The Triumph Dolomite Club - Discussion Forum

Yeah, it wasn't quite as described but it was a clean car and was perfectly usuable the day I picked it up (it had just passed the MoT). I was aware of the starting problem (was told that it ws the starter motor but I now know it was the battery). I want everything working. This was the car that I wanted and it ticked all the boxes. The 6 speed semi auto EGS transmission works perfectly, the rear self levelling air suspension works, it has a towbar already fitted, the electronic handbrake works and the aircon even works. I could've lived with the faults (aside from the dying battery) but I want everything working.

Ironically, the battery has finally died. The new one should be delivered today. I've ordered some BG244 which is a diesel additive which cleans out the fuel system. I used the petrol equivalent (BG44K) in the Astra every year so I know the stuff works.

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Toledo Man

West Yorkshire Area Organiser & forum moderator
Meetings take place on the first Wednesday of the month at 8.00pm at The Old Brickworks, Wakefield Road, Drighlington, Bradford, BD11 1EA

1972 Dolomite 1850 auto (NYE 751L - Now for sale)
2003 Volvo XC90 D5 SE (PX53 OVZ - The daily driver)
2009 Mercedes-Benz W204 C200 CDI Sport (BJ58 NCV - The 2nd car)
1991 Toyota Celica GT (J481 ONB - another project car)
Former stable of SAY 414M (1974 Toledo), GRH 244D (1966 1300fwd), CDB 324L (1973 1500fwd), GGN 573J (1971 1500fwd), DCP 625S (1977 Dolomite 1300) & LCG 367N (1975 Dolomite Sprint) plus 5 Acclaims and that's just the Triumphs!

Check my blog at http://triumphtoledo.blogspot.com
My YouTube Channel with a bit of Dolomite content.

"There is only one way to avoid criticsm: Do nothing, say nothing and BE nothing." Aristotle

If it had been as described, we'd not now being entertained with Dave's efforts to get it sorted to his required standards

Entertainment it is.

Jeroen

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Classic Kabelboom Company. For all your wiring needs. http://www.classickabelboomcompany.com

did harry enfield sell it you,i saw you coming

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Dolomite 1300,1980`V`reg in british racing brown(russet),3.63 diff with 21t speedo pinion,95%poly`d,HL clocks,standard wheels with SE covers wrapt in 175 70 13,mot`d 19-09-2014,been off the since 1990,(july2017) stainless steel exhaust 3-piece,(xmas2018) wooden mountney steering wheel,(june2020) new monroe shock(radial front,gas-matic rears) with -1" lower`d springs all round.

There wasn't much choice in the trim level (Exclusive) and engine (2.0 HDi) that I wanted. I had the option to walk away but I decided to take it on and get everything sorted myself. What swung it for me was the fact that it had a towbar already fitted with the twin sockets. There was one for sale on Auto Trader for £1900 which was located in Manchester. It had no current MoT and had failed on the rear self-levelling air suspension so I gave that one a miss. There was another on ebay which was a bit cheaper but it was advertised with noisy gearbox bearings so that's 2 bullets I've dodged by paying a bit more for a better car. It is a good car but I'm trying to get it as near to perfect as I can.

The battery was delivered today.


I got it fitted straight away as soon as I got home from work.

I'd measured the voltage before I put it on and the reading was good. I buttoned everything up and to avoid any future problems I sprayed the terminals with some white grease. The starter motor now sounds a lot healthier and it fires up first time every time. I did have the alternator tested when I was down at Halfords and it was fine so I'm convinced that I've cured the starting problem.

_________________
Toledo Man

West Yorkshire Area Organiser & forum moderator
Meetings take place on the first Wednesday of the month at 8.00pm at The Old Brickworks, Wakefield Road, Drighlington, Bradford, BD11 1EA

1972 Dolomite 1850 auto (NYE 751L - Now for sale)
2003 Volvo XC90 D5 SE (PX53 OVZ - The daily driver)
2009 Mercedes-Benz W204 C200 CDI Sport (BJ58 NCV - The 2nd car)
1991 Toyota Celica GT (J481 ONB - another project car)
Former stable of SAY 414M (1974 Toledo), GRH 244D (1966 1300fwd), CDB 324L (1973 1500fwd), GGN 573J (1971 1500fwd), DCP 625S (1977 Dolomite 1300) & LCG 367N (1975 Dolomite Sprint) plus 5 Acclaims and that's just the Triumphs!

