1500hl drift car (not for the purists!)

[djntrap]

hi guys I recently stumbled across a Triumph Dolomite 1500HL. It needs a lot of welding so I have managed to haggle it for £250 and after many a search on the net I cant find one single dolomite drift car, not even a video on youtube!

So... the plan is to finish clearing out the lock up i have just aquired for a nice price as it is full of old mens gardening junk,
then move the car in and complete the welding ASAP so I can get it in for a pre mot check.
Things i know need to be welded (without stripping the car)
are as follows:
-the left hand sill
-left hand rear arch
-complete boot floor

the rest of it looks pretty tidy so far just needs a good tidy up. also on the list for welding after mot is the drivers seat subframe, harness mounts and eventually a rollcage.
I have so far ordered the sill and arch panels, a sparco Ebay special harness and i am currently bidding on a single bucket seat as i type.

THE PLAN
1.8/2.0 Ford Zetec engine Cam'd & Remapped for a usable 150bhp ish mated to a type 9 box, custom propshaft and some sort of locking diff. Lots of pics and progress soon...

[Oli_88]

The only diff in the range strong enough for that is a Sprint diff.
Original Sprint LSDs are like rocking horse poo and bloody expensive when they appear.
Don't even mention a welded diff on here..

Of course, with the amount of fabrication you're doing, it doesn't sound beyond your abilities to fit an entire axle from another car.

With that amount of work, if you want to use the car on the road, you're looking at having to get it BIVA tested, expensive and pretty hard to do with a Dolly due to the glass.

Afaik, I'm the only one here that actually likes drifting (though a post I found somewhere else from about two years ago says different ) anyway. Good luck.

I'll just sit back and wait for the "Drifting is rubbish" and "Please don't ruin that car" posts now.

[DavePoth]

Google "ALG 1K".

Not technically a drift car. But with 700+hp it's not too difficult to smoke the rears.

Dolomite LSDs are stupid expensive - I reckon your best bet would be to go with a ford (Atlas?) axle. The bits are available to convert the front hubs over to the Ford PCD so that would sort you out.

While it would be nice to have every dolomite exactly as per the factory, this car would have been sold for scrap otherwise, and so it's a good save. Try not to break any of the bits you pull off it as you go, most of them are worth something to someone - if it's got an overdrive gearbox Triumph Spitfire owners will pay as much for that as you paid for the car!

[djntrap]

Ah I might be in the wrong place here then lol.

I think a ford or volvo axle is on the cards and i'll have a welded diff and a standard one so then I can switch them over as and when I need to. Still not 100% on my engine choice yet, i had a non turbo YB engine in my capri a few years ago so ALG1K does interest me
Starting to like the sound of a V motor now though...

The ghastly beige seats are up for grabs if anybody wants them, also the brown carpets.
If anybody needs any interior parts let me know.

I have now got a cobra monaco seat, a 4 point sparco harness, 4 harness mounts, a set of 15x6 alloys and a low pressure turbo I'm gonna strap to the standard motor until she blows lol.

I will get some pics up tonight after work after I've taken the angle grinder to her!

[JPB]

Good luck with this, please get out there and show those Volvo 340/360 owners the way to do drifting properly!

Seriously, I wish you well. Autotests, hillclimbs and sprints were more my bag than driving sideways, but it does make for entertaining viewing, especially when there's someone on film destroying another 340!

[2dollys]

Hi, might be interested in your "ghastly" seats for my Russet Brown 1500HL. How much? + where are you located?.
Regards PJ Byrne

[merlind100]

BS marked glass is acceptable for BIVA until sometime in 2013, look on the Association of Car Enthusiasts website. If you can get the engine, box and axle in without modifying the bodyshell AT ALL and use the original suspension and steering then you shouldnt need to BIVA it

[Oli_88]

I wouldn't want to be using standard shocks for drifting it though...

[DavePoth]

Please make a video of the 1500 engine with a turbo bolted to it. It won't last long, but it will be funny.

[JPB]

Please make a video of the 1500 engine with a turbo bolted to it. It won't last long, but it will be funny.

Make sure to place the camera behind a sheet of bullet proof glass when doing this.

Seriously though; how about a supercharger, rather than a turbo, for a 1500? That would work better with an engine that's more about low down torque than maximum power at high crankspeeds and it might even last for a whole lap that way.

[richard4040]

Also lots of pics of the turbo set up please:D

[djntrap]

Sorry for the long reply!
work commitments and shoddy welding have kept me off the computer. i have welded a plate into the wing now and farbicated a new bottom corner too.
I have stripped the seats and fitted my cobra bucket seat and have welded the 4 point harness mounts in place so far but all engine plans are on hold while I make my mind up on what engine I want!!
too tired to type so i'll just throw some pics up
cheers!

[jw67]

I was wondering what had become of this project?

[djntrap]

I really need to get my arse into gear with this picture taking!! baby due in 4 weeks and I need to get as much welding done as possible!!

[xvivalve]

I don't recall an order for a single cill...?

Shorrocks did a supercharger for the Spitfire; they crop up every once in a while...