The Triumph Dolomite Club - Discussion Forum

In adopting a similar heading to one which Mad Mart uses there is no way that I shall ever be able to emulate his efforts at attempting to restore numerous Dolomite Sprints. This though will be another project and the outcome may well be similar to that achieved by Mart and Mary.

I am conscious that many on this forum have particular soft spots for the 1300, the 1500 and the 1850 Toledo’s and Dolomites and will perhaps wonder why I did not find one of those to restore. There are probably several reasons, but perhaps the most obvious is that the Sprint was very rare here in New Zealand and rather than simply run them until they wore out, Sprints tended to be treated as something a little more special and when found are sometimes in much better condition than their smaller cousins.

HJ 1700 has probably been garaged all its life and has certainly been well maintained by its present owner Kevin who was a qualified aircraft engineer but who sadly has not been able to drive for some years. It has sat in the gloom of this shed deteriorating slowly but not to the point where it cannot be restored. Sitting in the gloom too has helped to preserve items like the seats and other trim although the chrome has become pitted and some rust has come through the paintwork.

Here in New Zealand we do not have ready access to the vast range of spares available to you who live in the United Kingdom. We can import parts but often the freight cost makes it uneconomic to do so. We have to make do or cannibalise parts from other cars. It is important therefore when starting a restoration to be able to use as much of the original car as possible. It should be possible to reuse most of HJ 1700 as can be seen in the photos.

Sadly the registration on this car has been allowed to lapse. In this country too cars have to be licenced on a continuous basis but unlike your SORN process we can elect to place the registration “on hold” whilst it is undergoing restoration. If that does not happen then the car will have to be re-registered some time later as a “new” or in this case follow a similar process as a “second-hand import” and undergo a very rigorous inspection before a new Vehicle Identification Number (VIN) can be issued and new registration plates can be attached to the car. There is a significant cost to do so. I am hopeful that we can find a way to retain its original registration plates which the car has carried since it was first registered in this country sometime late in 1975.

With the help of Jonners who on another thread provided me with the tips on how to free up the locked back brakes, the car emerged into daylight where the wheels were changed around for those inflated to close to 40psi. An a-frame attachment was bolted to the front bumper, the car moved onto the lawn beside the shed and then turned round so that the large Toyota 4x4 could tow it back to my workshop.

While Kevin loaded some miscellaneous spares into the boot I attached the brackets to the front bumper prior to fitting a couple of inflated 1850 wheels to the front for the journey home. The original vinyl roof has been removed from the car at this point so that we could inspect for rust. Then having turned the car round it was coupled to the tow vehicle and left the property where it has been resident for well over 20 years. As we drove away a passer-by commented that Dolomite Sprints were pretty rare and wondered whether the car was making its last journey to the scrap yard.

It arrived here and now sits alongside its sibling, HU 5000 which carries the chassis identification VA 10113 DLO. HJ 1700 carries the chassis identification VA 10180 DL. Close enough in this country to almost be considered twins. HJ 1700 started life painted white, paint code 19 with Black C 11 Trim. Whilst elements of the trim will need replacing such as the carpets I also have a Pimento 1850 which is beyond restoration which shares the same trim colour so it may be possible to make do with what materials I can salvage from both cars.

It will not be a quick restoration for I am always reluctant to start until practically all the parts which will be required have been acquired. All the hydraulics and the suspension will have to be overhauled, and the structural rust removed before it can be inspected prior to regaining its registration and identity. Then if the engine can be persuaded to start following the replacement of all fluids, we shall run the car and see what mechanical work will be required to bring it up to the standard of HU 5000.

Much too will depend on what Kevin, the owner of the car wants to do. I am expecting that it will be restored.

Robert

Excellent, good to see the car out.

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A good New Year to you Robert.

The long lost twin looks pretty good already, there will be many restorers in the UK feeling rather jealous of your starting point .


"We have to make do or cannibalise parts from other cars.".....sounds just like Scotland?






Ian.

