Commission Number

[Jonpw]

Hi,

Random question, under my bonnet, the metal plate says Comm No.: WF929. does this mean that my car was the 929th built? if not, can someone explain please?

Thanks,

Jon

[sprint95m]

The Dolomite WF series did indeed start with number 1, so Jon, your car was the 929th completed.




Ian.

[Steve Willis]

That's interesting mine is WF1199. I don't know how many they produced a week but they must have been quite close.

Does anyone know what the lowest number that is still out there, I read on the forum that someone had uncovered one that was registered 3rd Jan '72, but I guess that registration date may not necessarily correspond with the WF number. Mine is 14th Jan '72.

[Jonpw]

Mine is the 3rd Jan 1972, which would mean a build date of late '71 sometime!

[Steve Willis]

It must have been your car I read about, do you know what the "WF" number is ?

[Jon Tilson]

I saw an emerald one at the Ace 2 years ago, newly recommsioned by somebody who was a computer-phobe.
IIRC it was below 500. It had a lot of very interesting early features...
Very nice it was too...

Is yours the one that was restored by Triple Custard and owned by Jeffers until recently?

Jonners

[Jonpw]

Jon,

Thats the one, i bought it in July.

I have no idea what the WF stands for, I'm sure someone on here must have an idea?

When you say early feathures what do you mean, as I believe mine has some of these and it would be interesting to know what is considered "early". i.e. stuff that wasn't in the later ones?

[Toledo Man]

WF just indicates that it is a Dolomite (with the 1850 engine).

Early cars had the single number plate light, the same style instruments as the Toledo & 2.5PI, a rocker switch for the hazard lights. a rheostat for adjusting the brightness of the dashboard illumination, a 3 piece exhaust with the tailpipe on the nearside, manual gearboxes were the 3 rail type, the front seats didn't have head restraints, the grab handles were a loop of leather/vinyl which pivoted at one end and were spring loaded, the sun visors were white on both sides, the steel wheels had metal trims, some cars had the radio aerial on the offside rear wing, some the electrical multiplug connectors were a grey mixed male/female connectors. This all I can think of off the top of my head from my experiences with Brown and my 1500fwds (which shared a lot of parts with the early Dolomite).

[Jonpw]

Well, mine has all of that, apart from the aerial is on the roof, although i think this was an addition/change by a previous owner, for some reason.

It also has a round courtesy light in the middle of the headlining. I think I have read that these were original somewhere.

[Toledo Man]

Jon, I forgot about the interior light. I also forgot about the Stromberg carburettors, the brake light dimmer and the badges.

[Jonpw]

I have Strombergs and a brake light dimmer.

What is different about the badges, i have "triumph" and "dolomite" on the front and back, and little blue Leyland badges on the front wings?

[Toledo Man]

The later cars had different badges. The front panel and BL wing badges were deleted sometime in 1976. Most of the changes to the Dolomite took place when entire Dolomite range was rationalised in 1976.

The carbs were changed to SU HS4s in 1973
The instruments changed at about the same time.
The interior light changed between 1972-1974 (my guess is based on the fact that early 1850s have the centre light and my 1974 Toledo had the later B-post mounted type)
The exhaust changed in 1975 from the 3 part type with the tailpipe on the nearside to the 4 part type with the tailpipe on the offside.
The wheel trims changed to the black plastic ones about the same time. They were also used on the Dolomite 1500HL.
The single rail gearbox was introduced in 1975 (this guess is based on the fact that the Haynes Toledo manual says the singe rail box was introduced in April 1975 so it is fair to assume that it was introduced on other models at about the same time).
I'm not sure when the head restraints were introduced. The early Dolomite Sprints didn't have them but my 1975 Sprint did so possibly sometime in 1974?

[Jon Tilson]

You should also have a moulded rubber boot mat, centre roof light. You may have an an early alternator with 2 connectors and not one. Mine was changed to the later ACR type though and quite a few were as the early type failed and got replaced.

The roof light moved sideways at around 7500 or so. Early bergs had that temp compensator abortion on the side. Again this would have gone by about 10000.

You may even have a slightly different prop shaft.

It all went down hill with the instrument change and things got a lot worse when the hub caps changed to plastic....

Well apart from the change to SU's whcih was a massive improvement.

Jonners

[sprint95m]

From the July 1974 parts book.....

Roof light was fitted to roof panel (in the centre) to approximate commission No. WF10736
(before it was moved to the LH cantrail.

Strombergs,
the early type (CD150SEV) with the temperature compensator was used to ENGINE No. WF12615
these were replaced by CD150 (with the compensators) from WF12616 to WF32244.
Please note that these refer to the engine numbers and commission/engine numbers can be quite far apart.
40% of all 1850 engines came with Strombergs and, since they were only available for the first two years, this illustrates
how sales tailed off after a positive start and the subsequent arrival of the Sprint.


Not only did early Dolomites have different instruments, they had a different wiring loom using grey rubber plugs/sockets.


The early ones are the best.




Ian.

[Toledo Man]

Another thing I forgot:

The early cars had different indicator/sidelight units with a rubber boot at the back to protect them. Later ones had a chrome painted border with an amber insert for the indicators and they rusted away because the rubber boot was deleted (presumably to save money).