The Triumph Dolomite Club - Discussion Forum

The Number One Club for owners of Triumph's range of small saloons from the 1960s and 1970s.
It is currently Tue Mar 19, 2024 4:12 am

All times are UTC




Post new topic  Reply to topic  [ 108 posts ]  Go to page Previous 13 4 5 6 7 8 Next
Author Message
PostPosted: Thu Dec 13, 2018 4:47 pm 
Offline
Future Club member hopefully!
Future Club member hopefully!

Joined: Tue May 06, 2014 4:38 pm
Posts: 535
Location: South Benfleet, Essex
Quote:
Im looking at the situation with my front suspension bolts - most if not all of them need to be replaced.

Im trying to find a listing of the description of the bolts so I can order more locally. There is a listing in the Operations manual however it dosent state the part number or the bolt length - Im trying to get a list together so I can order replacements. Does anyone have such a list - im told the older Operations manual has such a list.

Does any one has such a list ?

thanks

Alastair
Looking on British E-bay, I found several Triumph Toledo parts catalogues and microfiches listed for sale

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/TRIUMPH-TOLE ... :rk:1:pf:0

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/TRIUMPH-TOLE ... :rk:2:pf:0

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/TRIUMPH-TOLE ... :rk:3:pf:0

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/RARE-TRIUMPH ... :rk:4:pf:0

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Triumph-Tole ... :rk:5:pf:0

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/TRIUMPH-TOLE ... :rk:6:pf:0

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/TRIUMPH-TOLE ... :rk:7:pf:0

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Microfich-Sp ... :rk:8:pf:0

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Triumph-Tole ... :rk:9:pf:0

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Triumph-Tole ... rk:10:pf:0

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Triumph-Tole ... rk:12:pf:0

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Triumph-Tole ... rk:13:pf:0

_________________
Regards.

Nigel A. Skeet

Independent tutor of mathematics, physics, technology & engineering, for secondary, tertiary, further & higher education.

https://www.linkedin.com/profile/view?id=308177758

Upgraded 1974 Triumph Toledo 1300 (Toledo / Dolomite HL / Sprint hybrid)

Onetime member + magazine editor & technical editor of Volkswagen Type 2 Owners' Club


Top
   
PostPosted: Fri Dec 14, 2018 6:39 am 
Offline
Future Club member hopefully!
Future Club member hopefully!
User avatar

Joined: Tue Oct 03, 2006 5:52 pm
Posts: 7564
Location: Halifax, West Yorkshire
I've got a copy of the hardware catalogue which lists the various nuts, bolts, screws, etc. Here's the link for it on my BT Cloud You can find the part numbers in the parts catalogue or on the Rimmer Bros website
You can also download the Toledo workshop manual and parts catalougues HERE.

_________________
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


Top
   
PostPosted: Sat Dec 22, 2018 4:14 pm 
Offline
Future Club member hopefully!
Future Club member hopefully!

Joined: Tue May 06, 2014 4:38 pm
Posts: 535
Location: South Benfleet, Essex
Quote:
I've got a copy of the hardware catalogue which lists the various nuts, bolts, screws, etc. Here's the link for it on my BT Cloud You can find the part numbers in the parts catalogue or on the Rimmer Bros website
You can also download the Toledo workshop manual and parts catalougues HERE.
What computer software package does one need to open documents with a file name ending with a dot_RAR suffix? I don't recognise this format!

_________________
Regards.

Nigel A. Skeet

Independent tutor of mathematics, physics, technology & engineering, for secondary, tertiary, further & higher education.

https://www.linkedin.com/profile/view?id=308177758

Upgraded 1974 Triumph Toledo 1300 (Toledo / Dolomite HL / Sprint hybrid)

Onetime member + magazine editor & technical editor of Volkswagen Type 2 Owners' Club


Top
   
PostPosted: Sat Dec 22, 2018 9:36 pm 
.RAR is an archive file. 7-zip is my preferred utility for handling them.


Top
   
PostPosted: Thu Jan 31, 2019 1:06 am 
chipping away at cleaning blasting and painting my entire front suspension set up including the brakes bearings and subframe - who knew there were so many bits? Im keeping everything prety much standard as I fear I will have problems compliance wise when it comes to registering it if I stray from the original set spec too much.
Im using rustoleum paint over an etch primer so hopefully the paint will be up-to the task. Im now at the point where I can start reassembling it all and hopefully I will be able to start by putting the sub frame back in this weekend - very hot out here at the moment - fortunately the garage is under the house and is one of the cooler places to be.
I've been luck in being able to find just about everything I need relatively easily. Only problem has been a j-type overdrive - I had one lined but due to a miscommunication it got sold to someone else - they-re rare out here. So if you have one tucked away somewhere I would be keen to hear about it!
Ive also overhauled the air blower and the brake booster and have put those back in, so starting to make progress!


Top
   
PostPosted: Thu Jan 31, 2019 4:49 pm 
Offline
Future Club member hopefully!
Future Club member hopefully!

Joined: Tue May 06, 2014 4:38 pm
Posts: 535
Location: South Benfleet, Essex
Quote:
What also intrigued me was the rear bumper, which I believe to originate from an early-model Triumph Dolomite 1850. Did New Zealand specification Triumph Toledos have a plain bumper like mine and number-plate illumination in the underside of boot-lid top or was production rationalised by using a Dolomite bumper!?! In one of the pictures below, one can just see the edge, of what might be a number-plate illumination unit in the underside of boot-lid top

Image

Image
I rather like that early-model Triumph Dolomite 1850 rear bumper with the long single number-plate illumination lamp, but I wonder how well it would illuminate the higher-position licence plate on a Toledo!?!

Here are a matched pair of front & rear bumpers which I am contemplating the acquisition for my 1974 Triumph Toledo.

Image

I don't presently have a front bumper and that rear bumper looks as though its chrome plating might be in better condition than my existing rear bumper. In addition to licence-plate illumination, I also need to consider the routing of the lamp-units wiring, given that I also have a Dolomite towing bracket fitted!?!

_________________
Regards.

Nigel A. Skeet

Independent tutor of mathematics, physics, technology & engineering, for secondary, tertiary, further & higher education.

https://www.linkedin.com/profile/view?id=308177758

Upgraded 1974 Triumph Toledo 1300 (Toledo / Dolomite HL / Sprint hybrid)

Onetime member + magazine editor & technical editor of Volkswagen Type 2 Owners' Club


Top
   
PostPosted: Tue Feb 26, 2019 4:31 pm 
Offline
Future Club member hopefully!
Future Club member hopefully!

Joined: Tue May 06, 2014 4:38 pm
Posts: 535
Location: South Benfleet, Essex
Quote:
Hi All
Does the Vehicle commission number tell em if the car was originally a 1300 or a 1500?