Check my blog at http://triumphtoledo.blogspot.com
My YouTube Channel with a bit of Dolomite content.

"There is only one way to avoid criticsm: Do nothing, say nothing and BE nothing." Aristotle

The air suspension and autobox work now. In 6 months time..... who knows.
Still i did try and put you off buying one of these nightmares..... Good luck Dave. I really hope you have bought a good one.

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Classic Kabelboom Company. For all your wiring needs. http://www.classickabelboomcompany.com

It needed a bit more work than I was expecting and thankfully nothing major (except for the battery. The new one is peace of mind.) was needed. I was a bit pushed to find a replacement for the Xsara Picasso once it had been taken away. I knew what I wanted and this one was the only one that ticked my boxes that was available at the time that was local to me. I made my decision and I don't regret it. Anyway, where's the fun in having a car that needed absolutely nothing? I wouldn't have anything to write about.

_________________
Toledo Man

West Yorkshire Area Organiser & forum moderator
Meetings take place on the first Wednesday of the month at 8.00pm at The Old Brickworks, Wakefield Road, Drighlington, Bradford, BD11 1EA

1972 Dolomite 1850 auto (NYE 751L - Now for sale)
2003 Volvo XC90 D5 SE (PX53 OVZ - The daily driver)
2009 Mercedes-Benz W204 C200 CDI Sport (BJ58 NCV - The 2nd car)
1991 Toyota Celica GT (J481 ONB - another project car)
Former stable of SAY 414M (1974 Toledo), GRH 244D (1966 1300fwd), CDB 324L (1973 1500fwd), GGN 573J (1971 1500fwd), DCP 625S (1977 Dolomite 1300) & LCG 367N (1975 Dolomite Sprint) plus 5 Acclaims and that's just the Triumphs!

Check my blog at http://triumphtoledo.blogspot.com
My YouTube Channel with a bit of Dolomite content.

"There is only one way to avoid criticsm: Do nothing, say nothing and BE nothing." Aristotle

Isn't this why you have a Dolomite? I'm sure that would be much more interesting to write about?

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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

I've done absolutely NOTHING with the 1850 since the day Adam bumped my Xsara Picasso so I don't have anything new to report. Anyway, the modern always takes priority.

_________________
Toledo Man

West Yorkshire Area Organiser & forum moderator
Meetings take place on the first Wednesday of the month at 8.00pm at The Old Brickworks, Wakefield Road, Drighlington, Bradford, BD11 1EA

1972 Dolomite 1850 auto (NYE 751L - Now for sale)
2003 Volvo XC90 D5 SE (PX53 OVZ - The daily driver)
2009 Mercedes-Benz W204 C200 CDI Sport (BJ58 NCV - The 2nd car)
1991 Toyota Celica GT (J481 ONB - another project car)
Former stable of SAY 414M (1974 Toledo), GRH 244D (1966 1300fwd), CDB 324L (1973 1500fwd), GGN 573J (1971 1500fwd), DCP 625S (1977 Dolomite 1300) & LCG 367N (1975 Dolomite Sprint) plus 5 Acclaims and that's just the Triumphs!

Check my blog at http://triumphtoledo.blogspot.com
My YouTube Channel with a bit of Dolomite content.

"There is only one way to avoid criticsm: Do nothing, say nothing and BE nothing." Aristotle

There does seem to be a problem with buying cars through a small dealer. I find that they are rarely as described and usually I then walk away. Recently my son decided he wanted a Fiesta ST. He saw one being advertised at a dealer about 40 miles away. Low mileage, full service history, immaculate condition, etc. They couldn't find the service history when we went to view it and it has never turned up. Also the hand book turned out to be from the later model, so was no use. Much of the rest of the car was as described, but I think I would rather buy a car privately than through a dealer. It is particularly difficult when the dealer is some distance away.

