Help Buying a Sprint

[dolomiteusa]

Hi,<br>
<br>
I'm across the pond as they say & saw a Sprint recently. The Mrs thought it was cool & gave me the green light to look into Importing something she can drive. <br>
<br>
I'm not new to TRiumphs as I have several...of course not all are useable. <br>
<br>
I've been reading many of the posts & it looks like making sure the body is sound is paramount! <br>
<br>
I'm looking for a driver that can be imported. I'm sure I'll slowly make it nice....after my TR250 project is done. Any advice is greatly appreciated and if anyone knows of anything<br>
for sale...drop me a line red_tr250@yahoo.com<br>
<br>
Cheers,<br>
<br>
Todd

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[Jon Tilson]

I wouldnt personally import a Sprint to the US. So far I know of less than 5 Sprints stateside, and most of those are in the hands of ex pat previous owners. They dont like lower octane fuel, have unique to model SU carbs and cylinder head so sourcing spares will be a problem.<br>
You can still get them all from here or Australia but not quickly.<br>
Another idea is to go for an 1850 or TR7 engined conversion. Then at least you will have the same engine as several thousand US TR7 owners.<br>
I have a VERY nice 1850 in white coming up for sale soon. Almost as cool as a Sprint but not quite so quick but easier to live with Stateside I would have thought. The 1850 is very similar to the TR7. The only diferences are the 150 cc capacity hike, which is all in the bore and the different mountings. If you have an 1850 already the TR7 bits are just bolt over. Ive done it to 2.<br>
My particluar car is fine engine wise so no need to swap. Its just had a lot of body restoration work, is a 75k mile car with some history and a lovely interior.<br>
<br>
Jonners<br>


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[davepoth]

On another note, I'm sure life would be a lot easier for you if you found a left hand drive car. Dolomites were exported all across europe and pop up on the foreign Ebay sites every so often. The club has a few members in mainland europe, so it might be worth asking them to keep a lookout for one for you.<br>
<br>
<br>
<br>


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[alun n]

Buy spares, fill the boot/cabin with them before it gets shipped...just in case...

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[Jon Tilson]

dont want a l/h drive slant 4 dolomite....not with the exhaust that close to the steering column and hydraulics...<br>
Sorry it was never meant to be lhd...<br>
Ohv one would be better.<br>
Jonners

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[tinweevil]

... but if you are going to go to that much trouble it really would be a waste for less than 16 valves. The TR7 and 1850 are good solid reliable motors but thats not what its about IMHO. If you have to go that route make it a US spec TR7 injection engine, mildly blown and with mapable ignition. <br>
<br>
Alun's advice is good, fill 'er up! A complete spare engine, gearbox and back axle would be a good place to start as all are bleedin heavy. Bits to overhaul them are light enough to DHL.<br>
<br>
Tinweevil

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[ecurie]

I know of one LHD Sprint for sale in Belgium.<br>
<br>
It has been restored and the body is straight and sound, altough the paintwork and detailing is not up to scratch.<br>
Also it has been standing for at least 5 years, so the mechanicals will need some attention.<br>
<br>
If ever you're interested, I' d be happy to help you out.<br>
The dealer has had it for so long now, he might be tempted by a low offer.<br>
<br>
<!--EZCODE AUTOLINK START--><a href="http://www.racingbox.be/p-dolo75.htm">w ... <!--EZCODE AUTOLINK END--><br>
<br>
Also, you might want to look at these two :<br>
<!--EZCODE AUTOLINK START--><a href="http://www.mobile.de/SIDbqr2-BVg9cRD4kK ... <!--EZCODE AUTOLINK END--><br>
<br>
Benoit<br>


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[SprintMWU773V]

Any idea how many LHD's were produced? I wouldn't imagine there were many as didn't BL effectivley pull out of Europe at one point?

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[dolomiteusa]

Guys,<br>
<br>
Thanks for the comments so far. <br>
<br>
I definitely want a Sprint. I want the horse power. I'd like to try a RHD car. Something different. I'm thinkin' shoving a bunch of spares in the car is a great idea though! So what would the top spares be?<br>
<br>
Also, I've seen a couple so far with one of those sunroofs that fold back...not sure what they're called? Should I steer clear as they have a tendency to leak or they're ok. I would think they'd be nice to have.<br>
<br>
Again,<br>
<br>
Thanks<br>
<br>
Todd

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[Carsreunited]

How long is VLK going to take to complete Alun? It would also be on site ready for certain 'parts' to be strategically deposited in it.<br>
<br>
Todd, those sunroofs are generally known as webastos (pronounced webb ass toes!) They are an excellent addition when in full working order. If they need work, there are very few places that have the skill or materials to fix them. New ones are 1000gbp alone.<br>
<br>
Scott

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[davepoth]

You won't need an engine block; the TR7 one is pretty much the same, and the vast majority of the parts carry over. Ditto the Gearbox; the ratios are different, but the gearbox design is the same as the TR6 one. <br>
<br>
I'd go for a fully built up head that's in known good condition, as that will be the hardest thing to find in the US by a long way. A complete axle would be a good thing to have, as they are difficult to dismantle, although you would not be able to fit it into the car easily.<br>
<br>
If you are going to come to the UK to organise the sale It's probably worth stocking up on things like spark plugs, condensers, points and other consumables as it will probably be cheaper than buying in the US or shipping them over separately.<br>
<br>


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[alun n]

TR6 ratios are exactly the same as Sprint, its the input shaft which is different...but a lot of TRs that went stateside were non o/d

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[KWM338R]

so will the input shaft from a non o/d TR6 box fit into a Dolly o/d box? If so does anyone have a stash of dolly o/d boxes they want rid of?<br>
<br>
Cheers<br>
<br>
Mark

<p>1979 Dolomite Sprint<br>
1972 TR6 (now breaking for spares to fund the Dolly)<br>
1993 Mazda Protege ($250 Winter Hack)<br>
2000 Mazda MPV (For Sale)</p><i></i>

[dolomiteusa]

It's me again,<br>
<br>
Good question about the TR6 gearbox. I have lots of 4-speeds laying around.<br>
<br>
Oh, and thanks for the info on the Webasto. 1000gbp ain't cheap!<br>
<br>
There's a Dolly Sprint on e-bay...up in just under 3 days. I don't suppose there's anyone on this list that would be willing to look at the car? It's item <br>
<br>
<!--EZCODE AUTOLINK START--><a href="http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vi ... <!--EZCODE AUTOLINK END--><br>
<br>
Here's the guys response to my question regarding rust..."Hi mate there is very, very little rust it has been restored by someone who did not realy know what they were doing and they filled the pannel seems so they are now showing hair line cracks all the pan is sound wheel arches fine there is a little rust on the runners below the doors at the front these are not structral and can easly be replaced"<br>
<br>
Haven't seen any more detailed pics as of yet.<br>
<br>
Again, thanks for the help. I'll see about picking up a spare head!

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[Carsreunited]

Its an earlyish example in Mimosa. The webasto looks like it needs a re-skin at the very least. Unless you are a handy welder, I would try and aim for something in the £1500-£2000 brackets that shouldn't need any bodywork restoration. My gut feeling is that this could cost you double that and even getting hold of a set of cills will be a significant expense due to carriage.<br>
<br>
Scott

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