Hello from a new member with a new toy

[Lancashirelad]

Hi guys n gals.

Some of you will know this car

I am now the proud owner of this:

viewtopic.php?f=9&t=17451

You can read the blog (with pics) of my long distance collection here:

http://www.trucknetuk.com/phpBB/viewtop ... =2&t=71332

She's in very fair condition. This is the list of minor jobs when I get time/money to do them:

Carbs need setting up. She was running FAR too rich. I've temporarily weakened it off a lot but still needs a full set up from scratch.

No fast idle on part choke. The set screws that operate on the cams were both finger loose & miles away from the cams.
Now set with minimum gaps, but still no fast idle. <scratches head>
Carbs were allegedly replaced at the time of 190 hour rebuild & new engine in 1998.
I suspect worn cams with the original linkage having been put back at above time.
Anyone else come accross this problem

I've adjusted the Kenlowe. It was coming on at around the 1/4 position on the gauge. i.e. Much too often.
(indeed if the fan were new it would invalidate its warranty).
I'm well aware cooling is an issue that has to be monitored carefully with these cars, but having the fan come on so early will prevent the engine achieving optimum operating temp.
I think I'm still on the cautious side at the 1/2 way mark. KL suggest 3/4.

New air filter (quite dirty, I've removed it for now) & housing gaskets OR a set of K & N's. (£££ )

Seat belts lock up too keenly. Often have to drive & brake lightly to get it to unlock in order to put on.

Passenger head restraint won't stay up & rattles within the seat. Any ideas

Slight damage to dash top (passenger side)

Replace all coolant hoses. (heater hoses very cracked - would not trust on a long journey).
Can't find neoprene ones online?

Small piece of chrome trim missing from bottom nearside of rear window.
(Anybody got one )

Door cappings faded and laquer cracked.

Aerial not mounted correctly. Realign so it rises vertically.

Boot floor hardboard missing.

Add:

Nearside door mirror (anybody got one )
Electronic ignition.
Possible new no. plates. (undecided, present ones thought to be original).

She goes very well indeed & definitely turns heads.

[sprint95m]

Welcome to the forum.


RE: your seatbelts,
I have encountered something similar (not on a Dolomite though) and found the solution was to slightly
reposition the inertia reel mechanism on the inner sill.


Assuming your water temperature gauge is reading properly, the fan should not come in before halfway.
I suspect the 3/4 mark will be correct.
What is wrong with a belt driven fan?


For longevity, silicone hoses are the best option (an expensive option though).
It is quite straightforward to make these up for a Sprint or 1850 using off the shelf components
(please see my article in Dolly Mixture 141).

[dailysprinter]

It was a good car I remember Les in Penzance who had it sold it on ebay to the last seller who only kept it about 2 weeks. The engine is about the quietest Sprint engine i have ever heard, it came from a car hardly used but rotten as it was kept in a pollytunnel.

[Lancashirelad]

Hi Guys, thanks for your input & the welcome Sprint95.

Benny:

I was down the A59 to Walton on the evening of Sat. 25 June to collect a Vax I bought on Ebay for £1.70 !
Wasn't in the Sprint though.

Sprint95M:

Seat belts: I'll look into that idea, thanks - although many belt real mountings have a locating peg to prevent rotation.

Fan: I think you're right at 3/4. Guage is ok AFAIK.
What's wrong with a belt driven fan you ask? They overcool, sap power and viscous couplings are problem prone.
Kenlowe do quite a good job of explaining the benefits here, except ignore the 1st para about 4x4's, its not well written:

http://www.kenlowe.com/fans/consumers/fans03.html

Hoses: Dolly Mixture 141? Where should I be looking for that? I can't find it. Can you be a little more specific or link me to it please?

DailySprinter:

You have an impressive collection of metal there!
Not sure where you're getting your info re the engine?

The car was sold at a classic car auction in Poole, Dorset at the end of October last year. Our member here 73Sprint bought it. (I think that's Les from Penzance?) I'm guessing he hasn't seen this thread yet.
You are correct that Rio678 (Matt) only kept it a very short time.
Turns out he is somewhat of a classic car dealer who has owned and sold a large array of cars over the past 5 years or so.
I didn't know that when I bought it. Why on earth he puts yet another owner on the log book for a matter of weeks I can't imagine.

The engine was purchased new from Rimmer Bros. at the time of the 190 hour rebuild in 1998. I have the receipt.

Colour code is 64, Mimosa. Now thought to be Inca (I need convincing).

[sprint95m]

Hoses: Dolly Mixture 141? Where should I be looking for that?

Dolly Mixture is the Triumph Dolomite Club magazine.

There are four hose internal diameter sizes used on Sprints
1. 32mm for top LH hose and bottom radiator hose
2. 16mm for top RH radiator hose
3. 13mm for the heater hoses
4. 6mm for thermostat housing to brass expansion tank or 8mm if it is a plastic tank.
It is practical to make up hoses using a combination of off "the shelf" components, ie
straight hose, elbows, joiners, etc.



If you intend keeping your Sprint in the longer term, I suggest that TDC membership will be beneficial to you.

[Lancashirelad]

Thanks for the info Ian.

