The Triumph Dolomite Club - Discussion Forum

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 Post subject: dolomite xr4x4i
PostPosted: Mon Aug 22, 2011 7:29 pm 
Hello,

I recently purchased a dolomite sprint with the idea to restore, but the engine has died and i cant find a problem so ive decided to convert to a sierra xr4x4i 2.8 and was wondering if anyone has heard of this being done before, also wanted to know if it is a good idea?
I would be greatfull for any advice
thanks Tom.
:bluewave:


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 Post subject: Re: dolomite xr4x4i
PostPosted: Mon Aug 22, 2011 7:47 pm 
No reason why it couldn't be done given the right skill, time and money although i have never known it done before.


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 Post subject: Re: dolomite xr4x4i
PostPosted: Mon Aug 22, 2011 7:51 pm 
well im a fabricator by trade and im pretty logically minded so im hoping it will go well

tom
:bluewave:


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 Post subject: Re: dolomite xr4x4i
PostPosted: Mon Aug 22, 2011 8:32 pm 
Are you keeping the four wheel drive...? :)


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 Post subject: Re: dolomite xr4x4i
PostPosted: Mon Aug 22, 2011 8:38 pm 
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Joined: Wed Jan 23, 2008 5:19 am
Posts: 3210
Location: Old Basing, Hants.
Iirc, there's one with a Cologne V6 in it up north somewhere.
Not seen or heard of a 4x4 one, though Adam was contemplating it when he broke that Impreza :lol: .
That would be awesome.


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 Post subject: Re: dolomite xr4x4i
PostPosted: Mon Aug 22, 2011 8:40 pm 
yeh with any luck if i can work it into the available space :lol:

tom
:bluewave:


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 Post subject: Re: dolomite xr4x4i
PostPosted: Mon Aug 22, 2011 8:42 pm 
yeh it would be awesome i just hope i have the skill to pull it off, im only 20 with no experience doing a conversion like this so its going to be a struggle but im sure i can work it out :roll:

tom
:bluewave:


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 Post subject: Re: dolomite xr4x4i
PostPosted: Mon Aug 22, 2011 9:41 pm 
For what its worth if you want my advice, take it slowly and measure a lot and do not rely on anyone else doing the measuring for you, when things start to go wrong stop and have a cuppa/ beer/ whiskey/ lemsip or any combination of the above then go back to it with a fresh mind :lol:
Some good ideas can be planned and executed whilst your mind is lubricated, if you want prove of that just look at the Deloreon or Bristols Clifton suspension bridge.


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 Post subject: Re: dolomite xr4x4i
PostPosted: Mon Aug 22, 2011 9:49 pm 
cheers man thats good advice, ill keep it in mind. as my dad always says measure twice cut once :D i think patience is going to be key with this one :D


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 Post subject: Re: dolomite xr4x4i
PostPosted: Tue Aug 23, 2011 9:39 am 
That's a serious amount of work. The Dolomite is so narrow that you're going to have to fabricate the whole front suspension setup....or have massive wing extensions and a the entire front end of the sierra...suspension included.

Good luck with it.


Last edited by ponchoj on Tue Aug 23, 2011 9:45 am, edited 1 time in total.

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 Post subject: Re: dolomite xr4x4i
PostPosted: Tue Aug 23, 2011 10:50 am 
You're lucky in that front driveshafts, hubs and drive flanges should be adaptable from a 1500 (FWD, but the Dolomite subframe has the same webs with large slots for the driveshafts to exit) so it'll not be as difficult as trying to fit the extra pair of driven wheels to something RWD and with struts up front. Maybe look at using the Ford's pot joints instead of the Triumph's rubber doughnuts though but.
It'll be like a 1300 4wd (Pony?), but with more engine. Given that you're going to be faced with making the odd cut here and there anyway, it hardly matters whether you're cutting down by an inch or a foot as long as parts that have been shortened are welded back together well, and you have what it takes to do that.
Sierra uses a semi-trailing rear that has remarkably similar geometry to the 1300's IRS at a quick glance and the Dolly's live rear end picks up at the same points on the shell, so, with some 1300 suspension bits and a means of attaching the rear diff to the floor of the Dolly shell at the right height, you'd be half way there. If you could pick up an ex-Middlebridge (or very late Reliant) Scimitar 2.9 instead of the original Cologne with its siamesed exhaust ports, then you'd have unleaded heads, greater efficiency and an even better noise. 8)