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1959 TR3A, 1970 Triumph 1300, 1974 Toledo
Thanks Photobucket

I chose to take this car on and live with the consequences of any problems. It was mostly as described.

Talking of which, I've found another one. Last week when I was investigating the starting problem I heard something break as I was driving the car into the garage that I have use of. My very first thought was that a coil spring had broken. I had a quick look and couldn't find anything amiss. After this had happened there was a rattling sound from the nearside front suspension so there was definitely something wrong. When I got home from work today I had the nearside front up on an axle stand and I had a really good look. My initial suspicion was confirmed when I found out that the nearside front coil spring had indeed broken at the bottom. It was only obvious when it was on full droop.

I lifted up the broken end just to illustrate how it had broken. It goes without saying that I'll have to replace both front coil springs. I don't particularly relish the prospect of doing this job so I'll probably get my local garage to do it. If the strut top bearings need replacing they can be done at the same time.

_________________
Toledo Man

West Yorkshire Area Organiser & forum moderator
Meetings take place on the first Wednesday of the month at 8.00pm at The Old Brickworks, Wakefield Road, Drighlington, Bradford, BD11 1EA

1972 Dolomite 1850 auto (NYE 751L - Now for sale)
2003 Volvo XC90 D5 SE (PX53 OVZ - The daily driver)
2009 Mercedes-Benz W204 C200 CDI Sport (BJ58 NCV - The 2nd car)
1991 Toyota Celica GT (J481 ONB - another project car)
Former stable of SAY 414M (1974 Toledo), GRH 244D (1966 1300fwd), CDB 324L (1973 1500fwd), GGN 573J (1971 1500fwd), DCP 625S (1977 Dolomite 1300) & LCG 367N (1975 Dolomite Sprint) plus 5 Acclaims and that's just the Triumphs!

Check my blog at http://triumphtoledo.blogspot.com
My YouTube Channel with a bit of Dolomite content.

"There is only one way to avoid criticsm: Do nothing, say nothing and BE nothing." Aristotle

Please DO let a professional do these Dave, Picasso springs are VERY hard work, even for my industrial strength spring compressor. I normally only change the broken one, my customers are largely cheapskates, but that's your choice.

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.

Steve, you've reinforced my decision to farm out the work. I'll use my local garage. The strut tops shouldn't need replacing (it passed the MOT recently) but they can be done at the same time if need be.

_________________
Toledo Man

West Yorkshire Area Organiser & forum moderator
Meetings take place on the first Wednesday of the month at 8.00pm at The Old Brickworks, Wakefield Road, Drighlington, Bradford, BD11 1EA

1972 Dolomite 1850 auto (NYE 751L - Now for sale)
2003 Volvo XC90 D5 SE (PX53 OVZ - The daily driver)
2009 Mercedes-Benz W204 C200 CDI Sport (BJ58 NCV - The 2nd car)
1991 Toyota Celica GT (J481 ONB - another project car)
Former stable of SAY 414M (1974 Toledo), GRH 244D (1966 1300fwd), CDB 324L (1973 1500fwd), GGN 573J (1971 1500fwd), DCP 625S (1977 Dolomite 1300) & LCG 367N (1975 Dolomite Sprint) plus 5 Acclaims and that's just the Triumphs!

Check my blog at http://triumphtoledo.blogspot.com
My YouTube Channel with a bit of Dolomite content.

"There is only one way to avoid criticsm: Do nothing, say nothing and BE nothing." Aristotle

That spring platform on the shock doesn't look too good or is it supposed to look like that? It's odd the spring has broken as actually the coil doesn't look overly crusty. I assume you'll be replacing the other side too? Imagine the shocks are original too, probably tired after 120k, maybe swap those whilst you're at it.

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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