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Good you're starting a resto thread for HJ1700. It would be worth trying to get it running first. Would it be worth trying to get a WoF on it? I hope you can keep the original registration. The NZTA can't be as bad as the DVLA over here can it?

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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

Kevin the owner of HJ 1700, who sadly has to cope with Parkinson’s, and I, have now had a good look over the car and have developed a plan that will see the car restored. Between us we have stripped some of the car and have been able to establish that the body is in much better shape than was evident when it was first removed from where it had been garaged since in the early 1990’s.

I will undertake to restore the car on Kevin’s behalf but unlike the effort which Mad Mart and Mary put into their restorations this will be a much slower project for we have a number of hurdles to overcome in order to restore it to a condition where it can be legally driven on the road.

The registration has lapsed on this car which means that in order to re-register it the car must undergo a safety inspection before certification by the New Zealand Land Transport Authority and only following certification can it be registered, number plates issued and a warrant of fitness obtained so that it can then be used on the road.

In order to pass that safety inspection one of the steps that must be undertaken is to remove all structural rust and repair it. That work must be undertaken by someone suitably qualified to do so. That requirement was introduced some years ago when it became clear that such work carried out by those who did not have either the training, skills, or experience was sometimes not structurally sound.

I am going to attempt to do the work myself but unlike many of you in the UK I must first complete a course at the local Polytechnic following which I shall enrol in a restoration course and undertake the rust removal and repair work at the Polytechnic where the work will be done and supervised by the course tutor.

We have established that it will be possible to retain the original black and silver number plates that are presently on the car.

Kevin and I have removed the mud shields from inside the front wheel arches and aside from a substantial quantity of sand and gravel trapped behind both shields both were bone dry and there was no evidence of rust at all in the bottom of the front wings which you can see in this photo of the left hand side wing. When we removed the shield on the right hand side out fell two very rusty but identical 7/16 spanners which look like they have been there since the day the car was assembled. If anybody comes across the BL fitter complaining that he has lost two spanners ask him to make contact and I will happily return them. I have attempted to clean one of them in the hope that I might find some form of identification mark on them. The steel from which those spanners were made is clearly not as rust resistant as the steel used by BL at the time.

Kevin and I lifted the fuel tank out and sitting both beside and underneath the tank was practically a full set of cheap Asian made sockets. Lots of potential rattles!! The two large bungs that sit in the outer skin in the cavity below the tank had long since disappeared - to our advantage I suspect, for the underneath of the tank and the bottom of the boot show no signs of real rust at all. The same goes for the spare wheel well.

There is a rather poor repair to the right rear quarter panel which has been dented and rather than pushing out the dent it has been filled and painted. I expect it can be knocked back into shape relatively easily. There was all sorts of rubbish lying trapped between the internal boot reinforcing panels and the outer wings and the back of the car. After vacuuming all the sand out and putting mirrors down into various corners all seems very rust free. There was some rust inside the petrol tank itself when we drained the fuel out.

The front left sill has a couple of holes in it, as can be seen in this photo. The jacking point has also been damaged.

There is a hole in the right hand front door pillar, above the top hinge and at that awkward corner where the top of the wing comes in and meets the drip rail running down the side of the windscreen. Some little holes there but none further down. I have my fingers crossed that this might not be too major.

Only one of the four doors, the left rear, shows any signs of rust coming through the paint work. While I know has replacement panels available and have been in touch with Alun it may be more economic for me to fabricate a replacement panel for this door bottom and for the external sill.

There is rust in the left hand side of the roof, as I show in this photo. And probably in the corresponding position in the right hand side, but not yet evident. I am not overly concerned for I do not see it as a major structural problem. The only problem will be that in order to weld in that area the headlining and insulation will have to come out when I carry out the repair. In my experience it will be a long and laborious process to refit the existing headlining back in perfectly. It may be easier to purchase a new headlining and fit that. If that looks like being the case then I will throw away the existing pull down grab handles and fit the later style.

I would prefer not to fit another vinyl covering to the roof. I can see no merit at all in doing so and am in fact considering removing the vinyl roof covering from my own car. It serves no useful purpose at all and simply makes the car hotter in the summer.