[73sprint]

Yes that was my car and i nearly kept it. I didnt touch the carbs , she was running fine with me but the diff was noisey. She has got a strange prop on it seems to have a kind of doughnut at the diff end and i wonder if this causes the noise due to imbalance or something. It seems that matt didnt do much to the car i would have under sealed it but she was a joy to drive. i am still sorting the carbs on my 73 mimosa at the mo I do have a magnetronic system if anyone is interested and a high torque starter.

[Lancashirelad]

Not had chance to do anything at all at it yet Les.

Definately the choke fast idle isn't working - worn operating cams I'm thinking - and despite having been weakened off a lot she's still running far too rich. (with no air filter in). Did just 98 miles mixed m/way @ 70 & town work yesterday on £25 = 25 mpg
Tail pipe was still sooty black after the m/way run, should be clean and grey.

Log book has never showed up. Matt states he definitely posted but Swansea have no record. Hmmm, wonder who's right?

[JPB]

should be clean and grey

You'll be very unlikely to achieve a grey tailpipe internal surface on modern fuel. I haven't seen that effect since the levels of lead added to fuel were first reduced in the '90s.
So, unless you've added tetra-ethyl lead to the fuel, which was never required in the slants; the tail pipe will be black, though obviously not too wet or thick with soot.

A far more relevant comparison now is the colour of the plug electrodes and their shrouds. A nice "biscuit" shade is somewhere close.

[Lancashirelad]

Couple of updates on this:

In September, after having had the carbs professionally set up and fitting a nearside door mirror I took the car on a 6 day touring holiday to the Lake District and Scotland.

Apart from the first 2 nights in the Lythe Valley, I stayed in B&B's at about £35 a night.
Ate at Morrisons both nights in Fort William. Chicken curry & chips one night, Scampi & chips the other, both £4.29.

Car ran well with no problems. 1st tank of fuel returned a very pleasing 35.6mpg. 2nd fill up 33.8mpg. The second lot of driving included much more cross country, hills, bends, etc. I sit at just over 60 on the m/way and around 50-55 on A roads. 810 miles in all.

The 1st 2 nights were on a package deal at the Damson Dene Hotel, Lythe Valley, Lake District.
3rd night Helensburgh.
4th & 5th. Fort William, from where I went on the Jacobite steam train to Mallaig.
6th Dunoon

On reckoning up on my return, I was somewhat shocked at the overall cost, just shy of £600 and I hadn't gone out for a beer for 4 of the 6 nights. (heck, I must be getting old!)

Hope you enjoy the pics as much as I enjoyed seeing it all for real. Just wish the weather had been better, it rained heavily almost every night and a lot during the day too, apart from the last day running home.

Pics here: http://s350.photobucket.com/albums/q402 ... nd%202011/

[Lancashirelad]

After the holiday I advertised the car for sale (at almost double what I paid for it ).
I was 2 minded whether to sell or not. I thought if I can get my price I will let her go, if not I'll garage her for the winter.
Although in very good overall condition, she did (don't they always?) need quite a few jobs. Alas I have neither the time or money. Given both, no way would I part with the car.

The tax expired at the end of October & I parked her up in my heated garage.
Meanwhile inquiries came in from as far a field as Scotland, Kent, Channel Islands & even Malta. 3 guys flew over from Malta. I wouldn't accept their (pay cash now & drive it away) bid.

In February I accepted a higher offer from a young man. He came with his Dad to look at it & apparently already had a Spitfire. I did offer to deliver by trailer (to the West mids) for reasonable cost but he was insistent on my taxing it for him & on driving it on the February salt covered roads.

A few days later I received a special delivery envelope from FMG support the recovery organisers containing an invoice for £300 for recovery + £20 a day storage.
Apparently the car had been abandoned on the hard shoulder of the southbound M6 in Staffordshire, a stones throw from where he would been leaving the m/way, the same day he collected it. Of course I was very concerned that the car may have broken down (after my trouble free holiday) but why abandon it? No breakdown cover?
I phoned FMG support and explained the situation and passed on the new keeper details.
A week later I called again, concerned that if they had not heard from the new keeper (it was an armed services post room address) that the car might be crushed.
I was able to ascertain that the reason for the abandonment was that it was accident damaged and the occupants had been taken to hospital. They had been in touch with the new owner and his insurers were covering the cost.

I have heard no more. I do hope that the very pleasant young chap & his girl friend are OK and that the car has not been damaged beyond repair.

A somewhat disturbing ending to my very enjoyable ownership.

[JPB]

Can't find the thread right now, but doubtless someone else will. If yours was the yellow one that was pictured upside-down in a dyke a while ago, then I fear she'll not be seeing the road again.

[Steve28]

I too think this is the one that turned over,shame as it looked a really good dolly

[Lancashirelad]

There are pics of the car (as was) in the link at the bottom of the Scottish holiday post above.

The engine was a NOS unit & had done just 15k !

Lets not speculate eh? unless facts are known.

[JPB]

....Lets not speculate eh? unless facts are known.

Well.
Click the image below to see the thread in question:


Would that be the one? I also looked at the thread where it was shown on its wheels with most of its panels bent but as Copart already got rid of it, the images aren't up there now.
Does the date tie in? I see no speculation if so.