Triumph dolomite 1500TC Just bought one :)

[Jordan1500TC]

I am Trying to decide what colour to paint dolly. she was originaly british racing green but my new wheels wouldn't go with that so i am thinking more along the lines of british racing blue (midnight blue) or bright white ?? should look realy smart then whats you guys opions on the paint matter?? and thanks oli i think when i get the new suspension the wheels will not rub but when i get my respray i will get them to modify that lip a bit

[Garfin]

midnight blue sounds good or maybe even dark white?

[Jordan1500TC]

Um i probly should no this but i am looking at the suspension now for my dolly . what the heck does UPRATED springs mean?? i want to get 1" lowered for the front and standard ride height for the back but do i got with the uprated springs i am not too worried about comfort because the old seats are comfy enough

[Oli_88]

Depending on the age of the springs you've got fitted, you may find that lowering springs do no actual lowering of the car...
The fitted springs might be so old that they've settled and sagged a lot.
I know this after fitting my own 'lowering springs', I think they are around 200lbs, tested by standing on them and they didn't move, they were supposed to drop the front an inch.
It's now got a proper Gasser stance going on. Useful if we get lots of snow here again, but looks horrendous.

Just depends on what you want to use the car for really. I know on other Dollys you can't run them too low as there's lots of bits poking about underneath the car that likes to get pulled off when running low, not sure if it's the same for yours.

[Jordan1500TC]

i will check the spings when i get them out i have just had my new wheels fitted in england now i am back in switzerland with her up on axle stands i took the wheels off to have a little nose around and the garage that fitted my wheels has cross threaded nearly all of the nuts/studs.... very un happy ... lol anyway i am saving my orders for rimmer brothers. so you have 200lbs springs ye? and you say the ride high at the front? heehe what about if i got some 175lbs 1" lowerd that might be better the only thing i am worried about is the back i want to get reasonable hard springs set up at the back so there is no chance of tyre rub i might just haveto bite the bullet and buy some

[Oli_88]

...How on earth did they manage that. I'd be tempted to bill them for that. At least you found out when you got home and not halfway back. I'd try Fitchetts, Mick Dolphin or Quillers before going to Rimmers, as would a few others here.

I think they're 200lbs springs I weigh a touch over 175lb and putting a plank on top, standing on it just made me taller without them moving at all, infact I can sit on the wing and it won't budge (shocks aren't seized, I had the springs off to check that before fitting them, seeing as they're Spax quality, made sense to check )
Mine when sold to me were supposedly lowering springs. My point is that the ones on my car and probably your car too will be so old now they'll have sagged past the 1" stage, so will be the same height as (Or in my case lower than) the new 1" lower springs.
If the ones you've got on there now are ok, I'd leave it as is to be honest.

As for the tyres, you've fitted 165s from what I remember? Highly doubt you'll get any rub on those, the 185/70/14s I have fitted on the rear only just caught the rear outer arch.
Harder springs on the back doesn't really help the handling much from what I remember either.
Get someone rather weighty to sit in the boot and have a feel around the rear arches. You should be ok.

...I need to stop writing essays here.

[Jordan1500TC]

My back springs are shot every little humb in the road slams the rear down on to my tyres as at the beggining of my thread i got my wheels from midland wheels they said that they would need no mods to the car and that 165/70/13 would suit best.. i will try and whip the back shocks and springs out tonight. front are fine and look pretty tidy as in lowerd hahaha. i will take some photos and upload hopefully tonight too
and i like reading your essays

[Jordan1500TC]

Just took the back suspension out took the springs off and i can push down on them and they move about 3 cms i don't think that is very good at all

[NickMorgan]

I suppose it all depends on how many pies you have been eating!!

[Oli_88]

Is the standard spring rate on these the same as other Dollys?
Around the 140lb mark I think it was?
In other words, it won't take much to move them!

[JPB]

137Lb to be anal about it!
On a Dolomite, I'd leave the back ones stock and fit 190s to the front, but the 1500 doesn't have a rear ARB so would probably benefit more by having slightly stiffer springing at both ends to compensate. Unless of course you like the idea of having the inside front wheel lifting on corners.

[Jordan1500TC]

if i leave back springs on i can never have anyone ride in the back as my wheels rub so i think i will go with stiff for the back and lighter at the front i was looking on rimmer brothers any sugestions of there? as in which springs? i was looking at the uprated springs for front and back but lowered 1" front but i am not sure gaz or spax?? mmm.... 1 thing is sure i need new suspension before the snow comes

[Howard81]

I would just go for a new set of standard springs and shocks. I've never had either of my Dolomites (with standard springs and shocks) rub, even with three in the back!

[JPB]

I'm quite surprised that they rub considering that your tyres are a fair bit smaller than standard Dolomite sizes on their circumference.
But hard rear and soft front will make it handle like a pig on stilts, this I found out the hard way when I experimented with 200Lb rears on ACU, thinking that they'd make the car better for towing.
One canoe trailer in bits all over the A9 told me that I'd been wrong.

Fortunately, that car survived and, like the present Dolomite, was transformed with 190s up front and stock springs at the back. All of the dampers on PKE are from the current LIP catalogue; rear dampers (hydraulic type) are part number 127355, they don't list a gas alternative at this time.

I have a spare pair of rear springs that I won't be fitting, not new but still capable of supporting the rear of the car at the correct height. I only have those as it was quicker and easier to change the complete units than it would have been to compress those tightly wound, narrow springs twice, especially since a conventional set of compressors won't go between the coils and I had to make a copy of the Sports Car Supplies special tool to assemble the new ones before fitting.
Theirs is the one that R*mmers copied and sell as their own idea.
Anyhow, you'd be welcome to have those for cost of the shipping to you which would be around £40 by DHL. Your local LIP dealer would be able to order the matching dampers, be careful to observe the orientation of the top plates when fitting the springs to the dampers as they're wedged to sit the spring at the correct angle relative to the damper body.


See now, Oli, that was an essay!

[Oli_88]

I'm quite surprised that they rub considering that your tyres are a fair bit smaller than standard Dolomite sizes on their circumference.

See now, Oli, that was an essay!

You and me both mate! Considering that my 14"s were on 185/80 tyres (Which made the speedo interesting, glad I learnt to calculate speed off the rev counter.) when I got them and they only rubbed on quite large bumps and dips in the road. I even took it out three up, plus a suitcase and my toolbox (with every tool imaginable) with very little rub!

I agree though, new standard shocks and springs should sort that out. At a push, you could have the same rate all round, but it might get a bit twitchy.

It'd be interesting to find out just how much "spring" is left in yours...

And yes JPB, fair play! I'd have forgotten what was going on by that stage.
Wait, where am I?