Hi guys,
I posted a while back in the general chat section saying I was on the lookout for a dolly/toledo. As of yesterday evening i now own a 1980 1300 Dolomite, reg KJN784V.
Here are some pics:
As you can probably make out it needs some bodywork, the rear arches are a bit rusty, the wings are very rusty, some bits around the doors need doing. It's had sills before I owned it and underneath looks OK as far as i can tell.
So far looks like it's pretty much all original minus an electronic ignition module, the battery + alternator, and a head unit with some speakers on the rear shelf (not sure i'll be keeping those.)
The engine seems to be in OK shape but misfires a bit under load, my dad's suspicion is that the single SU carb needs a bit of a clean internally as he had a similar issue with his marinas/minis. I think ideally i'll get another 1300 to build up as well just in the case that this one goes pop as the speedo is saying the car is on just over 93000 miles.
Stuff it needs:
- carb refurbing/setting up properly
- wings sorting - i have some fibreglass ones to go on but not sure if i'll use them, would prefer metal.
- rear arches - need welding on both sides
- dents - various dents around the body which i will get sorted, look like they haven't taken paint off so may be as simple as getting someone to pull them out?
- brakes - the pedal goes almost completely to the floor - need to invesigate this ASAP. it has dual circuit(tandem) brakes as it's a later model so may have a leak somewhere, need to have a look. pumping the brake does not do much. the reservoir is pretty much empty however it does seem to stop eventually.
- interior - seats are torn, need replacement. I quite like the tan interior really so might look for another set.
- diff - leaks, whines, sounds like it wants to die
- choke cable - rusty and doesn't return properly.
- clutch release bearing? - something is a bit noisy when disengaging the clutch. not a huge issue and the clutch seems to work fine.
Other plans:
- get rid of rear speakers and get the original ones working
- rev counter clocks? probably not a huge priority
- polish the chrome
- paint rocker cover wrinkle red or body colour
- the steering wheel isn't quite central, not sure if it's off by a few splines or something but tilts to the right. The car has recently had an alignment so I'm not sure whats going on with it but probably just need to adjust the wheel.
- touch up general dings and dents OR give the whole car a respray in carmine red
- feu orange air freshener!
Anyway, I am hoping to sort the carb out and brakes as soon as i can so i can get it to some shows, the rest can be done over time. Really hoping to get to the Notcutts car show this year as that's what introduced me properly into dolomites!
if anyone has any spares or any clues to the above problems please let me know - I am located in Oxfordshire. cheers!