Bradman's restoration thread - 1974 Dolomite THU232M

[sprint95m]

Old vs new (note the length difference. This didn't seem to matter to my Dolly, luckily):

They pressed joints are rubbish at best.
They are unsuitable because they have not only the wrong size of spline
but have oval holes, clearly unsuitable for a circular shaft.

T2000 forged UJs are a practical alternative to the OE joints.


Ian.

[Bradman]

Old vs new (note the length difference. This didn't seem to matter to my Dolly, luckily):

They pressed joints are rubbish at best.
They are unsuitable because they have not only the wrong size of spline
but have oval holes, clearly unsuitable for a circular shaft.

T2000 forged UJs are a practical alternative to the OE joints.


Ian.

Thanks for the warning Ian... I did check the fit during and after installation, and it seemed OK with good alignment when tightened up, but as it’s not a difficult task I’ll look out for T2000 UJ and try that!

[Carledo]

Like Ian, wherever possible, I use the forged T2000 coupling, which is not only stronger, longer lasting and a better fit, it's also more nearly the same length as the original. As is normal with Dolomites some cars accept the joint easier than others (i've previously had to shorten the intermediate shaft by more than half an inch to accomodate a pressed joint - customers choice, not mine)

You can get the forged joint from Chris Witor who is one of the foremost suppliers of T2000 parts.

Steve

[Bradman]

You can get the forged joint from Chris Witor who is one of the foremost suppliers of T2000 parts.

Cheers Steve - do you mean this one:

https://www.chriswitor.com/proddetail.php?prod=145377RM

I wish I’d asked you guys first, could have saved £30 - a lesson learned...

[Carledo]

You can get the forged joint from Chris Witor who is one of the foremost suppliers of T2000 parts.

Cheers Steve - do you mean this one:

https://www.chriswitor.com/proddetail.php?prod=145377RM

I wish I’d asked you guys first, could have saved £30 - a lesson learned...

That's the one!

Steve

[Karlos]

Also note that the original is a coupling, NOT a universal joint. You don't actually need another UJ in the steering, you can get new Superflex poly bushes and new wire locking bolts to refurb the old one.

[AlanH]

Also note that the original is a coupling, NOT a universal joint.

I was going to mention that. Matt explained it on a thread somwhere.

[sprint95m]

Also note that the original is a coupling, NOT a universal joint. You don't actually need another UJ in the steering, you can get new Superflex poly bushes and new wire locking bolts to refurb the old one.

That is true but only of the original couplings.
These can be identified by sliding them along the intermediate steering shaft,
only they will slide along whereas the pattern couplings will go no further than the central disc.




Ian.

[TrustNo1]

And another tip............ you don't need to remove the steering column, you loosen the adjuster and slide the lower section of the column up into the car.

[shaunroche]

I've commented on this before, but both PaulB and I couldn't get the new forged coupling to tighten up sufficiently at the steering column end before the bolt would shear, consequently there was play in the steering as the coupling wobbled about (before shear).

The play was only eliminated when I fitted the black one, which allows adequate clamp force to be applied.
I concede I might have received a diff forging but it would not tighten up no matter how we approached it.

Mind you, I do have solid rack mounts fitted which does take any movement out of the rack and probably highlights any other deficiencies in the system.

[sprint95m]

I had never considered fitting a UJ to the column shaft but thinking about it I can see no reason not to,
given that is the way T2000s were kitted out.
If it were to fail, I would have expected the bolt/nut to strip threads rather than shear?


There are so many people using these forged UJs that it must be a one-off,
otherwise others would surely have found this?
T2000s use the same specification splined shafts.




Ian.

[Bradman]

I had never considered fitting a UJ to the column shaft but thinking about it I can see no reason not to,
given that is the way T2000s were kitted out.
If it were to fail, I would have expected the bolt/nut to strip threads rather than shear?


There are so many people using these forged UJs that it must be a one-off,
otherwise others would surely have found this?
T2000s use the same specification splined shafts.




Ian.

