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Hillman progress pics by popular demand...

Posted by Ryan Reis

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Hillman progress pics by popular demand... #1
Ryan Reis Beatrice, NE, USA 1968 MG MGB	Posted: December 30, 2011 01:54PM Registered: 13 years ago Posts: 4,379

Okay, so only one of you really asked to see progress pics, but I'm easy. And anyway, it's friday afternoon on Dec. 30th and if any of you are still at work I'm guessing you're looking for any excuse to do something other than work, so here's a few pics of the rambling wreck. If any of you remember the "before" shots, this car was seriously swiss-cheesed. What's the old car dealer phrase? "You could throw a cat through it." If this were an mgb (or an mga for that matter) I wouldn't have touched it. But I think it's cool and it's probably the only one I'm ever gonna see around here.

Basically 50% everything on the bottom 4-6" of the sheetmetal was gone. The floors had been replaced earlier by someone else, and they did a decent enough job. I can testify that it holds water as I drove it home in a downpour and ended up with about 4" of water sloshing around my feet. Fun! It's not a pretty project, because it was too far gone and already far too modified to worry about originality. My goal was to fix the rust to make it safe and a nice looking "10 footer". I think it's going to work out. The rear 1/4 arches were made from Nissan Altima fenders and everything else was made from flat stock. When I was bending metal over my knee and hammer forming it on my engine hoist frame I was thinking "I bet this is just like them Ferrari boys do it!" Anyway... it runs like a top. I hadn't started it in months and when I was taking these pics it was sitting there idling like a sewing machine. Fuel injection is great.

Ryan Reis
Beatrice,NE

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Re: Hillman progress pics by popular demand... #2
kerbau53 Geoff Morton Naples, Florida, USA 1978 MG MGB V8 Conversion "The Wreck"	Posted: December 30, 2011 02:18PM Registered: 2 years ago Posts: 1,073

Now that's got class!

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Re: Hillman progress pics by popular demand... #3
denvermgb Brad Carson Aurora, Colorado, USA 1975 MG MGB V8 Conversion	Posted: December 30, 2011 03:10PM Registered: 6 years ago Posts: 1,050

Very cool Ryan!

Brad

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Re: Hillman progress pics by popular demand... #4
TeamEvil / / Gone, /, Kiribati	Posted: December 30, 2011 04:05PM Registered: 1 year ago Posts: 1,443

What's that black stuff in the rot holes on the rear/top of the driver's side fender . . . JB Weld ? Gas tank epoxy? Marine Tex?

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Re: Hillman progress pics by popular demand... #5
Ryan Reis Beatrice, NE, USA 1968 MG MGB	Posted: December 30, 2011 04:42PM Registered: 13 years ago Posts: 4,379

That's a "former" rot hole. The new metal I welded in had a black edp coating on it and the stuff you see is where I haven't sanded it all off. A lot of my patch panels came from a new z-28 hood that I had laying around!

Ryan Reis
Beatrice,NE

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Re: Hillman progress pics by popular demand... #6
dcraddock43 Dave Craddock Redford (Detroit), Mi., USA	Posted: December 30, 2011 06:18PM Registered: 7 years ago Posts: 666

Ryan,,, those Hillmans are WAY cool I think they are the best looking car of that genre.
Some dumb questions, I understand you are running a Quad 4 and T5 gearbox, are those MGB
hubs axle/suspensions? I have a Quad four that I was thinking of for a retro lakes modified
those engines look so good without all the gingerbread on them! you know, polish up the ally
castings & stuff.
Dave Craddock

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Re: Hillman progress pics by popular demand... #7
turbostar john austin ruidoso,nm, USA	Posted: December 30, 2011 06:58PM Registered: 6 years ago Posts: 221

That car is cool Ryan. As I said I have a W41 Quad4 that I'm going use on a rear wheel drive project. The list of candidates include an MGB,a Morris Minor,a 544 Volvo,and now a Hillman. An MGB would be the easiest as it has good suspension and brakes to start with but I will probably do whatever I find first that touches me. The Morris is real cute but the location of the steering rack is a major obstacle. You are a better man the I,when you fix all those corrosion issues. Good luck with the Hillman and drop some more progress photos from time to time.

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Re: Hillman progress pics by popular demand... #8
turbostar john austin ruidoso,nm, USA	Posted: December 30, 2011 07:02PM Registered: 6 years ago Posts: 221

BTW, the stance is absolutely perfect.

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Re: Hillman progress pics by popular demand... #9
1744 Bill Guzman California, USA 1973 MG MGB GT "Green GT" 1974 MG MGB "Punking"	Posted: December 30, 2011 08:45PM Registered: 7 years ago Posts: 4,823

Very nice Ryan, very nice. You will need a cool hat when you drive that Hillman.

It is our attitude that will determine the outcome

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Re: Hillman progress pics by popular demand... #10
Bill Young Kansas City, MO, USA 1952 MG TD 1959 MG MGA 1500 1973 Lotus Europa 1973 MG Midget "Half Asp Or Frank" 1998 Jaguar XK8 Convertible	Posted: December 30, 2011 09:24PM Registered: 6 years ago Posts: 4,649

Looking good Ryan, you'll be cruising in style by the time of the 2013 British V8 meet in Omaha!

Bill Young
'73 Midget
'59 MGA

There is a fine line between a 'hobby' and 'mental illness'.