Someone has done an excellent job of re-laminating and re-varnishing the door wood cappings. The crash pad has holes in it. All the chrome is badly pitted but can probably be refurbished. Windscreen and door rubbers will have to be replaced. I hold spare sets of new quarter light rubbers if it becomes necessary to replace them.

The car is certainly in better condition than I imagined on first viewing it. There is only one minor issue to overcome at this point. The car was given a quick flick of green paint some years ago. There is plenty of white paint still evident. I think the car should go back to white which would save having to strip the car completely before repainting. Kevin I think, would like to see it remain green.

Perhaps when we complete the restoration of this car I should just swap cars with him.

Robert

Any news Robert?
Its been a while....

Jon

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Note from Admin: sadly Jon passed away in February 2018 but his humour and wealth of knowledge will be fondly remembered by all. RIP Jonners.

Hi Robert,

Had been following you're resto HU5000 through the ups and downs and really enjoyed the thread. I am encouraged that Dolomites are still on them fine NZ roads! Having been to NZ many times I have only met one Sprint owner at a filling station in Napier on the Taupo road. I tried to keep with him up the road in my mother in laws Mitsubishi Mirage (auto)....no chance!.
Anyhow, I am again travelling to NZ for Christmas this year and thought I could 'transport' some parts for you if you like. I have no idea what they may be or where you will get them (we forum members can help out there) but I am quite happy to convey them in my luggage/hand luggage! I will travel light as its the NZ summer I will only be needing shorts and t shirts, eh!
I have form on this..I have myself brought Dolomite parts in my hand luggage from NZ to UK in 2005, that's a story for another time. I know there are still logistical issues as I am only intending a North Island visit this time...but I have a sister in law living in Dunedin..not too far.


Why am I doing this? Many reasons, as well as above I am a Dolomite owner of nearly 30 years and love seeing these cars on the road. I like the link of the Triumphs in NZ (T 2000 Assembled in Nelson?) The passion for cars from Kiwis and the enthusiasm! Also all the times that I have been in NZ I have been treated to this fact.

So there you go the offer is there.... I am sure that others would (including myself) donate or sell suitcase friendly parts to help your projects along. Maybe its just that piece of trim or clip, original badge....just post on here and I/we can see what we can do. I realise that there is an element of trust required, maybe we could pay with 'Cookie Time' cookies..(Christchurch?) You just cannot get them here in the UK.

Thanks,

Phil.

I believe BL used these as what are known as sacrificial anodes, but I can't find them in the parts book ...

Wish my blue car had anodes

Tony

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Membership 2014047

Phil has made an extraordinarily generous offer to bring a few Triumph parts when he comes out here later this year. It is particularly generous for we have never met and the only common link has been that he has read some of what I have posted on here. His generosity matches that shown to me by Davy67 a year or more back when I was looking for an overdrive gearbox for an 1850, something which I note that Phil himself is now looking for. Perhaps I shall have to find one here so that he can carry it back with him when he returns to the UK.

My experience of carrying bits and pieces home on an aircraft has caused a number of moments over the years and it is with that in mind I am reluctant to ask Phil to carry something on my behalf. Yet there is no doubt that we will be requiring a number of components for the restoration of the car which is the subject of this thread. The service though which we receive down here from the vendors who advertise in the Dolly Mixture is absolutely first class and when you consider that the principal vendors ship VAT free to us here and door to door as well it is often more economical and certainly without hassle to order and have goods sent direct.

I shall not turn down Phil’s offer but keep it in the back of my mind as the restoration picks up its pace.

Perhaps though I can raise a smile by describing what happened to me when I returned from the UK in mid-2012 laden as always with bits and pieces of various cars. Prior to my travelling to the UK I had purchased some Stahlwille tools on eBay and had them delivered to a UK address. These I collected on my arrival and were packed into my backpack along with a whole host of Dolomite spares which I purchased from Rimmers. They included a set of 16 steel 7/16 wheel nuts which I found to my consternation weighed a little more than I had anticipated. However the good people at Rimmers know the rules and were able to supply me with all the necessary documentation which allowed me to, upon showing the goods in question to HM Custom’s officials at the departure gate at Heathrow, to claim the VAT back. It meant that all these goods had to travel with me as hand baggage.