I got lucky with my pressed UJ I feel, as the splines line up well at both ends (although I did need more torque on the screw/nut than I was happy with to wrap the splined section around the shaft, especially rack side). I'll be replacing it with the forged type before too long... but to comment on UJ vs original: Apart form the weird 50p feel when everything is warmed up, the steering is very direct, and play at the steering wheel is non existent. My original had a good 25 to 40mm of play at the steering wheel, and wandered badly when driven. When I say "original", it was the aftermarket type that a new polybush would not work with. On the 50p feel:, I have play in the TRE, my rubber mounts in general are rubbish (not just rack to crossmember), and my brake discs are warped slightly (I know this from the feel when gently braking), and perhaps are engaging now and then when everything is warm. I'll be fixing all that one at a time, and will feed back with which change makes the most difference...

[Bradman]

This week I have mostly been fixing my voltage stabiliser...

My gauges were all reading high, with temperature sitting at the 3/4 mark when normal and my fuel warning lamp coming on when the gauge said I had between 1/4 and 1/2 a tank...

Using my trusty multimeter I took some readings: Initially I was getting around 11.5V (should be 10V!), then suddenly 0.5V! It seems that the meagre current draw from my meter was enough to pop the VS

So, I ordered up a set of 5x "ON Semiconductor KA7810ETU Positive Voltage Regulator, 1A, 10 V, ±4% 3-Pin, TO-220" from RS components for the princely sum of £3 delivered, and stripped down my VS. I did this as I wanted a stock look under the bonnet, yet as an ex. student of Lucas Rists I knew I could update the original 18th century design . What I found was not the usual "element and bimetal" guts, but a modern circuitboard covered in a cheap IC, resistor and capacitor. Never mind, I removed all these, used the old pin outs for the new KA7810ETU, put it all back together and... I now have a working VS with a constant 9.8V, and my gauges are all reading what I would have expected.

The old VS with the metal can edges opened up ready for extraction:


The circuitboard underneath. The two large solder pads and the outer ground track would be used later:


The KA7810ETU. This is a much larger, more robust version of the ICs I removed. I did not bother with the filter circuit (that's what the capacitor and resistor were for in the old circuit) as they are not really needed on old analogue gauges with the reaction speed of a sloth :


As this worked first time without breaking any of my new KA7810ETUs, I now have 4x spare. So... I'll be donating these to Alun when I see him in August. And if he has 4x old and dead VS units I'll refurbish them using these spares for forum members, for free barring the postage. As I can't yet repay the good advice I get from you guys yet, this is one way I can give something back .

[tony g]

Nice one Bradman. I have made the same setup one one of my spares. Not used it yet but I also didnt use capacitors so Im glad you confirmed it is;nt needed on our gauges

Cheers

Tony

[Bradman]

Oh dear! Damp carpets this week - both front foot wells! I knew it wasn't the window seal as I'd already fixed that when I worked on the dash and surround, so I spent a few minutes with a watering can and found the culprit. The water gutters between the panel that meets the inner wings and bulkhead have corroded on both sides. Also, close by there is a perished rubber grommet in the passenger side bulkhead that the loom passes though, and it's sealing days are long over. I didn't see any of this before as someone had cunningly disguised the rot with silicon and paint! Errm... without removing the rot first - so the joint is porous and even looked / felt dry from the engine bay... The whole area is a poor design so I assume I'm in good company here. It's almost as poor as the horizontal rain trap (I mean "inner wing reinforcement") Ford placed above the wheels on MK1 Escorts, and with the loom grommet located right on the one track rot seems unavoidable without extreme vigilance. Guess what I'll be doing when I take the engine out next year...? The fix for now? I've bought a better car cover, taken the carpets out, and have started to empty the garage to make room...

Rather than post depressing pictures of freshly discovered rust, I decided to cheer myself and play with Photoshop. I'm considering taking the car back to original Honeysuckle when the time comes, but I do really like yellow and may stick with that...

Current:


Honeysuckle?:


Now I like both! Arrgh! I'm resisting the urge to buy another Dolomite so that I can have both

And now, a gratuitous shot of Honey on holiday. It took the hills in the Peaks better than Mrs B's Mini One I have to say. Towing the caravan was a stretch too far though - I needed to get my Touran involved for that! And sorry about the offensive "70's Indian takeaway" inspired parcel shelf cover - it's there to cover the metalwork from the AWOL parcel shelf and to stop my currently perfect rear seat from dissolving in the sun