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Dolomite 1500HL SDT655S
http://forum.triumphdolomite.co.uk/viewtopic.php?t=31307
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Author:  tony g [ Thu Sep 29, 2016 8:20 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Dolomite 1500HL SDT655S

WOW !@!. The sump will hold the parts youre missing. Im surprised it hasnt seized up by now.

Tony

Author:  Alexander D Cossey [ Thu Sep 29, 2016 8:35 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Dolomite 1500HL SDT655S

I thought as much, I'm amazed the piston managed the sneak past the crankshaft without smashing it to pieces

i went outside again with 2 torches and kind of managed to get a picture of what I guess is the connecting rod sitting just to the side

Image

Author:  Carledo [ Thu Sep 29, 2016 10:04 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Dolomite 1500HL SDT655S

Well, now it really IS only good for a boat anchor!

I've seen more comprehensive destruction from a piston failure, but that one is quite outstanding for NOT penetrating the crankcase!

There is no point in even thinking of trying to resuscitate that corpse, you need another engine!

Bad luck sir!

Steve

Author:  Toledo Man [ Fri Sep 30, 2016 12:08 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Dolomite 1500HL SDT655S

You won't need a complete engine. If you can find a block with pistons & crankshaft you can clean up and reuse your cylinder head. If a complete engine is available you should grab it anyway. At least you know what the problem is.

Author:  Jon Tilson [ Fri Sep 30, 2016 3:38 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Dolomite 1500HL SDT655S

I know where there is a Herald 13/60 engine going free in Hampton...

It will get you out of trouble for a bit. I would say that could be resleeved and reused with a new piston.

Reminds me of a Daimler V8 I once had in with a mild mis and a slight blue haze from one exhaust. But in that one the gudgeon pin and con rod were still going up and down in the bore. The piston had come to bits and done a fare job of decarbonising the head on that one pot.

One can only guess at the cause of that....maybe the big end cap wasnt done up properly which lead to the piston gettiong smashed and falling to bits in the sum. As Steve says its a minor miracle the stray rod didn't punch a hole through the crankcase.

PM me if the engine is of interest. You should have all the bits to make it fit and it will go as well as a 1500 anyway with twin carbs.

Jonners

Author:  Alexander D Cossey [ Fri Sep 30, 2016 4:39 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Dolomite 1500HL SDT655S

Hi everyone,

I took the sump off today, as suspected the piston and connecting rod was siting in the sump horribly mangled.
Image
I'm not sure but I was going to try taking the crankshaft out to check for damage, it doesn't seem to have any major dents or cracks so I wondered weather if this is the case a new piston and connecting rod would suffice (maybe with a relining of the cylinder as well).
Image

Author:  Carledo [ Fri Sep 30, 2016 6:55 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Dolomite 1500HL SDT655S

I wouldn't trust that crank as far as I could throw it! And anyway, sleeving the bore is not really cost effective on a 1500. And you'll need a new rod and piston(s) There are much better starting points out there. I'm sure if you put a wanted ad on here you'll get a result. It might also be worth checking ebay for a donor CAR, there have been a few roughish 1500s on recently for not a lot of money. And you get a whole car full of spare parts. But be warned, this is a slippery slope that leads to total Dolomite addiction.

Steve

Edit! see the 1500HL Maidstonerob is selling for £100 in the cars for sale section of this very forum!

Author:  Alexander D Cossey [ Mon Oct 03, 2016 4:59 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Dolomite 1500HL SDT655S

hi everyone,
thanks for the replies, I looked up 1500 engines on eBay, they seem quite expensive for what you get (most are untested which seems suspicious) but one that came from a running Midget is up for £50 at the moment (its bidding) http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/MG-Midget-150 ... Sw8w1X6Old , a collection in person at Coventry (about 10 miles away). I was going to bid on it but I'm not really sure what they're worth or what I should go up to? Some "buy it nows" are £200 so should I go as high as that or are they just people trying their luck (as they're all untested).

