Froggy Dolly

[Dolly-Dimple]

Hello dololo, hope you are well? Do you still own your lovely 1850?

Kind Regards

Russell.

[dololo]

Hi all
Since Jeroen sent me a gearbox cover , it is now a pleasure to drive my dolo , approx 1000 miles per year
tomorrow we are going for à 100 miles trip in the north of France
the only problem is that a right front breaks begin to block there is some brake mud on the wheel , i will check today, but the seals and piston are new , so i guess what to do ....

[Dolly-Dimple]

Excellent!!! Glad you are enjoying the car

[Edin Dundee]

Hi all
Since Jeroen sent me a gearbox cover , it is now a pleasure to drive my dolo , approx 1000 miles per year
tomorrow we are going for à 100 miles trip in the north of France
the only problem is that the right front brake begins to lock there is some brake dust on the wheel , i will check today, but the seals and piston are new , so i guess what to do ....

Hi, long time no hear.
Maybe you have a dodgy brake hose to that wheel, or maybe just a removal of the pads and vigorous clean with an old chisel on the slides and some copper grease might do the trick.
I think xvivalve does refurbished calipers at an excellent price, not sure what it would cost to ship to France.

[dololo]

hello,
a long time since i came on the forum ...disappointed to learn for Jon .

I have some issues with front suspensions .
What would you recommend for the rubber bushes , to obtain quality parts , and for front schock absorbers , considering i will maybe upgrade the car to sprint version.

regards

Laurent

[Galileo]

Look no further than Chris Witor's Superflex bushes: https://www.superflex.co.uk/categories.php?cat=157

[Toledo Man]

Chris Witor offers a discount for TDC members on the Superflex bushes.

[dololo]

I am now guessing about buying a donnor car with papers, in order to make a sprint . But the engine is blocked.
Where can i find quality parts to rebuild an engine ?
Is a sprint head as difficult as a 1850 to put off ?

[xvivalve]

I am now guessing about buying a donnor car with papers, in order to make a sprint . But the engine is blocked.
Where can i find quality parts to rebuild an engine ?
Is a sprint head as difficult as a 1850 to put off ?

You need to shop around for quality parts, sometimes they crop up on ebay and other market places, sometimes you need to place 'wanted' adverts.

Sprint heads are usually easier as the studs are protected beneath the rocker cover.

[dololo]

good evening

looks like problems are coming : my expansion bottle stays Under pressure even when the car is cold and the engine shut .
no loss of coolant , no overheat .
A small leak in the zone under the waterpump
Have some ideas ?


Laurent

[tony g]

Take the pipe off the bottle and make sure it is clear. Check the connecting "tube" from the thermostat housing is clear too.

Tony

[Carledo]

You are worried because you have a cooling system that actually HOLDS pressure? This is not a problem, it's a minor miracle and I envy you!

Steve

[dololo]

no, i am worrying because i find the level much higher than i left it before my last tour .
And much higher than the maxi level indicated on the bottle .
i've found the thermostat housing empty when the bottle became full

[sprint95m]

no, i am worrying because i find the level much higher than i left it before my last tour .
And much higher than the maxi level indicated on the bottle .
i've found the thermostat housing empty when the bottle became full

I am afraid to say that you are right to be concerned Laurent.



Dolomites (and some other BL cars) were fitted with a bottle that is called an "expansion tank" but
isn't by definition such a thing (an expansion tank is where coolant will go when the pressure cap is activated).
This is very much the weakest link in the cooling system. The drawback is that, as you have discovered, coolant level in the tank will stay
whilst the coolant is leaking elsewhere.
This is further compounded by the sender's location permitting the sender to be cooled by airflow, thereby fooling it to maintain a
normal reading despite coolant loss. (BL issued a warning about this in the workshop manuals.)

The good news is that it is perfectly practical to update to a header tank system to avoid this problem
(as has been the case since the 70s). (Triumph did so on the TR7).





Obviously Laurent, you will have to repair/replace the water pump.



Ian.

[dololo]

Sorry , can't see your picture
is it a picture of the recommended modification ?

thanks for your help