Ive noticed that this car doesn't have brake booster which the previous toledo did have. The parts acr did have one so im going to clean it up and put it in this car

The Commission number for this car is ADF 28870 DL

When I bought this car it was on the understanding that the registration was on hold however turns out that the registration has expired so I will have to get it re registered when the time comes, not sure if there are any ways around this.

SO ive started tidying up some of the parts to go back in the car including the brake booster - stripped it back with a cup brush on the angle grinder and will get some red etch primer on it soon, next it the blower which i may strip with paint stripper before etch primer and then black satin finish.

photos soon.
There is lots of information and links on the New Zealand Department of Transport website about registering a car and what modifications and upgrades may be made by an owner themselves (with or without the help of friends & family) without the need for LVV - Low Volume Vehicle certification.

https://www.transport.govt.nz/

https://nzta.govt.nz/vehicles/licensing-rego/

https://nzta.govt.nz/vehicles/licensing ... o-on-hold/

https://nzta.govt.nz/vehicles/warrants- ... r-vehicle/

You need to get an LVV certification if you heavily modify your vehicle – and you’ll need the certificate before you can get your WoF.

Your first step is to find an LVV certifier (external link).

https://www.lvvta.org.nz/contact.html#certifier

The certifier will check the modifications – the costs depend on the extent of the modification.

Where the modifications meet the specified standards, the certifier will arrange the LVV certification plate.

When the plate arrives, the certifier will fit it to a permanent part of your vehicle. You must get the plate fitted within two months of the certification inspection.

Without the plate, you cannot legally drive your vehicle on the road.

If you make more changes to your vehicle, you may need new certification.

https://www.lvvta.org.nz/

https://www.lvvta.org.nz/documents.html#thresholds

https://www.lvvta.org.nz/documents/supl ... eshold.pdf

https://www.lvvta.org.nz/documents/supl ... _Index.pdf

https://www.lvvta.org.nz/documents/stan ... ystems.pdf

https://www.lvvta.org.nz/documents/stan ... ystems.pdf

https://www.lvvta.org.nz/documents/stan ... _Tyres.pdf

_________________
Regards.

Nigel A. Skeet

Independent tutor of mathematics, physics, technology & engineering, for secondary, tertiary, further & higher education.

https://www.linkedin.com/profile/view?id=308177758

Upgraded 1974 Triumph Toledo 1300 (Toledo / Dolomite HL / Sprint hybrid)

Onetime member + magazine editor & technical editor of Volkswagen Type 2 Owners' Club


Top
   
PostPosted: Tue Mar 05, 2019 8:44 pm 
Thanks for all that info Nigel, will be aan interesting process getting it certified.

restoration or clean up is ticking along at a reasonable pace. Ive got all the bits and components together for the front suspension brakes wheel bearing etc. I ve farmed out the prop shaft brake calipers and hubs/wheel bearings, shocks /springs to the local garage and they have done a great job in reassembling them all I think they are just looking for CV's for the propshaft and then Ill be able to get all these components back and put them all back on the car again.
Next job is undersealing - there is a lite surface rust and so I find the cup brush on the angle grinder if used gently does a good job of getting rid of the rust - then a coat of crc etch primer and then some spray on underseal.
Am also putting the interior back together but instead of the gray interior it will have a black interior from the white car - im patching up some door cards and have got some window winders and door handles coming from a wrecker
Next is to do the back end - which is fortunately a bit simpler than the front. Will be taking more photos this time and being more careful in recording which bits go where ! Im not looking to take the back axle apart - well Im hoping to avoid doing that if I can - although I will paint it. And if the brakes are OK i will leave them as is too. Will have to see how thing work out and what we find when we get down that end of the car!


Top
   
PostPosted: Wed Mar 06, 2019 4:33 pm 
Offline
Future Club member hopefully!
Future Club member hopefully!

Joined: Tue May 06, 2014 4:38 pm
Posts: 535
Location: South Benfleet, Essex
Quote:
Thanks for all that info Nigel, will be aan interesting process getting it certified.

restoration or clean up is ticking along at a reasonable pace. Ive got all the bits and components together for the front suspension brakes wheel bearing etc. I ve farmed out the prop shaft brake calipers and hubs/wheel bearings, shocks /springs to the local garage and they have done a great job in reassembling them all I think they are just looking for CV's for the propshaft and then Ill be able to get all these components back and put them all back on the car again.
Next job is undersealing - there is a lite surface rust and so I find the cup brush on the angle grinder if used gently does a good job of getting rid of the rust - then a coat of crc etch primer and then some spray on underseal.
Am also putting the interior back together but instead of the gray interior it will have a black interior from the white car - im patching up some door cards and have got some window winders and door handles coming from a wrecker
Next is to do the back end - which is fortunately a bit simpler than the front. Will be taking more photos this time and being more careful in recording which bits go where ! Im not looking to take the back axle apart - well Im hoping to avoid doing that if I can - although I will paint it. And if the brakes are OK i will leave them as is too. Will have to see how thing work out and what we find when we get down that end of the car!
I am aware from my past participation in a New Zealand, Air-Cooled Volkswagen forum that regulation of repairs and modification is very strict, so I wanted to alert you in case you had no prior knowledge of this.

It would be terrible to go to the time, effort and expense of undertaking non-standard upgrades as recommended by Toledo & Dolomite enthusiasts in Great Britain, only to discover that these would not be sanctioned by the appropriate authorities in New Zealand. Any required structural repairs, need to be undertaken and/or certified by a bonafide registered person, before any painting or under-sealing is done, because bare welds need to be inspected and certified.

I suspect that the upgrade from factory-standard front drum brakes to factory-standard front disc brakes with servo assistance, will be accepted without much problem, because the later model-years of Toledo had these as a standard feature.

The closely related Triumph Dolomite 1850 & Sprint had front & rear roll bars as standard (something I thoroughly recommend for the Toledo, based upon long-term personal experience), so these will probably be acceptable without much bother; especially as all the required mounting holes already exist on the Toledo's front sub-frame and appropriate front & rear suspension components.

Based upon personal experience, there are other Dolomite HL cum Sprint components I would also recommend for safety, comfort and convenience, that require minimal effort to substitute onto a Toledo, but as with all the other things, it would be wise to check in advance what does or does not require LVV certification.

_________________
Regards.

Nigel A. Skeet

Independent tutor of mathematics, physics, technology & engineering, for secondary, tertiary, further & higher education.

https://www.linkedin.com/profile/view?id=308177758

Upgraded 1974 Triumph Toledo 1300 (Toledo / Dolomite HL / Sprint hybrid)

Onetime member + magazine editor & technical editor of Volkswagen Type 2 Owners' Club


Top
   
PostPosted: Wed Mar 06, 2019 10:38 pm 
Offline
TDC Shropshire Area Organiser

Joined: Sun Aug 21, 2011 5:12 pm
Posts: 7005
Location: Highley, Shropshire
It's my theory that, so long as you use Triumph parts from any of the Dolomite range and just keep schtum at the rego inspection, no one will notice your little "upgrades" and it will pass fine. After all, the inspecting authority are not Triumph experts and would not and could not be expected to know what was standard and what is incorrect on a 40+ year old car, going only by the comm number! I do, but i've been involved with the things for nearly 50 years and even I sometimes get the dates wrong!