Also the gearbox has always been annoying me, it pops out of first (and sometimes second gear) and has a constant (if quiet) wine. A rebuild kit for it costs £90 on eBay- http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Triumph-Dolom ... nN4wGzLoVw , would that sort the issue/ is it something I could do on a workbench (you don't need special tools?). Ive tried to look it up but theres not much info on it I could find.

cheers :)

Author:  SprintMWU773V [ Mon Oct 03, 2016 5:05 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Dolomite 1500HL SDT655S

Whether it's £50 or £500 to me it would seem foolish to fit an engine without giving it at least a strip and inspect. It's easy enough to inspect when it's out of the car and of course easy enough to change parts. I think if I were you I'd consider changing the mains and big ends before fitting whatever the cost of the engine, you can then at least inspect the crankshaft and with the pistons out you can assess the bores properly.

Author:  Alexander D Cossey [ Mon Oct 03, 2016 8:43 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Dolomite 1500HL SDT655S

hi

Managed to pick up the 1500 engine for £62 so will be fitting it over the next week

Author:  Jon Tilson [ Tue Oct 04, 2016 10:57 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Dolomite 1500HL SDT655S

Sorry I didnt get in quick enough to warn you that the Midget flywheel and starter may well be incompatible with the starter that
comes with your 1500HL.

If that proves to be the case you may well have to change to bendix type starter from the Midget Spit or Dolly 1300.

I don't think you can just swap the flywheels either as the bolt spacing is different.

Rebuilding a gearbox is do-able for the determined home mechanic and we all have to start somewhere, but certain parts of the job can be a bit of a mare and you really won't get much for 90 quid on ebay. A full set of bearings and synchro cones and gaskets is well north of 200 quid these days.

Jonners

Author:  Alexander D Cossey [ Fri Oct 21, 2016 6:07 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Dolomite 1500HL SDT655S

right,

I bought the engine and an engine crane to do my swap, the old engine had quite a lot of leaks so I'm taking it apart (I have to swap the sump anyway, possibly the mounts too). So far the only difficulty is removing the crankshaft pulley, I bought a special socket that fits very nicely but after worrying about bending the shaft of my breaker bar (I added some leverage with a bit of scaffold tube) the head sheered off. Wondering what to do now, i dont have a torch to heat it up (only a wee propane bottle soldering thing) or a impact wrench so I'm a bit stuck.

by the way im taking it off exactly the way they do it in this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mPWjZFExtfE

Author:  Carledo [ Fri Oct 21, 2016 10:59 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Dolomite 1500HL SDT655S

And they bent what looked to be a 3/4" drive Tommy bar doing it.

If you can, throw the block in the boot of a car and cart it down to your local tyre shop (preferably not Thicktwit) They normally have a 3/4" drive airgun for use on commercial wheels. That should shift it!

Steve

Author:  Jon Tilson [ Sat Oct 22, 2016 11:45 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Dolomite 1500HL SDT655S

Its a bit of impact shock that you need.
I use a lump hammer against the 3/4 drive tommy bar. Works for me....

Jonners

Author:  Alexander D Cossey [ Wed Dec 28, 2016 5:23 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Dolomite 1500HL SDT655S

hi everyone,

cheers for the advice, i managed to get the pulley off and striping the engine down went quickly. All the bores were in good condition, i cleaned up the cylinder head and pistons carbon deposits and put it back together. It went back in easily and is currently fully bolted in aside from the carburetors which I'm going to put on last. I decided to try turning it over (it turned by hand easily when out of the car but I wanted to make sure all the electrics were working fine before i continued on) and there have been massive problems. At first it seemed okay and the dash lit up but it couldn't be turned off (id managed to bypass the switch) it wouldn't start and the lights, indicators and horn wouldn't work. I was annoyed but realised the connector from the battery to the starter solenoid was very lose so I tightened it up and nothing happened, all of the power had gone. Today I decided to check it with a multimeter and realised one of the other connectors on the solenoid was lose (i think the one that goes to the switch?its yellow and white) and after tightening it and finding it spinning round managed to pick it out of the solenoid with my fingers. Im very annoyed as I cant find any diagrams of the solenoid or see them for sale on their own, so cant tell how broken my solenoid is or how to fix it. I was hoping someone here would know whats wrong

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