned



flat-ended burr used to remove some of screw inside bowl-drilling



corrosion at end of screw was stopping bowl moving up it



foreign object dropped into manifold tapping....



....stud screwed back into manifold allowing stuck nut to be wound downwards



piston is stuck part way up/down

[Darkspeed]

Mar 10, 2022 11:56:44 GMT foxy99 said:

Question: the CDs125 versions of these carbs don't seem to be as common as the 150 and 175 ones. Are the bodies all the same size but with different jetting/piston-bore/venturi or are they all different?

The 150 is the same size body as the 125 and they share quite a few parts but I doubt enough to bother buying a 150 to fix a 125 - the 175 is bigger.

Spare body parts - used to have much more but got rid of loads a while back - As I use DCOE/DHLA and CD150's I keep some useful spares aside for peeps who have a need but most people I know are running high tuned engines so not using 125's



One of my pots of odds and ends





Saw this laying about on a shelf - Is that a T?

[foxy99]

Mar 10, 2022 16:39:11 GMT Darkspeed said:

Saw this laying about on a shelf - Is that a T?

Nice selection of spares there and yes it certainly looks like a T - so the Tutrified thing must be true. But unless we know where the gear came from doesn't solve the Sport/non-Sport question.

Amazing the things that come up

[foxy99]

So I'm making it down the barn every day and continuing the cleaning/finding/examination process. I'm now on my other Raleigh Bomber. It's like riding a work of art and it goes lovely. The Sturmey Archer 3-speed hub is a joy when it's set-up right. When we were kids everyone's Chopper or Grifter was 'stuck in 3rd' as the toggle thing was snapped or whatever. I remember some kids had a clothes peg of something holding the mini-chain out so it was stuck in 1st. This was a lot better than being in 3rd all the time.

Anyway it's in 'survivor' condition but looks great polished up. The pics don't do it justice imo


this week's transport

I took the rad down yesterday. It's a bout 6kg but was awkward to fit in a bag due to bottom hose still being attached and I didn't have tools at home to cut the jubilee clip off.

Yesterday I spent time cleaning the valve-cover & got that piston separated from its lid.

Was about to clean the pistons when I noticed only 2 of them still have Tippex marks on them from when I dismantled. I don't know which are 2 & 4 basically. I need to find v good pics of the top of the pistons before I dismantled as I noticed (believe it or not) that the stamps on top of them all are in different places so you could ID by zooming-in.

Also the coil of 'cables' I was talking about on closer examination is only 3 and it's all related to the extra clocks on my dash. I'll explain in more detail another time but my car has 4 extra clocks plus a little gadget which lets you check to oil from inside the car.

So the items in the bundle are:

• nylon tube with male union at one end and nut at other for oil pressure gauge
• nylon tube with dipstick device at one end
• capillary for water temp gauge

You can see the thread on the fuel-tank for where the pipe screws in and am sure I'll find the pipe but was Googling about the throttle cable(s) and find the were different ones for Sport and standard. Apparently the Sport one is 9" longer.

I think it's unlikely whoever took the Sport head off mine changed the cable but then it's not guaranteed that whoever did the Sport conversion put a Sport cable on. The Sport also apparently used different pedals so again it will be interesting to see what I have.


I have to add that many many years ago when I was removing the dash & clocks from the car I didn't understand how or what the capillary for the water-temp gauge was and instead of disconnecting it from the rad or whatever and pulling it back towards the dash I just cut thru the clock-end and I remember stuff coming out (mercury?) that told me I'd done something wrong.

I've always wondered if a specialist who refurbished Smiths gauges could put an ew on on and I could re-use the original clock.

I also just remembered that the way it was connected to the engine didn't seem right. The capillary should presumably have some sort of bulb or adapter on the end which goes into the water but mine was sort of loosely soldered to the outside of the rad iirc. Looks like there was some sort of proper connector there and someone just soldered a bit of wire to that



slim deep socket used to drift piston out of cap



8mm used. pictured from bottom for illustration only



exhumed parts taken to barn this week



original rad is scruffy but seems totally solid



nice original touch on bottom of rad



need to find the pipe which goes into fuel tank here



looks like more but there are only 3 items in the coil




these 2 must be for oil-pressure gauge




these 2 for dash-mounted oil-level checker



capillary for water-temp gauge

[foxy99]

Well I didn't get to barn today but went to the lock-up the Imp originally landed at and up in the rafters found the fuel-pipe c/w rubber hose. Also found the clutch fluid-pipe.

Anyway the fuel pipe is long. It goes right to back of car. It's also quite corroded so I think I'll just ID the union and make a new shorter version for the engine start-up plans.

Will do the same for the radiator hose(s). Obv they are very long on an Imp, running front to back.

Strangely I found the windscreen, or a windscreen, smashed on the floor. I've no idea how that happened as I've had 2 up in the rafters for perhaps 30 years and suddenly one decides to hit the deck.

No big deal I guess as I have another but curious now if it was the original one. I know some screens have a kitemark thing on them

[twincammy]

wow that bomber is MEGA!

[foxy99]

Thanks very much twincammy

The black one is actually in better nick but there is something about the blue ones (visually) that's hard to beat.

They are actually called Super Bombers and the frame etc is fully chromed then coated with a translucent blue coating that was called Superchrome lol.

This obviously peeled off quickly (especially on the rims where the brake blocks rubbed) but it's amazing how good quality the chrome under it is. It still looks good imo with part blue and part chrome.

The tyres are cheap copies. A bit faded and slightly less beefy but I have NOS ones which I should really put on - just for the hell of it


summer tyres?