I rather fancy that, if you had fitted a Mazda rotary engine, they might notice! but swapping drums for discs and adding a roll bar or two is almost certain to slide beneath their radar if they're anything like their British counterparts.

Steve

_________________
'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.


Top
   
PostPosted: Wed Mar 06, 2019 11:12 pm 
Yes the upgrades to the car are going to be:

- Dolomite steering wheel
- Overdrive - (although this might be later on down the track)
- Brake booster from a later model 1500 (this car will be a 1500 - but the shell is a 1300) from what I can tell this is the only difference between the 1300 and the 1500
- disc brakes on the front
- anti roll bar at the front
- Engine - 123 distributor, larger carb HS6, electric fuel pump, oil cooler (but this might be later on down the path)
- upgraded electrical s (relays etc), better light bulbs different cam.
- Minilites (if i can ever find any second hand ones - due I think to their obscure stud PCD second hand ones rarely come up for sale) for now I will make do with the standard wheels and get them blasted and painted. (Id be happy with some sprint wheels which seem to be common enough in the Uk - but are expensive to ship overhere - If you have a spare set and are happy to cooperate in sending them to NZ please let me know!

various other minor superficial mods - spotlights, air dam, oli pressure and temp gauges, rev counter black rather than grey plastic grills If you have spare black plastic grill - im looking for some - I will probably end up painting the grey ones. All things that wont affect it being registered

Once I have the engine in and everything in the car I may get the local mechanic to get it running sort out the carb, bleed the brakes etc - I'd rather to do it myself but its a question of having the time (and the knowledge TBH) to do it myself. I'm looking to get it wrapped up this year hopefully

Then once it moves under it own power i will get it painted then hopefully it will be ready to be registered.

At some point I will have to address the fact that the springs are too long and it sits too high but I will worry about that later too.

Anything I have missed? Any other vital upgrades?

this weekend I should be able to pick up the hubs, brake calipers, propshaft etc and put them all back on.


Top
   
PostPosted: Wed Mar 13, 2019 4:36 pm 
Offline
Future Club member hopefully!
Future Club member hopefully!

Joined: Tue May 06, 2014 4:38 pm
Posts: 535
Location: South Benfleet, Essex
Quote:
It's my theory that, so long as you use Triumph parts from any of the Dolomite range and just keep schtum at the rego inspection, no one will notice your little "upgrades" and it will pass fine. After all, the inspecting authority are not Triumph experts and would not and could not be expected to know what was standard and what is incorrect on a 40+ year old car, going only by the comm number! I do, but i've been involved with the things for nearly 50 years and even I sometimes get the dates wrong!

I rather fancy that, if you had fitted a Mazda rotary engine, they might notice! but swapping drums for discs and adding a roll bar or two is almost certain to slide beneath their radar if they're anything like their British counterparts.

Steve
Steve is fundamentally correct, but if for any reason, your car is implicated in a collision, either directly or indirectly, your motor insurance could potentially be declared void, owing to breach of contract, as a consequence of failing to declare to the insurance company, all and any departures from a vehicle’s factory-standard specification. This implies that you would personally be liable to meet all insurance claims against you, which could run into millions of NZ$ in extreme cases!

Likewise, if any non-declared departures from factory-standard specification became known (e.g. via this forum or Facebook) to the New Zealand WoF inspectorate, LVV inspectorate, police or other statutory bodies, there could be serious legal consequences if one or more upgrades were liable for LVV certification and plating. Your vehicle might even be seized, impounded and possibly even sent to the crusher!

Remember the saying: “When we practice to deceive, oh what a tangled web we weave”.

Given that most if not all of the desirable Dolomite / Dolomite HL / Sprint components are virtually interchangeable with those of the Toledo, I would be surprised if they (excluding engine swops or modifications) required LVV certification, but in my opinion it would be better to openly declare what has actually been done; explaining how closely related the Toledo is to the Dolomite range, if the relevant authorities don’t already know this.
Quote:
Yes the upgrades to the car are going to be:

- Dolomite steering wheel
I have already posted my comments as follows, about the general desirability of using a Triumph Dolomite 14½ inch steering wheel on a Triumph Toledo; preferably in conjunction with a Dolomite HL or Sprint adjustable steering column:

Board index » The Triumph Dolomite Club » The Public Bar - General Chat » The consensus on the best steering wheel size

https://forum.triumphdolomite.co.uk/vie ... 57#p321239
Quote:
Yes the upgrades to the car are going to be:

- Overdrive - (although this might be later on down the track)
Unless there are “high-speed” motorways and/or dual-carriageways in New Zealand, it’s debatable how much benefit you would derive from retro-fitting an overdrive gearbox. The maximum national speed limit of 90 km/h (circa 56 mph) is close to the maximum torque point (2700 or 3000 rpm) in 4th gear, for the pre-1972 or 1972~73 Triumph Toledo 1500 engine with single carburettor, so I suspect this would already give close to optimal fuel-economy for cruising.

Many years ago, when Triumph Spitfire 1300s were still relatively common and there was a reasonable possibility of finding one in a local car breaker’s yard, I wondered about the benefits of substituting an overdrive gearbox into my 1974 Triumph Toledo 1300, whose engine & drive train were still of factory-standard specification; as they still are.

One concern is whether there would be sufficient torque at the rear wheels in 4th gear with overdrive and the 4•11:1 final-drive ratio (even with 155 R13 or 185/70 R13 tyres fitted), to cruise at speeds where the reduced engine speed might benefit engine-wear rate and fuel consumption.

I wonder whether this potential disadvantage could be overcome by using the Morris Marina Van’s 4•55:1 final-drive ratio (possibly in combination with 185/55 R15, 185/60 R15 or 185/65 R15 tyres to fine-tune the overall effective gearing); simultaneously giving better hill-climbing ability and acceleration in all four gears without overdrive, plus cruising gears for 3rd & 4th gears with overdrive.

Ideally one would predict the effects of such modifications using a sophisticated simulation package on a computer, with information about the car’s aerodynamic-drag characteristics, rolling resistance re tyres & drive-train and the engine’s characteristics re torque, power & brake-specific fuel consumption (under different load conditions), but sadly I don’t have access to such facilities.
Quote:
Yes the upgrades to the car are going to be:

- Brake booster from a later model 1500 (this car will be a 1500 - but the shell is a 1300) from what I can tell this is the only difference between the 1300 and the 1500

- disc brakes on the front
I have never driven a Toledo with front drum brakes, but I imagine that factory-standard Toledo or Dolomite front disc brakes and vacuum servo assistance would be a useful upgrade, especially when driving on New Zealand’s mountain roads.