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Re: Hillman progress pics by popular demand... #11
NOHOME Peter Plouf London, Canada 1961 Austin-Healey Sprite Bugeye "Lil" 1967 MG MGB GT "Maggie (GT From Hell)"	Posted: December 30, 2011 10:56PM Registered: 6 years ago Posts: 11,904

Way kool. Needs an LS1 to finish the job devil smiley

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Re: Hillman progress pics by popular demand... #12
PaulP Paul Peterson , WA, USA 1973 MG MGB GT 1974 MG MGB	Posted: December 30, 2011 11:38PM Registered: 10 years ago Posts: 3,959

Thanks for posting the pics Ryan! It's been a couple years sice I recall hearing anything about the Hillman. Got any pictures of the engine compartment?

Paul

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Re: Hillman progress pics by popular demand... #13
BMC Brian Mc Cullough Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA 1959 Austin A40 Farina 1959 Austin-Healey Frogeye (Bugeye) 1961 Austin-Healey Sprite MkII "Green Sprite" 1969 MG MGC GT "CGT" 1979 MG MGB → more	Posted: December 31, 2011 12:41PM Registered: 13 years ago Posts: 4,347

Very Nice. Now if I could only get 5 minutes to work on our A40!

-BMC.

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Re: Hillman progress pics by popular demand... #14
Ryan Reis Beatrice, NE, USA 1968 MG MGB	Posted: December 31, 2011 01:28PM Registered: 13 years ago Posts: 4,379

Here's a link showing some old pis, engine bay hasn't changed. http://forum.britishv8.org/read.php?12,8868

The stance looks Great but it's too low. I have an alpine front suspension that I'm building with ventilated rotors and gm metric calipers. Rear suspension is stock leaves and a 7.5 ford with discs. Thanks for the encouragement, if I can get it painted it should be a fun driver.

Ryan Reis
Beatrice,NE

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Re: Hillman progress pics by popular demand... #15
TeamEvil / / Gone, /, Kiribati	Posted: December 31, 2011 05:56PM Registered: 1 year ago Posts: 1,443

LOVE the Hillman ! !

We're "restoring" a '55 Hillman Husky wagon right now, same color(s) as yours. Probably in the same condition body wise as yours as well.

Just finished up doing the floors, still have to conform the new trans hump for the Ford transmission. Found that the Dana 44 from a Postal Jeep was a bolt-in for the rear end and Chevy rotors fit the stock front spindles like the were made for them. Still have to get the caliper brackets made up, but things are progressing.

Going to be watching your progress for sure.

Best,

TC

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 12/31/2011 05:56PM by TeamEvil.

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Re: Hillman progress pics by popular demand... #16
princess-cyanide laura s glasgow, United Kingdom 1966 MG MGB GT "DITA" 1999 Mercedes-Benz E55 AMG "GRACE"	Posted: January 03, 2012 04:01AM Registered: 1 year ago Posts: 159

sweet.do you happen to know if your husky was built in linwood,scotland?
the site of the linwood factory is about 15 miles from me and theres now a newspaper distribution warehouse on the site.sadly the town never recovered from the closure of the factory.
when i bought my b,one of the cars i was seeking was a singer vogue,which was basically a sexed up hillman minx.but i got dita instead.
nice work.

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Re: Hillman progress pics by popular demand... #17
mgcgt2912 Richard Bailey Cully, East Devon England, United Kingdom 1969 MG MGC GT	Posted: January 03, 2012 05:39AM Registered: 2 years ago Posts: 682

Husky a very familiar car to me.
My uncle was a Board Director of Rootes from after WW2 until about 1962.( he got out before Chrysler took over !)
So most of our family were brought up with Hillmans, Sunbeam Talbot 90s, and Humbers( Hawks and Snipes.)
Great memories,
R

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Re: Hillman progress pics by popular demand... #18
Ryan Reis Beatrice, NE, USA 1968 MG MGB	Posted: January 03, 2012 08:51AM Registered: 13 years ago Posts: 4,379

Thanks for all the comments, I spent all day yesterday doing filler work. It's always the worst part of any rust repair and quite frankly I hate it. But I've started and it's going well. It really feels good to be working on a car after months and months of working on a house.

Laura, I have no idea where my Husky was built, that's an interesting question.

Ryan Reis
Beatrice,NE

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Re: Hillman progress pics by popular demand... #19
bills Bill Spohn W. Vancouver, BC, Canada 1956 MG MGA 1958 MG MGA Twin-Cam 1962 MG MGA MkII Coupe 1965 Jensen CV8 1969 Lamborghini Countach → more	Posted: January 03, 2012 04:14PM Registered: 8 years ago Posts: 9,160

Neat.

Makes me wish I'd finished my old Triumph Mayflower project - TR4 brakes and engine. Today I'd do it with an Ecotec with a supercharger!

Bill Spohn www.rhodo.citymax.com/carstuff.html
1958 MGA Twincam (race car), 1962 MGA Deluxe Coupe
1969 MGC roadster, 1957 Jamaican MGA
1965 Jensen CV8, 1971 Jensen Interceptor
1969 Lamborghini Islero S, 1988 Fiero GT turbo
2009 Pontiac Solstice GXP Coupe
West Vancouver BC

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Re: Hillman progress pics by popular demand... #20
turbostar john austin ruidoso,nm, USA	Posted: January 07, 2012 06:02PM Registered: 6 years ago Posts: 221

Hey Ryan,did you see the Hillman Husky on EBAY under "other makes"? Looks pretty sweet.Wish it was closer,I would go look at it.

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