I remember seeing the Bombers in catalogues etc when I was about 12 and actually dreaming of cruising about on one. When the Super came out a year or so after I thought 'that can't be real!'

[foxy99]

So I got my first delivery of essential bits for the engine-assembly phase....

An Imp expert saw my posts on Facebook and looked out the bits I was looking for and for a very small cost they were in the post quick-style.

I picked them up from my mother's last night and naturally started measuring stuff when I got home at midnight.

I established both ends of the pipe-to-head fitting were the same (3/4 UNF) which worried me due to previous observation (when I had the pipe upside-down) that the fitting went into the block fine but not the gland-nut on the pipe.

This newly-acquired piece was smaller than the other one so would presumably fit the pipe but not the head. So I was thinking 'damn, my block was obviously tapped the wrong size for the standard fitting - more hassle etc etc'. Some rummaging around for bits ensued and I found the NOS banjo-bolt for pipe-to-block and it was bigger than the fitting.

The penny dropped: the tapping in the head is smaller than the tapping in the block. I assumed they'd both be the same. Actually the other night I glimpsed my L4 head under the bench and noticed the blanking-plug in the head and thought 'wonder where that guy got all these sump-plugs...'

The packet also included the studs for the water-pipe elbow and a gasket for that. Only issue I'd say with these is that the end which goes into the lock (coarse thread) is rather short so it probably won't reach past the damaged part of my thread. Maybe get a thread-insert or just a longer stud. We'll see



from Graham to Graham



studs & gasket for water-pipe elbow. block-end of studs is very short



oil-drain pipe to head fitting



assume cone end goes to gland-nut



flat end into head?


Lastly I learned about more about thread sizes....

The head fitting measures 3/4" diameter and is 16TPI. This makes it 3/4" UNF. I saw a lot of reference to JIC -8 alongside 3/4" UNF and it turns out they are the same. So if you got a fitting that was JIc8 male to JIC8 male straight it would work for the Imp oil-drain to head. I always shied-away from JIC when I saw it in catalogues etc (usually for those fancy red or blue hose fittings Max Power guys use) but apparently it's been around for decades. Like maybe the 50s onwards.

The banjo-bolt and my (plumbing) fitting that went into the block are 1/2" BSP. This of course doesn't measure 1/2" anywhere. The actual diameter is 13/16" and it has 14TPI

[jimi]

IIRC the standard for JIC fittings was set around 1950. Very commonly used in industry for hydraulics etc. used everywhere offshore in my experience.
As you say the flared end is to the hose side, plain side to the block, plain side could be various threads, tapered or parallel depending on the application. Tapered versions seal on the threads, parallel with a seal ('o' ring, dowty washer etc) A higher tolerance version (but not interchangeable) would be a AN fitting (both are 37° flares) not to be confused with or compatible with a SAE fitting which has a 45° flare.

[93fxdl]

Bsp sizing refers to the bore of the pipe, so 1/2 inch bsp refers to the inner size, being 1/2 inch
Ttfn Glenn

[foxy99]

Am feeling a bit disheartened just now.

Nothing to do with the practical side of sorting the Imp out. It's more about missed chances.

As I've been off work just now I tried to dip back into the history hoping against hope at least one more pic of the car would surface.

I did everything I could as an 18 year-old lad (with no internet back in 1988) to trace previous owners and it wasn't that successful.

It seemed like ancient history even back then so when the internet came to me (about 2004) I didn't consider picking up the trail again

Then, perhaps 10 years ago, I tried a few things then perhaps 3 years ago I found one of the previous owners on Facebook but he didn't reply to my message and his page was never updated so I assumed he was very very old or had passed away.

Anyway with the time off just now I tried various things and couldn't believe it when 2 or 3 people who knew him confirmed he was still with us.

I politely asked if they could maybe pass on my details or even ask him some questions on my behalf:

• what was in the round hole on the glovebox-lid?
• is it true there was a plaque on the dashboard with some info re the car eg 'made by Rootes Competition Dept 1966'?
• what colour and material was the cover over the load-bay?

I didn't get any direct responses but a 3rd party messaged me out the blue saying the guy was just about to leave the country (for good?) and 'everything was cleared out'. It's bizarre. We're talking nearly 50 years ago and the week I take up the case again the guy leaves forever and I imagine any pics he had of the Imp get dumped in wheelie-bin. Gone forever

The other 3 owners I know of I tried going on forums of the town the address was at. People were pretty helpful on the Leamington Spa one but the guy seemed to have used a shopping centre as his address and the number he was at is not in any old reference material. Another was a shop (The Steering Wheel) I guess and that's long-gone.

Also the woman who first owned it and lived in a very expensive old property till she died 10 years ago had no family so I wonder what became of any pics she had.

I just saw tonight that the guy who was on V5 before me died in 2021. I was in touch with his family by email last year and the son was helpful but still no pics.

I have one last chance I think.

I met the guy about 20 years ago and it was him who told me about the plaque on the dash and he also took the Sport head off it.

He may well have passed away but I think I'll go back one last time to see what I can find out

Meantime, for those who have never seen it before, here's a great pic of it in the lanes around Warwick a long time ago.

I don't actually have the original pic. It appeared on the front cover of the Imp Club magazine years and years ago with very little backstory and that's about all I have of Lonesome George

When I think of all the day to day curse word you deal with over the years (work, bills, shopping, work, bills, etc etc) and it gets in the way of good important stuff you never have time to do it's quite sad. All those wasted years and missed chances. I'm losing money every day not working just now but if I hadn't took the time off wouldn't have got focused to do the research I did. Spent hours on it to no avail