At one stage, I did contemplate retro-fitting a second pair of brake calipers, with the intention of creating a triangular-split, dual-circuit braking system, but I was very concerned that this would bias the front-to-rear brake balance too much towards the front wheels, as a consequence of doubling the front-wheel braking torque whilst leaving the rear-wheel braking torque unchanged. There should be a progressive non-linear increase (graph of a similar shape to the capacitor charging characteristics graph of voltage vs time) in bias towards the front brakes as deceleration (measured in m/s²) increases.

This is an extremely important consideration with regard to vehicle stability under all braking conditions as well as overall minimum stopping distance. Ideally, all of the wheels should lock up at the same instant or front brakes marginally before rear brakes, implying optimal distribution of braking torque to each of the wheels.

If one gets the brake balance radically wrong, one not only compromises braking efficiency and stopping distance but potentially introduces braking induced over-steer or under-steer.
Quote:
Yes the upgrades to the car are going to be:

- anti roll bar at the front
I originally retro-fitted just a Dolomite Sprint rear anti-roll bar and later retro-fitted a Dolomite Sprint front anti-roll bar as well. I noticed progressive, significant improvements in handling characteristics with each anti-roll bar fitted. The rear anti-roll bar is easier and quicker to fit than the front one and requires no expensive rubber or polyurethane bushes. Costing just £5 each in 1982, the front & rear anti-roll bars were one of my most cost effective upgrades.
Quote:
Yes the upgrades to the car are going to be:

- Engine - 123 distributor, larger carb HS6, electric fuel pump, oil cooler (but this might be later on down the path)
Fitting a larger HS6 SU carburettor might qualify as being a significant modification requiring LVV certification.

Unless you intend to tow a heavy trailer and/or engage in mountain driving involving long, steep-gradients, it’s debatable whether you would need an oil cooler, but be guided by the readings you observe from your oil-temperature & oil-pressure gauges. If I recall correctly, the maximum national speed limit in New Zealand is 90 km/h (circa 56 mph), so on normal roads the oil is unlikely to overheat unless you experience extremely hot weather with the engine subjected to high loads.
Quote:
Yes the upgrades to the car are going to be:

- Minilites (if i can ever find any second hand ones - due I think to their obscure stud PCD second hand ones rarely come up for sale) for now I will make do with the standard wheels and get them blasted and painted. (Id be happy with some sprint wheels which seem to be common enough in the Uk - but are expensive to ship overhere - If you have a spare set and are happy to cooperate in sending them to NZ please let me know!
Assuming you can source a set of five Minilite style wheels with 3¾ inch (i.e. 95•25 mm) PCD, they might to be of an appropriate rim width or offset for the Triumph Toledo. Different countries have different regulations about fitting wheels whose rim-width and offset specifications differ from those of the vehicle’s standard factory fitment.

In Australia, one would need to undergo their equivalent of LVV certification, if one fitted wheels more than 1 inch wider than the widest wheels that were factory-fitted to that car model.

Although the Dolomite models are closely related to the Toledo models, it could be argued that they are not the same model, despite both arising from Project Ajax.

In Australia, any change in wheel offset must NOT result in a decrease in track, but an increase in track of up to 25 mm is permitted without the need for certification. Hence for a Triumph Toledo or Dolomite, a wheel whose offset was up to 12½ mm smaller than the factory-standard wheels, would be permitted.

There is the further requirement in Australia that the external rolling circumference of any tyres fitted, must be within a tolerance of ± 2% of that of the original factory-fitted tyres. The standard-profile 175 SR13 tyres (i.e. 175/80 R13) originally fitted to my Cosmic 5½ x 13 inch alloy wheels, would have FAILED to satisfy this requirement by a large margin!

I am aware from my Triumph Toledo 1300 Owners’ Handbook and official Triumph Toledo 13/1500 Repair Operation Manual, that the standard factory-fitted steel wheels were of size 4J x 13 inches, but I have no details of their offset and have none in my possession to measure.

Many years ago, I measured the front & rear track of my 1974 Triumph Toledo 1300 when it was equipped with dealership-fitted, Cosmic 5½ x 13 inch alloy wheels, whose offset I later determined was 21 mm.

My measurements indicated that the front & rear track with these wheels fitted, were approximately 30 mm wider than the standard measurements quoted in the official Triumph Toledo literature; implying that the offset of the original standard 4J x 13 inch, factory-fitted steel wheels was circa 35 mm, which is virtually identical to that of the Triumph Dolomite Sprint, 5½J x 13 inch alloy wheels.

On that basis, one might require the equivalent of LVV certification in Australia, if fitting 5½ inch wide Dolomite Sprint wheels to a Toledo, whose original wheels were 4 inches wide. My 5½ inch wide Cosmic wheels, would have required certification on the basis of their circa 14 mm smaller offset, as well as their “excessive” width.

Many years ago, I read somewhere that increasing a car’s track by more than 20 mm beyond the standard factory specification, would invalidate a British motor-insurance policy, but I am not sure whether the statement was true. It was certainly worrying, given that my Cosmic wheels gave rise to a circa 30 mm increase in track!

The important questions that you need answered, are what wheel specifications will be permitted for your Triumph Toledo 13/1500 in New Zealand, with or without LVV certification; and preferably without.

When I bought a set of five MG 2000 Maestro, 5½J x 15 inch alloy wheels (31 mm offset) to replace the present set of five Triumph Dolomite Sprint, 5½J x 13 inch alloy wheels (35 mm offset) on my 1974 Triumph Toledo, it cost just under £30 (i.e. circa NZ$60) to have them shipped as two packages by UPS courier, within the British mainland, from Yorkshire to Essex.

About 1~2 years ago, I sent a pair of genuine air-cooled VW Type 1 Beetle, black-rubber mud-flaps with white Wolfsburg emblem, to an enthusiast in Australia, which cost about £22 (i.e. circa NZ$44) for Royal Mail parcel post. I shudder to think what it would cost to ship a set of five Triumph Dolomite Sprint, 5½J x 13 inch alloy wheels (much bigger and heavier than mud-flaps) to New Zealand; even without tyres fitted.

The best shipping option would probably be to find an importer or exporter, shipping goods in a container by ship from Great Britain to New Zealand, in which a set of wheels could be a small part of the load; to be redirected to the intended recipient once they reach New Zealand.

Once I am sure that the MG 2000 Maestro, 5½J x 15 inch alloy wheels will satisfy my needs, the set of five Triumph Dolomite Sprint, 5½J x 13 inch alloy wheels with wheel nuts, will be surplus to my needs.

Board index » The Triumph Dolomite Club » Dolomite-related [Start here!] » MG-Rover-Austin Maestro or Montego alloy wheels for Triumph Toledo & Dolomite

https://forum.triumphdolomite.co.uk/vie ... =4&t=34572
Quote:
Yes the upgrades to the car are going to be:

- upgraded electrical s (relays etc), better light bulbs different cam.

various other minor superficial mods - spotlights, air dam, oil pressure and temp gauges, rev counter black rather than grey plastic grills If you have spare black plastic grill - im looking for some - I will probably end up painting the grey ones. All things that wont affect it being registered
A Dolomite front spoiler would look quite attractive, but I am sceptical as to whether it serves any useful purpose regarding the car’s aerodynamic efficiency or providing aerodynamic down-force to keep improve the front tyres’ grip on the road. It might provide some stone-chip protection to the sub-frame and front suspension!?!

