The Triumph Dolomite Club - Discussion Forum

After about a year of hunting, persuading parents, getting planning permission, waiting for builders, failing my test, passing my test (breath!) I have finally got myself a proper, British motor. Specifically Trevor "The Blue Bullet" from David H. Drove him some of the way home today and he ran beautifully. Dad kept it at 50 but I poked him to just above 60.
Few very minor issues; firstly the door/internal light plungers are all jammed (apart from the rear driver side one) I'll give 'em a good clean and get back to you all.
Secondly the speedo oscillates between 40 and 60 when he's at around 50 (or we assume around 50!) Not a real issue but any pointers as to what is wrong?
Finally what is the best way to reattach the seal to the boot lid?

Ed

Speedo issue could be either a rusty inner cable, pull the inner cable out, wipe it with an oily rag then clean it thoroughly, rub a pencil all over it for lubrication and shove it back in. No change? Then chances are that the hair spring in the speedo head has come adrift at the point where it's soldered to the frame.

Like so:

Sounds great, excuse my ignorance but what model is it?

Boot seal? Good old fashioned contact adhesive such as Evo-Stik is the chap yoy need .

He's a 1300fwd. I'll get some pictures later I hope. He's currently stuck in the garage thanks to the neighbours over the back!

Great, love to see some pictures.

"Neighbours...everybody needs good neighbours..."

Glad to hear it's staying on the forum, looking forward to seeing pics.

Welcome to ownership of, simply, the very best model in the whole range, Ed

Yea, slanters may boast about alloy heads and almost modern performance, while other Dolly owners may point out that sprints explode regularly in clouds of steam, and they might both try and tell you that front wheel drive = wrong wheel drive. But the plain fact is, none of them have such comfy seats or (and this is the real clincher) folding window winders.

So anyone who tries to say that the FWD, as the original, isn't also the best is, quite simply, jealous

Those expanded vinyl seats are certainly more durable and may well be sufficiently comfortable as far as they go. They may (ISTR that they do) have height adjustment too, but tell us this, Joe: Do 1300 seats recline?

Thought not. So not such a good car for, errr, "entertaining" as a Dolly then.



Folding window winders indeed! Hmmph, those are not a substitute for reclining seats.

That's great news really and well done for finding what is, regardless of its mildly sub-standard accommodation, an example of a darned fine little car.

Ok, so the seats don't recline - why do you think they gave it that comfortably sloping bonnet?

That's always been the fascination for me on these cars, folding window finders. I wonder if I can incorporate them into one of my Sprint restos?

_________________
Sprintless for the first time in 35+ years. ... Still Sprintless.

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1997 TVR Chimaera 450

The folding window winders are one of the more interesting features. I am yet to work out why you'd want them. It is indeed a fantastic car, a massive improvement on the Fiesta I learnt in.
Fitted seatbelts in the back yesterday and I hope to fit the new solenoid tomorrow. It's lovely to get smiles and waves and courtesy from other road users, even when it is refusing to start on a roundabout (wrong shoes and my size 13 shoes hit gas and break and I stalled. Solenoid jammed and had to bump start) I've got some photo's which I'll upload when I've got my coursework done.

I've wondered that myself, anyone got any official info (marketing material) from Triumph to say what the thinking was behind them?

Anyone know if any other car was fitted with folding winder handles?

I found this, which doesn't explain why, but it lists it amongst the luxuries. One of my friends suggested it was so you didn't catch your trousers when leaving the car. Another (alright, it was me) got an angry looking blister from getting some skin caught in it.

"You'll appreciate the 1300's whispering 70 at half throttle" - they obviously didn't use mine for the road tests

The folding winders, I believe, were a simple case of maximising cabin space and avoiding catching your knees on them.

Mine was pretty good at 70, it certainly wasn't as loud as I was expecting, wouldn't describe it as whispering though, and certainly not at half throttle