The Triumph Dolomite Club - Discussion Forum

Here's a question for you that ranks amongst the 'why did it take them 100 years to put handles on car batteries?'

The propshaft mounting bracket on the driver's side is held by two nuts fixed onto two captive bolts welded to a plate on the inside of the cabin and is a cinch to undo. The passenger side however has but a single nut onto a single bolt welded to a plate on the inside of the cabin that will always merrily spin around whilst attempting to undo the nut below. Without an assistant to hand, any attempt to lock the internal plate with mole grips simply means the plate distorts...before continuing to spin merrily around. I've just spent an hour failing to remove this; why on earth didn't they do the same arrangement as on the driver's side???

Due to the direction of rotation of the prop (unless in reverse) then there is more angular momentum towards the driver's side hence the need for two bolts.
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The answer to any question that starts with "Why don't they........." is COST!!!!!!

And you should know by now that cars are made to be cheap to build and no thought WHATSOEVER goes into making them easy to work on!

But yes, i've been there, cursed that and got the blanketty blank tee shirt!

It's even worse if you only want the bracket off and the car is still fully trimmed, seats out, seatbelts out, main carpet out, just to get the molegrip on!

When I put these brackets back on my Sprint, I am going to WELD that stupid spinning plate to the floor! That'll sort it!

Steve

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'73 2 door Toledo with Vauxhall Carlton 2.0 8v engine (The Carledo)
'78 Sprint Auto with Vauxhall Omega 2.2 16v engine (The Dolomega)
'72 Triumph 1500FWD in Slate Grey, Now with RWD and Carledo powertrain!

Maverick Triumph, Servicing, Repairs, Electrical, Recomissioning, MOT prep, Trackerjack brake fitting service.
Apprentice served Triumph Specialist for 50 years. PM for more info or quotes.

Having spent quite some time fighting with the said passenger side fixing, I eventually took the flicking thing off, filed a notch on one side then stopped it spinning by drilling the floor pan and securing it with a self-tapper in the notch!

Basically it's a s##t design that looks like an after thought. Oh yes I forgot it is an afterthought what with the body originally being designed to be FWD.

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Mark

1961 Chevrolet Corvair Greenbrier Sportswagon
1980 Dolomite Sprint project using brand new shell
2009 Mazda MX5 2.0 Sport
2018 Infiniti Q30

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That doesn't help with the removal of the single pin plate that was put in by the makers though, does it? I have spare twin pin driver's side plates that I can use when refitting...

Clutching at straws here but the single hole bracket would allow a degree of adjustment of the bracket on that side, which the twin bolt set up would not on the other side. Still doesn't explain why they could not find some way of fixing the plate to the floor, other than the cost saving excuse.

Admittedly it would only be a very small degree of adjustment but the Australian doc that Galileo posts a link to at the end of this thread - viewtopic.php?f=4&t=32872 - includes some interesting stuff about the propshaft mounting brackets at item 47. It took me several reads to understand what was going on but if the minimal difference between Applications A and B can make a difference, perhaps the small amount of adjustment that the single bolt fixing would allow is also significant?

As I said, clutching at straws.

Oh dear, I am the guilty one then Alun who put you to all the trouble removing the dreaded things for me....
Does seem odd one stud one side, two the other. I will probably skip the nyloc nut in favour of a normal one with spring washer.

I took good advice from above; drilled a hole through the plate and floor pan beneath and secured it with a self tapper and it was out in no time at all!

Next time the hole gets drilled before doing anything else!!

Oh that is easy, it ill either be cost or ease of assembly. It might be a pig to work on, but when they build it the access was probably simple.