Fitting a different cam might qualify as being a significant modification requiring LVV certification.

I would agree that a rev counter, oil-pressure gauge and oil-temperature gauge would be useful upgrades, but why stop at those.

There is also scope for an inlet-manifold vacuum gauge, voltmeter and ammeter; all of which could be fitted into to substitute curved instrument panel for a Dolomite HL or Sprint style dashboard; which is something I have in the pipeline for my Triumph Toledo.

Whether you will gain any significant benefit from spot lights, will depend upon the type of roads on which you drive and the prevailing traffic conditions. In Great Britain, probably more than 90% of time, when driving at night outside lit urban areas, it is the headlamp dipped beams which are required rather than main beam. Hence, I would recommend upgrading dipped beam performance as your first priority.

I also intend to incorporate relays (possibly fitted into one or more six-position relay mounting cum connector blocks salvaged from Austin Montegos or Austin Metros during the 1990s) to minimise voltage drops and maximise the lifespan of Toledo / Dolomite specific switches.

If you intend to retain existing non-H4 bulb-style headlamps with P45t bulb-mounting flanges, one can either use special H4 quartz-halogen bulbs (typically 60/55W or 100/80W) with P45t flanges or standard H4 quartz-halogen bulbs (typically 60/55W, 100/80W, 130/90W or 160/100W – some of which might be illegal in New Zealand) with P43t flanges, in conjunction with P43t to P45t flange adapters.
Quote:
Yes the upgrades to the car are going to be:

At some point I will have to address the fact that the springs are too long and it sits too high but I will worry about that later too.

Anything I have missed? Any other vital upgrades?
Extra-stiff, short-travel springs, might provide good handling and adequate ride comfort on almost perfectly smooth road surfaces, but with a spring & damper based suspension system, one requires the facility for plenty of spring compression and extension, with relatively soft springs and firm damping, to absorb the shock of major bumps, speed-humps and potholes, whilst providing good handling characteristics, on less than perfect road surfaces. This was the philosophy adopted by Colin Chapman, when he designed his iconic Lotus sports cars.

On the basis of having driven a four-door, 1974 Triumph Toledo 1300 (in both almost-factory-standard form and progressively upgraded form) over circa 97,000 miles under most possible British road and weather conditions (i.e. hot-summer with bright sun, cold winter with bright sun, torrential-rain, flooding, hail, sleet, snow, fog & freezing-fog) from mid-1975 until mid-1999, I would recommend the following upgrades using Dolomite-HL / Sprint parts, plus proprietory-brand accessories.

• Adjustable steering column with associated steering wheel (having black spokes rather than chrome), moulded black-plastic nacelle, two steering-column mounted stalk switches (headlamp dip/flash, direction-indicators & horn | windscreen washers & wipers with momentary flick-wipe) and main light switch.
• Dashboard with curved-profile instrument panel (speedometer, tachometer, fuel gauge, temperature gauge, voltmeter, 8-segment warning-light cluster & hazard warning light switch) and clock. If the driver’s cold-air outlet is relocated below the dashboard, a custom-made, curved-profile instrument panel can accommodate a tachometer, speedometer, inlet-manifold vacuum gauge, voltmeter, ammeter, fuel gauge, water-temperature gauge, oil-temperature gauge and oil-pressure gauge, plus the original 8-segment warning-light cluster. The hazard warning light switch could be relocated below the clock
• Heating & ventilation control-lever illumination – small rectangular green-lensed lamp (ex Austin Montego)
• Matching under-dashboard parcel shelf.
• Cloth-upholstered front seats with head restraints and magazine pockets, and driver’s seat base height adjustment.
• Cloth-upholstered rear seat with fold-down, central arm rest.
• Upper-sill, aluminium, anti-scuff plates for front & rear door-apertures.
• Matching off-side & near-side door mirrors with anti-dazzle tinted glass.
• Dipping, anti-dazzle, interior rear-view mirror.
• Substitute satin-black, adjustable windscreen-wiper arms to optimise wiper-blade sweep and minimise reflected glare from the sun.
• Reposition existing windscreen-washer jets and retro-fit two or more supplementary Toledo / Dolomite windscreen-washer jets, or accessory wiper-arm mounted jets, or ideally SVD/SWW wash-wiper blades (perforated, hollow rubber-blades with water-supply hose).
• Matched pair of good-quality quartz-halogen headlights or good-quality P45t flanged quartz-halogen bulbs in conventional glass-envelope 45/40W bulb-type headlamps (direct replacement 7 x 5¼ inch rectangular LED headlamp units are now available, but are extremely expensive).
• Matched pair of good-quality front fog lights mounted beneath the front bumper.
• Matched pair of good-quality rear fog lights

Board index » The Triumph Dolomite Club » Dolomite-related [Start here!] » 40+ Years with a 1974 Triumph Toledo 1300 “HL”

viewtopic.php?f=4&t=29933

Board index » The Triumph Dolomite Club » Restoration Projects » GOO 796 N Restoration

viewtopic.php?f=19&t=29932

Board index » The Triumph Dolomite Club » The Public Bar - General Chat » “Factory-Standard, Alternative & Supplementary Instruments”

viewtopic.php?f=5&t=29524

Board index » The Triumph Dolomite Club » Dolomite-related [Start here!] » Customising Lucas 60 mm, 8-Segment, Warning-Light Clusters

viewtopic.php?f=4&t=29490

_________________
Regards.

Nigel A. Skeet

Independent tutor of mathematics, physics, technology & engineering, for secondary, tertiary, further & higher education.

https://www.linkedin.com/profile/view?id=308177758

Upgraded 1974 Triumph Toledo 1300 (Toledo / Dolomite HL / Sprint hybrid)

Onetime member + magazine editor & technical editor of Volkswagen Type 2 Owners' Club


Last edited by naskeet on Thu Aug 19, 2021 7:38 pm, edited 4 times in total.

Top
   
PostPosted: Fri Mar 15, 2019 4:14 pm 
Offline
Future Club member hopefully!
Future Club member hopefully!

Joined: Tue May 06, 2014 4:38 pm
Posts: 535
Location: South Benfleet, Essex
I recently stumbled across a source of NOS - new-old-stock Lucas "Brighteyes" FR 3/4, 7 x 5¼ inch rectangular quartz-halogen headlamp conversion kits (Lucas Part No. 60084094), from Holden Vintage and Classic Ltd, in Herefordshire, but at £275 + VAT (price in October 2018), they are overpriced in my opinion and there are probably better alternatives available these days.