The night before I left I stayed with a friend of mine who, like me, has a Lotus Elan. As we left his house on the way to Heathrow he paused, went back into his house and produced two rear shock absorber units, similar in size to those fitted to MacPherson struts – and a shoulder bag. These two units were new and not required by him. He suggested that I carry them home with me as well.

I departed Heathrow in the early evening for Frankfurt where I was to pick up the Australian Qantas aircraft which would carry me down to Australia and on here to New Zealand. There was no problem with me passing through Heathrow security carrying a backpack, with my tools in it, a carryall bag with all the Dolomite parts in it and the shoulder bag from which protruded the tops of the two shock absorbers. I arrived in Frankfurt and found my way through to the area in the terminal from which the Qantas flight was to depart. It involved another security check and screening. And it was then that I encountered a problem.

My three bags went through the x-ray machine, not once, not twice, but three times and I was then called to one side, with the rather terse question “vas ist das”? My response was a rather nonchalant, “parts for a vintage car”! That did not cut much ice at all, for the next question was “you have a spanner in your bag”? “Yes” I responded, “a good German Stahlwille spanner”. “Then we will see”! My backpack was searched and a nice 3/8 drive Stahlwille ratchet head was produced. He seemed not all that impressed. He then proceeded to examine the two shock absorber inserts in some detail calling over some of his colleagues so that they could discuss it further. They were x-rayed again. “Where have you come from?” I was asked. “From London Heathrow”! “Where are you going”? “To Sydney – Australia”! “Then these parts MUST go in the baggage”! “But my baggage was checked in at Heathrow and I will not see it until arrives in Australia”! I did not wish to complicate matters any further by telling him that my baggage was checked in all the way to Christchurch New Zealand. “You cannot bring these into the cabin”! He explained somewhat forcefully and all I could do was shrug my shoulders for there was no way I could exit the transit lounge to the departure area and have the hand baggage added to my suitcase which was by now already on the aircraft.

He looked at me with a steely eye and then pronounced “You will not bring this with you again”! I said “No” sensing that perhaps I might get away with this time. Then he said “Go and do not come here again”! I fled into the night grasping my various bits and pieces, which when I boarded the aircraft were carefully loaded into the overhead baggage locker. Each of those two shock absorbers weighed about 7.5 kilograms. My total weight was therefore well over the allowable maximum.

Phil’s offer then to bring parts for me is indeed generous but I would not want him to have to endure what I had to do that evening.

Robert

I will be happy to consign the two spanners back to the UK to be used by Pippin and Tony as sacrificial anodes. There is a lot of metal left in them yet!! It had not occurred to me that some kind fitter at BL might have left them there for some such service. They have certainly proved their worth in the sense that the corrosion in the car is pretty minimal.

Jon has asked what progress we have made. On the face of it, we do not a great deal to show at this state although Kevin has been busy stripping and painting items including the air cleaner and heater unit and some front suspension components. Each item has been stripped back to the bare metal, painted with an epoxy metal primer and then finished with a black spray top coat. It would be pointless having items such as suspension components powder coated because the finishes are just too brittle when used on the road surfaces which are common here.

We have also started purchasing items which we know will be needed during the rebuild and I have purchased a large disc sander and hand held shot blasting equipment which will be used to strip the paint off most of the exterior painted surfaces on the car. The exposed surfaces will then be treated with Kephos, a metal treatment which will prevent rust from forming. Any significant rust exposed during the sanding will be cut out and replaced and the panels hammered up using a planishing hammer and dolly before a light skim of “bog” will be used to fill the remaining minor imperfections. The final, interim finish will be with an epoxy undercoat which will be left until the top colour coats are applied later.

Robert