When I was with IM and the layout sketches for the then-new Legacy came over to the UK for the first time, we fitted its single belt flat 6 engine, its uprated gearbox and its (cut down) drive shafts from both ends to an older L series shell that we had in central stores in order to try out the all-new oily bits in a car that wouldn't attract attention. Yes, careful measuring and some jig work was undertaken, but the first step was to lay out the new drivetrain components on the floor along by the L series body and break out the yellow chalk.
Doing the same with every component of your XR4x4 would be a good plan. :wink:

Thread spotchered, I'll be enjoying this one. :thumbsup:


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 Post subject: Re: dolomite xr4x4i
PostPosted: Tue Aug 23, 2011 2:57 pm 
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Future Club member hopefully!

Joined: Tue Oct 03, 2006 9:45 pm
Posts: 11179
Location: Middlesex
Absolute waste of time and life.
The XR4x4i was no great shakes in the right shell. Its an overweight and underpowered waste of a 4 wheel drive setup.

If you cant find why a Sprint engine wont run properly with the simplest carbs and coil and breaker ignition what confidence can anyone have that you can set up an engine which has efi and an ecu when its out of its proper box and wont have room for the correct exhaust etc.....not that it was ever even that reliable.

Those who are approving are a misguided bunch of dreamers who wont have to answer for the stupid advice they have given.

It will not go smoothly and will be sold for peanuts in bits. Thats my prediction.

Whatever happened to the good natured realism that used to be the watchword for this board. Am I the only one left?
Sort the proper engine out or take it to someone that can. Then you will have a worthwhile car instead of a pointless bitsa shed.


Jonners

_________________
Note from Admin: sadly Jon passed away in February 2018 but his humour and wealth of knowledge will be fondly remembered by all. RIP Jonners.


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 Post subject: Re: dolomite xr4x4i
PostPosted: Tue Aug 23, 2011 3:44 pm 
jpb, thanks i hadnt evan consider using a 1500 fwd for the parts i need, thats made me a lot more confident about it being possible cheers!

jon, have you ever heard of anyone doing it? if not how would you know that its going to be a waste of time?
also i will be using a mk1 4 cylinder 2.8 with no ecu, they use a metering head attached to the air to gouvern the fuel sent to the injector.
more like what happened to opimism and imagination??


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 Post subject: Re: dolomite xr4x4i
PostPosted: Tue Aug 23, 2011 4:13 pm 
Quote:
what happened to opimism and imagination?
Alive and well among those of us who don't want to put young enthusiasts off for life before they've had the chance to discover for themselves the harsh practicalities of a major modifying job, which I happen to think isn't totally outwith the realms of feasibility. I've had groups of first years doing equally "misguided" things and none of their efforts has so far ended up on the back of the scrapman's truck.

After all, the builder of this started out never having done a similar thing before and not only did that turn out well, he's now doing a second Minor in a similar way. I'd assume that any halfway competent person would be capable of knowing whether they could see such a project to completion and would also assume that they'd be certain about what they were doing long before they sent a car to the scrapyard. :wink:

That said; I wasn't suggesting that you use any particular shell from the range, just that driveshafts won't be a problem as the front subframe was devised originally to accomodate FWD. For this reason, I believe that a Dolomite shell lends itself to such modifications far more easily than, say, that of an '02 series BMW or other, similar car of the period.

People who want to restore a Sprint to original condition will continue to do so long after I'm reduced to dust, I just happen to think that something a bit radical has a place in the enthusiast movement too.


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 Post subject: Re: dolomite xr4x4i
PostPosted: Tue Aug 23, 2011 4:28 pm 
exaclty i rather try and fail than not bother because someone said it couldnt be deen :D
that minor is lovely :eyes4u:
ahh i see, so i would perhaps be better using the hubs and suspension of a fwd dolly but mabye some custom heavier duty driveshafts?


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