uprating engine/electrics

[ronan]

i bought a 1975 1300 toledo last week and am very happy with my purchase so far , mainly because the thing isn't rotten , the body does need a bit of work but i don't mind as i am learning . i plan to use this little car as everyday transport , i have been reading on here that the 1300 engine is a little short on grunt and is lowly geared , what can i do to improve the situation ? i want to keep it as a 1300 but can the engine be uprated at all ?
next is the electrics, is the alternator ok to cope with the fitting of a decent stereo , i see good ones in halfords for reasonable money and would like to fit one , do i need to get a better alternator to keep up ?
what are the main problem areas that cause breakdowns with these cars , the toledo and dolomite ? ignition , electrics , engine , gearbox ? is there well known weakpoints that can be sorted out before i venture out on the public roads ?
all advice gratefully received , thanks .

[DavePoth]

The 1300 is a lovely little engine, probably the easiest to get extra power out of from the whole range. All the tuning bits are shared with spitfires, and a race tuned example will make 120bhp somewhere north of 8000rpm. But to be going on with, the twin carbs, inlet, and exhaust manifolds from a 1500HL will make it a much more lively ride. You might want to consider changing the rear axle for a longer geared one, as it will be quite buzzy at motorway speeds. Look up "1300tc conversion" on the forum and there should be a few examples.

Electrics wise I think you'll have a Lucas ACR alternator fitted; the easiest thing to do is to go to the local scrappy and get one off a maestro which will bolt on and make twice the current. By decent, if you mean 2x20w speakers on the shelf the standard item will be fine. Anything involving words like "subwoofers" and "crossovers" will probably want something meatier.

Reliability-wise there's nothing on the 1300 that isn't well proven and understressed. The only thing you might want is a rocker oil feed kit, which is available pretty cheaply from Rimmers or Moss or somewhere like that. It'll pump more oil to the top of the engine which will stop it from wearing excessively.

[Purplebargeken]

Al the above... plus you might want to consider upgrading the fuse box. Roy (Triplecustard) has done this on his Sprint and a lovely job too. Elctronic ignition might be useful and a 'Jod'spark jobbie might be best.

1300's..... great cars.

Ken

[triple tango]

the 1300 is the unsung hero of the Triumph range. It was deliberately strangled by BL because when its fitted with 1500 carbs manifolds & downpipe it out performs the 1500 in every respect. Fit a 1500/1850 3.63 diff too. Its ultra reliable too, the only time mine ever stopped was when the fuel system picked up some crud from the tank, but all Dolly's do that.

[ronan]

thanks for the replies fellas , what exact model of 1500 car do the carbs and manifolds have to come from , i am still not up to speed on all the various models , and need to know for surfing on fleabay .
do cams come into the equation at all ? i have a triumph bike and the cams are very important in those .

[DavePoth]

Cams can come into it, but it'll shift the powerband up the rev range wihich isn't really handy for daily driving. The stuff outlined will give you more power and better fuel economy without affecting driveability. All win-win really.

The bits you are looking for are from the later Dolomite 1500HL which should have the twin 1 1/2" HS4 carburettors fitted. The exhaust manifold comes from the same car.

[Toledo Man]

What he said.

I think I still have the manifolds in my collection of spares which now reside in the garage so I can lay my hands on them fairly quickly. I have a pair of HS4s but I don't know if they'll fit the 1500 manifold as they were off an 1850. They are known working items but probably need a service. The only other problem will be the exhaust. The downpipe and centre section of a Dolly 1500 exhaust will bolt straight on but the tailpipe will be too long due to the Toledo's short boot. The only solution I can think of would be to shorten the tailpipe by about 6 inches.