The Triumph Dolomite Club - Discussion Forum

Thanks James relaying your experience.

Emerald is one I am considering.
Last year I spoke to someone who has done a few Astra turbo builds.
He thinks that Emerald is one of the better ones and concurs with your observation about ease of use.
Another I am thinking about is Omex.


I favour buying a complete set up from one source. That way you know you are getting compatible components.
The internet is full of stories of the difficulties encountered with mix and match EFI set ups.

A lot of it reminds me of folk buying £100 mirror lenses for their cameras and then being annoyed that the results
were not as good as the professionals like Laurie Campbell or Niall Benvie. They professionals were spending
£4-5K on a single lens for a reason.....




Ian.

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No. 3



Not good news I am afraid.
Have made a start on the nearside, cut away a section of (the remnants of) the outer sill
and while expecting it to be bad, was surprised at how bad it is......
I am not sure, should I be warning they folk of a nervous disposition to look away?











This is the front where it meets the A-post. Water had crept below the tread plate and the sill is rusty on the underside too.
The middle (diaphragm) sill here has vanished.





Looking up through the sill into the B-post, no less.
I made the hole with just my fingers . Whilst not actually holed the adjacent areas are very thin (and would undoubtedly
look like a string semmit after shot blasting ).




The C-post to sill join, doesn't look too bad, but however the hidden top outer sill has rotted away.
About 20 years ago I broke a W reg Dolomite 1300 for spares. The back passenger door wouldn't open,
on removing the door trim the reason became apparent, the linkages inside were disconnected.
On opening the door I was greeted with an almost non existent C-post.



Whilst the outer sill is worse than expected, at least most of the inner sill is intact (except for the front).
I will fit a full outer sill. To this end I have ordered one. It is a £174 cost I wasn't anticipating but these knocks are to be expected.





Ian.

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Is this the car you polished all day at TDCIR yonks ago?

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1978 Pageant Sprint - the rustomite, 1972 Spitfire IV - sprintfire project, 1968 Valencia GT6 II - little Blue, 1980 Vermillion 1500HL - resting. 1974 Sienna 1500TC, Mrs Weevils big brown.

One step forward and two steps back?



Haven't really done anything since my last post some two months ago which is more than a little frustrating.
By this stage I was intending (hoping) to have one side done.
I didn't get any time off work over Christmas or New Year, so no progress was made on the car then.


My problem presently is that I dare not risk spending too long in the cold...
just after New Year I got very cold and haven't recovered fully since. 

What happened is a bit of a long story so please bear with me.
I am a key holder for the business where I work part time, one full timer also has keys but no other staff do.
Alas I cannot switch my phone off because I am the contact for the security alarm.
Anyhow I was phoned by a part timer at 1:30am one Sunday morning to ask if I could lock up because the full timer (whose name is Martin)
had yet again forgotten his keys. The alternative was for him to wait an hour for Martin to walk home and back with the keys.
So I went along (which is about 5 minutes walk) expecting to be there a couple of minutes at most but somehow Martin managed to
completely lock the key pad preventing the alarm from being set. Eventually we managed to unlock it and get locked up but
by this time I was frozen to the bone so to speak and have struggled since.



This week I have done a little to the car and tidied up the work space a bit.
The little I have done is revealed more bad news....the front wings and front panel don't look too bad but
have rotted from the inside, especially the lower valance and nearside wing, therefore,  I have decided to replace the lot 
with GRP panels from the TDC.



Fingers crossed I'll start to make some inroads soon.



Ian.

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The reg of your car has been familiar to me ever since you first started this resto - but i could not think why...
Today it finally clicked - ive had this poster up in my garage for more than 10 years!
Wondered if you had seen it?

I do indeed remember that photo but hadn't realised it was the same car.



Ian.

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Good luck Ian, its surprising how much you find once you start, mines the same.

I'm done the front and upto the 'B' post now still in loads to go on VGK

One bit at a time!!!

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73 Mini Clubman
80 Doly Sprint
64 Series 2 Landy

Thanks.

Still working on the nearside......hopefully on to the offside this month.




Ian.

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Good luck in your resto and EFi plant.

I took mine to the welder to take care of rotten sills but once we were there he was showing me places that need repairing that i did not see in a year of ownership!

What was proposed as a quick in and out will probably last a few weeks and me with me a definitely lighter wallet!

But, as has been said, it's a piece at a time (and giving your wallet time to replenish in the meantime!).

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1972 Spitfire MK IV
1972 Stag
1980 Sprint

I’ll second the wallet emptying, might order a new wiring loom tonight, that a four hundred pound dent.

I’ll keep that one quiet from the wife lol

Good luck !

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73 Mini Clubman
80 Doly Sprint
64 Series 2 Landy

It has been a while since the last update but I have made some slow progress.





I have made some slow progress on the Sprint's structural repairs, the nearside sill rebuild is getting there,
the middle diaphragm and lower section have been done. It is pretty hard going being rather tedious......
all the cutting, making sections and welding.
If I was having to do a lot of this work I would invest in a plasma cutter and make one of they cradles for rotating the body shell!

The pattern full sill I acquired is not a bad fit but having said that it still needs some work to fit,
the gap between the door's lower edge is a bit big but I will be able to address that when I repair the door itself,
said door edge needs to be about 4mm lower than it is.
The leading edge of the front door catches on the sill step as the door is opened,
therefore a little alteration to the sill is necessary, which of course is no real hardship.

(The jack is from a Renault 19. At the risk of sounding sarcastic, it is the best part of the Renault.
It is really useful for raising cars to permit trolley jack access. It is much easier to use than the one Triumph supplied.
I made an adapter onto which I have attached a block of wood, making it more versatile.)







Away from the sill repairs I have looking at other things including making a bracket to support a proper header tank.
The standard Dolomite "expansion tank" is at best a rubbish design, so I am employing one from a Volvo 850 mounted
onto the nearside strut turret, this being as high a position the standard engine bay permits.
This tank incorporates a low level warning sensor which I will wire to a warning light.
8mm mild steel round bar was used for the bracket.



The offside engine mount is badly needing replacement. Unfortunately, as everyone knows, new OE ones are no longer made and
the pattern replacements apparently don't last any time at all.
Therefore I have been thinking of making one or using an alternative.
A Mazda MX5 mount looked viable but, having bought one and examined it, I am unconvinced it is man enough
to do the job, given that it is considerably smaller than the Sprint one, although it could work on the nearside?
(I have just realised photos would help explain this.....)
Once I have finished the nearside sill I will turn the car around to work on the offside
and then support the engine whilst the offside mount is removed pending replacement.
I can then use the mount to act as a guide for a support bracket that I will use when fabricating a new mount.



thanks,

Ian.

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Looking good, it all takes time.....

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Murdo DA

TDC Membership No: 2017092

1980 (W) Triumph Dolomite Sprint, Auto, White, 52k miles - ownership by 2 family members since new.

Reg No: RNK 957W

Supplied by Jimmy Metcalfe at Lavender Hill Motors Ltd, Enfield on 30th September 1980

Well you know how the logo does explain?

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