Lucas Brighteyes Replacement Lamp Set

http://www.holden.co.uk/displayproduct. ... e=60084094

Alternatively, one could probably substitute 7 x 5 inch rectangular headlamp units, made by Truck-Lite or other manufacturers, but they tend to be rather expensive! :(

http://www.fpsdistribution.com/new-retr ... headlamps/

http://www.truck-lite.eu.com/tl27

https://www.truck-lite.eu.com/find-a-stockist

http://www.truck-lite.com/webapp/wcs/st ... ogId=10002

http://www.truck-lite.com/webapp/wcs/st ... reId=10001

If you don't fancy spending a lot of money and your existing bulb type headlamps are still in good condition, with lustrous reflectors, you could easily get some direct-replacement 60/55W H4 quartz-halogen headlamp bulbs, with P45t mounting flanges like these:

https://www.hella.co.nz/en/products/bul ... 6055w.html

Alternatively, use P45t to P43t headlight bulb adaptors in conjunction with readily available H4 quartz-halogen headlamp bulbs, with P43t mounting flanges.

http://www.volvosolutions.com/Misc_P45T.html

Contrary to what the link might suggest, these adapters are not particularly rare, but it might be a challenge to find a stockist in New Zealand.

H4 quartz-halogen and other headlamp bulb, P45t & P43t flange fittings

Image

From as early as the mid-1970s, quartz-halogen, 60/55W, H4 bulbs, with P45t mounting flanges, have been available to substitute, into the ordinary non-H4 headlamp units, as I did in 1976, with my British specification, 1973 VW Type 2; resulting in vastly improved headlamp performance, on both main & dipped beams.

In 1989, I learned of 100/55W & 100/80W, P45t flanged H4 bulbs, of which I used the latter to further upgrade my headlamps; also upgrading the circuit with heavy-duty cable and two Hella 40A relays (one each, for main & dipped beams).

Nowadays, these P45t flanged H4 bulbs, are known to be available in 60/55W, 100/55W, 100/80W & 130/90W power ratings.

Purpose-made, H4 headlamp units, fitted with 60/55W, P43t flanged, H4 bulbs, have also been available since at least the mid-1970s. Nowadays, the P43t flanged H4 bulbs, are known to be available in 60/55W, 100/55W, 100/80W, 130/90W & 160/100W power ratings.

_________________
Regards.

Nigel A. Skeet

Independent tutor of mathematics, physics, technology & engineering, for secondary, tertiary, further & higher education.

https://www.linkedin.com/profile/view?id=308177758

Upgraded 1974 Triumph Toledo 1300 (Toledo / Dolomite HL / Sprint hybrid)

Onetime member + magazine editor & technical editor of Volkswagen Type 2 Owners' Club


Top
   
PostPosted: Mon Mar 18, 2019 1:06 am 
Hi all thanks for your comments Nigel - much appreciated.

I would be interested in your wheels at some point further down the track.
Spent this weekend getting the hubs and suspension all back together which went pretty smoothly. brakes will have to wait until the anti squeal plates turn up from rimmers

Next task is to put underseal under the car - part of doing this is getting new double clips tube from bresco and also redoing the fuel pipe. Current one seems to be steel and is quite badly rusted. I've found a supplier of Cunifer pipe in Auckland and hopefully I will be able to borrow a pipe bender from someone - all looks fairly straight forward using the old pipe as a template. I notice the fuel pipe is in 3 or 4 sections held together by rubber fuel pipe. Should I continue this or should I join it with proper flared ends and joins? The brake line looks ok so will leave that.
Next step is to put the engine back in to clear some room in the garage to take the back end out!
Although the engine mounts look ok Ill replace as them have probably gone hard and the overdrive onto the gearbox will have to wait for now as I have to get a gearbox mount as well (as far as the overdrive is concerned the great thing about it in hilly NZ is the high and low on 3rd - very useful on the hills). It worked very well on a manual stag - however that had a bit more power than the Toledo.

Once I get the engine in I will have to do some sort assessment to see what state it is in and whether to just get it going and delay any upgrades till later or bite the bullet and do the upgrades first.

I like the idea of putting a complete dolomite dash in the car - however they're hard to find in NZ, if any one has a complete one Id be interested in hearing about it - although thinking about it now I do know of one .......

I was sitting in the car yesterday and being quite tall I was considering the steering height adjustable steering column......that would be a major job fitting that wouldnt it? But the dash sounds doable.....I think any steering column would have to be on maximum height for my use. The slightly smaller diameter Dolomite steering wheel gives a little extra leg room.

Seat height - the toledo seats don't have any adjustable other than the back and forth slide - I imagine dolomite seats do adjust? Anyway it seems comfortable enough as is for now.

I checked on Carjam concerning the registration status of the car and it seems to dead I entered in ADF28870DL without much success. This is for the green shell I am using - not for the old white donar car

more soon


Top
   
PostPosted: Wed Mar 20, 2019 4:37 pm 
Offline
Future Club member hopefully!
Future Club member hopefully!

Joined: Tue May 06, 2014 4:38 pm
Posts: 535
Location: South Benfleet, Essex
Quote:

Next task is to put underseal under the car - part of doing this is getting new double clips tube from bresco and also redoing the fuel pipe. Current one seems to be steel and is quite badly rusted. I've found a supplier of Cunifer pipe in Auckland and hopefully I will be able to borrow a pipe bender from someone - all looks fairly straight forward using the old pipe as a template. I notice the fuel pipe is in 3 or 4 sections held together by rubber fuel pipe. Should I continue this or should I join it with proper flared ends and joins? The brake line looks ok so will leave that.
If you are replacing the fuel pipe with Kunifer 10 (cupro-nickel alloy comprising 90% copper & 10% nickel) pipe, then using in-line connectors & unions (preferably bronze rather than brass or plated steel) would probably be a better, more durable option than using flexible hose and Jubilee clips.

Unless your existing brake pipes are already Kunifer 10 or similarly durable and rust-resistant material, I would be inclined to replace them with Kunifer 10 pipe (excellent corrosion resistance and very easy to bend & flare) whilst you are refurbishing and/or upgrading the rest of the braking system.
Quote:

I like the idea of putting a complete dolomite dash in the car - however they're hard to find in NZ, if any one has a complete one Id be interested in hearing about it - although thinking about it now I do know of one .......

I was sitting in the car yesterday and being quite tall I was considering the steering height adjustable steering column......that would be a major job fitting that wouldnt it? But the dash sounds doable.....I think any steering column would have to be on maximum height for my use. The slightly smaller diameter Dolomite steering wheel gives a little extra leg room.
By the winter of 1982/83, my night-time driving experiences in wet weather, had thoroughly convinced me of the need to upgrade the Toledo, with a steering-column-mounted, windscreen-wiper & washer switch. It would be so much easier, quicker and safer to find a stalk switch on the steering column, to activate the windscreen wipers and/or washers, especially at night on an unlit road, when one could NOT easily see the location of the Toledo’s factory-fitted, dashboard-mounted, windscreen-wiper & washer switch; which could later be re-employed for a rear-window wiper & washer system of some sort, if I ever got around to retro-fitting one.

