Napoleon Dolomite - Orange 1300

[xsquared_uk]

Did some more compounding and polishing today so I now have one side of the car shiny, the paintwork really is like the texture of a blackboard so it takes ages to do properly. Also sprayed the grilles in Plasticote Satin Black - I couldn't decide if I liked them silver as they were or if they needed to be black, but as I had a can lying around unused I figured I'd just paint them and live with it for a while, see how it goes!

As bought:


And now:



Next up - get hold of some Sprint nuts for when I finish tarting up the alloys I bought, complete the polishing, finally get around to cleaning the interior (not done it since I got it and it wasn't clean then, too busy doing the outside), oil and air filters, electronic ignition, wiper blades need doing, rear bushes... there's a long list but funds dictate the slow pace unfortunately. Still, at least I'm enjoying myself!

[jw67]

That is coming along nicely

Have to say,I actually prefer the original steel wheel/hubcap combo as the car came out of the showroom but even so it's a great looking Dolly

[xsquared_uk]

That is coming along nicely

Have to say,I actually prefer the original steel wheel/hubcap combo as the car came out of the showroom but even so it's a great looking Dolly

Ha, cheers - well it's still on the steelies indefinitely until I can get hold of the nuts for the alloys so enjoy it while it lasts!

[DoloWIGHTY2]

your door knob is sitting here waiting for your envelope.

[xsquared_uk]

Cheers Alan, I will get that off to you today or tomorrow!

[Toledo Man]

Any progress Jimmy? I know you were working away. The car was looking good when I dropped off that indicator lens. I found the orange insert from my other one if you want it. I had a similar incident to you and fitted some earlier ones to Brown which is why I had a complete one surplus.

[xsquared_uk]

Not a great deal unfortunately! As you said I've been doing some work in Lowestoft of late which is a good 5 - 6 hours drive (in a hire car not a 1300!) depending on the traffic (tractors!) plus an overnight stay. Not left a lot of room for fettling, plus the age old issue of being skint isn't helping but I'm boring myself with repeating that one! Also after the crash my other half had, we've been back down to just having the Dolomite now that the hire car has gone so have to be careful not to break it or we're walking to the supermarket...!

I did get two minor jobs done:

Fitted the new door lock thingybob that Alan sent me - cheers for that - now the kids can use the door properly!
Changed the wiper blades, they decroded to the point where the metal was squeaking against the glass and it was annoying me!

Next jobs to do:

Fit the indicator lens that Dave very kindly dropped off for me - should be simple enough but literally not had chance yet - this weekend I hope before water gets into the electrics
Need to chop out a bit of metal from the rear bracing to fit the parcel shelf and speakers that I got from Mike, then might look at fitting the front speakers properly somehow if I get time.
After that vac the car out because the kids decided to have a crumb fight in there (don't ask...I should make them do it but I want it done properly!)
Oil and filter change are still long overdue, will check the finances and see if I can squeeze those in
Air filter likewise
Who knows, one of these days I might finally finish the compounding and not have a car with three shiny(ish) sides and one matt finish...

Longer term, still need to fettle up my wheels and get the nuts sorted, I want to switch to electronic ignition as I suspect it will help the car a lot, then back to the shot bushes at the rear I suppose... plenty to do!

[xsquared_uk]

Not a lot to report lately, I had intended to do a bit of work on the car so I bought an oil and air filter - unfortunately the air filter is the wrong one and I can't afford the oil so the filter will have to wait. It doesn't really matter for now because the insurance runs out on Saturday and I can't afford to renew it so the car will be off the road for a little while. It's annoying because there is still a month's tax on which will be wasted, might try to cash it in but that almost seems like admitting defeat. Hopefully something will come up soon and I can get the car going again, perhaps I'll get those jobs done in the meantime. Meh. I will update if I have any cheerier news!

[Toledo Man]

I know how you feel Jimmy. Having got Brown taxed & MoTd and then after sorting out the broken drive plate I can't afford to put petrol in it at the moment.

[grifterkid]

That is a very nice looking Dolomite indeed, keep up the good work... Please keep us posted of any developments...

[PeteH]

Nice looking car, best of luck with it, I have a 1977 Dolly 1300 myself, it has the earlier 'two spoke' steering wheel, curiously, the 1977 Dolly 1300 I had from 1991 to 1995 (as a daily) had the 3 spoke one with the round 'Dolomite' pad, but these cars are still good enough (and comfy enough) to be a daily driver - the one I have now is doing 40pmg and runs very well, great heater and even the original vinyl seats are nice and supportive. Nice to see another of these saved!

[boybiffa]

let me know how you get on with those rear axle bushes buddy

I have a bag full of rear axle bushes in the boot of my car,waiting to be fitted... and mine look a fair amount worse than yours "radius rod,axle end" on mine have a thousand tears all over the face of them and are very squishy and soft. "never owned a RWD car before i very little knowledge of rear end throttle steer"

Rob

[xsquared_uk]

Latest update - I took a jigsaw to the metal bracing under the rear parcel shelf, so that I could fit the new shelf I got from MikeyB with the speakers mounted. No pictures I'm afraid, it was a bit dark inside, looks good though and yes I kept the pieces so they could be welded back in if needed later. I also fitted the Sprint alloys that I have had lying around for ages, managed to get some nuts off Alun (cheers!) but sadly one has a slow puncture so I had to revert to the steel wheels again. As I've probably pointed out, I prefer the look of the steel wheels, but the alloys were for safety reasons as I wasn't sure of the state of the tyres on the car. Seems that plan has gone pear shaped as I've ended up spending more money than I thought I'd have to and I'm still on my original wheels. I may sell the alloys and nuts if anyone wants them, undecided what to do and completely skint so that might be the best option. Got a bit of a leak somewhere which is soaking the underside of the drivers carpet, could do with tracking that down.

[Toledo Man]

Jimmy, it is most likely your windscreen that is leaking. Your best bet is to get a replacement rubber. Even a decent secondhand rubber will be an improvment. I know you're peppermint at the moment but I recommend getting a brand new finishing strip from Bill Davies at Rarebits4classics. He sells it for £2 a metre (you'll need 3.5 metres). I think he might even have the correct profile rubber but I don't know how good it is because I used the windscreen rubber from my Toledo which I knew was leak free. I'm sure Bill can advise you about the rubber. He's quite knowledgable even though he's one of the Herald gurus. When you get the windscreen out make sure you get rid of any sealant otherwise you might have problems when you refit the windscreen. As always, my help, repair facilities and advice is always available. I hope your finances improve soon. I find myself in a similar situation.

[xsquared_uk]

Cheers Dave, sounds like a good plan and one to add to the list! I managed to get the car insured by negotiating monthly payments so I can still get about until the petrol runs out. Hope things improve for you soon too!