Windscreen soiling was particularly bad after the rain had stopped, when the road surface was still covered with a film of dirty water. As a consequence of this, one’s windscreen was frequently swamped by a deluge of gritty, dirt-laden spray, from the wheels of passing vehicles, of which large lorries and buses were particular culprits.

Under these circumstances, one needed to quickly activate both the washers (owing to the lack of cleansing rain) and wipers, particularly if there was only a little water accompanying the dirt and grit. On busy roads, especially dual carriageways and motorways, one sometimes needed to repeat the wash & wipe process, a few times every minute, which on some of my 80 mile journeys, almost emptied the 2 pint windscreen-washer reservoir of water!

Hence, at the next opportunity, I made another pilgrimage to the local car breakers’ yards, where I salvaged a complete steering-column nacelle & switch assembly from a “four-headlamp” Triumph Dolomite, comprising:

• Two-piece, moulded plastic nacelle, held together with three machine screws;
• Windscreen wiper & washer, combination stalk-switch, with flick-wipe facility;
• Headlamp-dip, direction-indicator & horn, combination stalk-switch;
• Main headlamp & sidelight, rotary-switch.

It is questionable whether it was necessary to buy both stalk-switches, but the stalk-end, push-button switches of the Toledo and Dolomite were of a different style, and I wanted a matching pair of stalk-switches for aesthetic reasons.

When I tried to fit the Dolomite steering-column nacelle to the Toledo steering column, I discovered an insoluble problem! The positions of the three fixing screws, which held the upper & lower halves of the nacelle together and secured it to the steering column, were not compatible with the Toledo steering column; the triangular arrangement of screws and screw-holes being configured differently.

Being determined not to abandon this project, I resorted to also salvaging the Dolomite’s complete steering-column assembly and associated three-spoke steering wheel, with leather-covered, padded rim, whose diameter was slightly smaller than that of the Toledo. As things turned out, the substitution of the Dolomite’s adjustable steering column & associated steering wheel, proved to be a beneficial, albeit unintentional upgrade.

However, when I substituted the Dolomite adjustable steering column, I discovered that there was a space between the mounting brackets and the front bulkhead below the windscreen, owing to differences between the Toledo’s flat-panel dashboard and the Dolomite’s moulded dashboard with separate curved-profile instrument panel. Hence it was necessary to incorporate spacer shims to rigidly mount the steering column.

Having all the major switch-gear mounted on the steering column, was a vast improvement and I’m surprised that BLMC Triumph hadn’t already upgraded the later-model Toledos in this way, at little if any additional cost! After all, the 1986 onward, rationalised, “two-headlamp” Triumph Dolomite 13/1500, with the fixed, non-adjustable steering column, was so equipped.

I am in no doubt, that having a steering-column mounted, windscreen wiper & washer, combination stalk-switch, greatly improved driving comfort and safety. The additional flick-wipe facility, also proved to be particularly useful in conditions of light drizzle or fog, when only a single, occasional sweep of the windscreen wipers was needed.

Although not crucial, having the main lighting switch on the steering-column nacelle, was more convenient to use and it freed-up space on the dashboard, for more minor accessory switches. Alternatively, I could have retained the Toledo’s original dashboard-mounted main lighting switch, as a front & rear fog-lamp switch or even a two-zone, electrically-heated, front-windscreen switch, if such windscreens ever become available for the Toledo & Dolomite.

The Dolomite’s bulkier steering-column nacelle, with considerable unfilled space inside, also offered scope, for the incorporation of additional steering-column mounted accessory switches; an option I enthusiastically exploited later for the following electrical accessories:

• Matched pair of 7 inch diameter, Lucas 20-20, H3 55W quartz-halogen, auxiliary driving lamps;
• Matched pair of 7 inch diameter, Lucas 20-20, H3 55W quartz-halogen, front fog lamps;
• Matched pair of surface-mounted, Starlux rectangular rear fog lamps;
• Single Lucas Square-8, H3 55W quartz-halogen fog light => auxiliary reversing light.

Substituting the adjustable steering column is an easy, straightforward job. Although one can still use the original Toledo under-dashboard parcel shelf, it would be better to have the appropriately shaped one associated with the adjustable steering column, but so far I have yet to find one in good condition for myself.

To date, I have acquired two adjustable-steering associated, under-dashboard parcel shelves from late-model Triumph Dolomite 1500HLs, but neither is in useable condition without some refurbishment or repair, to rectify torn and/or distorted millboard. Ultimately, I might need to fabricate a new parcel shelf from scratch, using whatever materials are salvable from my original Toledo parcel shelf and the two Triumph Dolomite 1500HL parcel shelves, plus any other suitable materials I can acquire.

When I retro-fitted the Dolomite adjustable steering column with associated nacelle (the Toledo nacelle won’t fit!) & switches and early-model Triumph Dolomite 1850 sculptured dashboard in 1982 and 1984 respectively, I simply modified the existing Triumph Toledo wiring loom, using insulated wires of appropriate colours that I had salvaged from the local car breaker’s yard.

I have since recently acquired an almost complete wiring loom from a 1980 Triumph Dolomite 1500HL Automatic, which I might later substitute and modify further for my various additional instruments and accessories, including the senders/switches for (a) carburettor choke engaged, (b) handbrake on, and (c) low fuel level.

The Triumph 1500 & 1500TC, plus the Triumph Dolomite 1850, 1500HL, 1850HL & Sprint models were all fitted with the sculptured dashboard having a curved-profile instrument panel, together with an adjustable steering column.

All of the above Dolomites had a 105 mm speedometer (no integral warning lights), 105 mm tachometer, 52 mm fuel gauge, 52 mm temperature gauge, 52 mm voltmeter, 60 mm 8-segment warning-light cluster & hazard warning light switch and clock.

The Triumph 1500 & 1500TC had just a 105 mm speedometer (no integral warning lights), 105 mm housing incorporating a fuel gauge, temperature gauge & voltmeter and a 60 mm 8-segment warning-light cluster. I am not sure whether they had a clock and a hazard warning light switch.

Triumph 1500 instrument panel

Image

RWD Triumph 1500TC literature - dashboard etc

Image

The complete dashboards and/or instrument panels with instruments, appear for sale on British Ebay quite frequently, but to get one of the adjustable steering columns one would probably need to post a wanted notice or contact a vendor advertising that they were breaking a car for spares. As with wheels, the challenge would be to ship them from Great Britain to New Zealand at reasonable cost.

When in 1984, I substituted an early-model Triumph Dolomite 1850 dashboard into my 1974 Triumph Toledo, I retained the Toledo’s original heater unit with just upper & lower airflow outlets, discharging to the windscreen demister cum defroster vents & front foot wells respectively.

1972 Triumph Dolomite 1850 literature - dashboard etc

Image

Use of this Dolomite 1850 dashboard, also required the substitution of the associated moulded-plastic duct to fit on top of the heater unit and the associated satin-black-painted steel demister grille.

The mounting brackets of adjustable steering, that I had previously substituted in 1982, mated up perfectly with the fixing holes in the back of the Dolomite 1850 dashboard and also the threaded holes in the front bulkhead; no longer requiring the use of spacer shims.

Although the steel dashboard-mounting flange below the Toledo’s windscreen was not ideally suited to mounting the Dolomite 1850 dashboard (plus the associated moulded-plastic duct to fit on top of the heater unit and the associated satin-black-painted steel demister grille), I was able to drill additional holes in the flange and adequately secure everything in place using machine screws, nuts & washers.

I might improve this mounting (possibly using clinch-nuts) when I eventually substitute a late-model Triumph Dolomite 1500HL dashboard, that is in better condition than the Dolomite 1850 dashboard, which has a small split in the black-vinyl covering; covered by black PVC insulating tape.

The L-shaped steel brackets on either side, at the bottom of the Dolomite 1850 dashboard, which fasten to the vertical side panels of the car, aligned perfectly with the pre-threaded holes in the Toledo. No fettling was needed!

However, what was needed that I hadn’t anticipated, was the heating & ventilation control-lever assembly with three control-levers, from the Dolomite 1850’s heater unit or similar heater unit; the Toledo’s original three control-levers being too short by a significant margin.

Because I retained the Toledo’s original heater unit, I didn’t need the Dolomite 1850’s moulded-plastic, horizontal-airflow outlet cum mounting for the carburettor choke control & cigarette lighter, that fits under the centre of the dashboard.

Hence, I needed an alternative location for the Toledo’s original carburettor choke control, which I chose to mount in left-hand side of the curved-profile instrument panel, between the two 52 mm gauges and the 105 mm instrument. This location proved to be quite satisfactory, but the choke control had to be removed, if I needed to remove the instrument panel for maintenance.

One advantage of retaining the Toledo’s original heater unit and omitting the Dolomite 1850’s moulded-plastic, horizontal-airflow outlet, is that one has more space available for a central console above the gearbox cover, to mount an audio entertainment unit and/or supplementary instruments.

In common with my 1974 Triumph Toledo’s original dashboard, the early-model Triumph Dolomite 1850’s dashboard, had brackets fastened to the underside, for the speedometer’s trip-counter, remote-control zeroing cable & knob, and the heated rear-window’s dashboard switch with integral tell-tale light; neither of which are a feature of late-model Dolomite dashboards.

With the exception of retaining my Toledo’s original 100 mph & 160 km/h speedometer with three integral warning lights, in place of the 120 mph & 190 km/h speedometer with no warning lights, I chose to use all of the other Dolomite 1850’s instruments and clock, which were a close match to the style of the Toledo’s instrumentation, apart from the Dolomite speedometer’s and tachometer’s centre-hub & pointer.

British specification, 1974 Triumph Toledo 1300's Smiths speedometer

Image

New Zealand specification, 1974 Triumph Toledo 1500's Smith's speedometer

Image


After substituting a spare centre-hub & pointer, from a defunct Toledo speedometer, into the Dolomite 1850’s tachometer, I discovered that the tachometer was non-functional, for reasons I have yet to discover. If I had discarded the non-functional tachometer, I could have retained my Toledo’s original 105 mm instrument housing, incorporating the fuel gauge, water-temperature gauge and two direction-indicator warning lights.

This would have made two of the 52 mm instrument-panel apertures available for two supplementary gauges, for functions such as oil-pressure, oil-temperature, inlet-manifold vacuum or electrical current (i.e. ammeter); four additional functions I intend to have in my new custom-made, curved-profile instrument panel, as well as having a 105 mm tachometer.

Until recently, I didn’t have the facility to utilise the 60 mm Lucas 8-segment warning-light cluster, for (a) carburettor choke engaged, (b) handbrake on, and (c) low fuel level. I also had three integral warning lights in my Toledo’s original speedometer, for headlamp main beam, low oil-pressure and ignition (i.e. alternator-voltage), so six of the eight warning-light segments in the cluster were redundant.

Rather than use the early-model Dolomite 1850’s 8-segment warning-light cluster, I chose to use an 8-segment warning-light cluster with matching multi-pin, electrical connector block, originating from a late-model Dolomite 1500HL, 1850HL or Sprint, whose bulb-holder circuit configuration, was better suited to my customisation purposes.

The warning-light & tell-tale-light functions for which I wanted to make provision, included: (i) front fog lights, (ii) rear fog lights, (iii) front auxiliary driving lights, (iv) high-intensity auxiliary reversing light, (v) left-hand direction indicators, (vi) right-hand direction indicators, and (vii) trailer direction-indicators; leaving one segment for use with the heated rear window.
Quote:

Seat height - the toledo seats don't have any adjustable other than the back and forth slide - I imagine dolomite seats do adjust? Anyway it seems comfortable enough as is for now.
My original 1974 Triumph Toledo front seats had no height adjustment but the seat backs did recline in stages. The Dolomite HL’s seats have adjustment for fore & aft movement, seat-back rake angle (i.e. they recline) and the base cushion (i.e. the part one sits on) of the driver’s seat has three independent, height-adjustment positions for the front & rear of the seat.

My original reasons for substituting the Dolomite HL seats, was the inclusion of head restraints for safety reasons and the cloth upholstery which is more comfortable in particularly hot or cold weather. Sitting bare-legged (i.e. wearing short trousers) on leatherette seats in summer, could initially be very uncomfortable if the car had sat motionless in the sun and sweaty skin tended to stick to the leatherette seat fabric.

The Dolomite HL’s seats are wider than the Toledo’s, with wider-spaced seat runners, but there should be an extra pair of pre-threaded holes in the floor for each of the seats.

_________________
Regards.

Nigel A. Skeet

Independent tutor of mathematics, physics, technology & engineering, for secondary, tertiary, further & higher education.

https://www.linkedin.com/profile/view?id=308177758

Upgraded 1974 Triumph Toledo 1300 (Toledo / Dolomite HL / Sprint hybrid)

Onetime member + magazine editor & technical editor of Volkswagen Type 2 Owners' Club


Last edited by naskeet on Fri Mar 22, 2019 4:27 pm, edited 2 times in total.

Top
   
Display posts from previous:  Sort by  
Post new topic  Reply to topic  [ 108 posts ]  Go to page Previous 13 4 5 6 7 8 Next

All times are UTC


Who is online

Users browsing this forum: Bing and 3 guests


You cannot post new topics in this forum
You cannot reply to topics in this forum
You cannot edit your posts in this forum
You cannot delete your posts in this forum
You cannot post attachments in this forum

Search for:
Jump to:  
Powered by phpBB® Forum Software © phpBB Limited