Hello from the USA, Sprint owner with a clutch question

[bergxu]

Hi gents,

I’ve had my ‘80 Dolly Sprint for a few years now, imported it from England and have been loving it ever since anyhow, I’ve got a judder when things have warmed up and it feels like the clutch is either worn or oil contaminated. My question is; I’ve got a two post lift in my garage (‘ramp’ in British parlance) and so I’m curious, as I’ve been reading clutch replacement threads on here, if I can just drop the ‘box instead of yanking the engine/box combo. I have a cherry picker as well and also a hydraulic transmission jack.

If I can drop the box on it’s own, am I correct in understanding the rear subframe mount bolts need undone?

Lastly, what about dropping engine and box as a unit with the front subframe? Maybe this is easiest since it’ll be on a lift? I’ve got a new clutch kit on the way from Rimmers so I’m wanting to tackle this job in short order.

Cheers,
Aaron

[xvivalve]

When do you experience the judder?

Don't immediately assume it is the clutch, it could be prop shaft related with a seized UJ or worn centre bearing, it could be the rear gearbox mounting gone soft, or it could be trailing arm/radius rod bushes on the rear axle/body mounts have worn allowing the axle to tramp...

As you have a lift, inspection of these areas should be relatively straight forward, but you'll need a pry bar to test the rear bushes...

But yes, to drop a Sprint 'box from below, you need to drop the rear of the subframe. Beware, there is some weight in a Sprint 'box and removal is often easier than refitting as gravity is against you for the refit when trying to align the splines of the input shaft. Having the lift may mean dropping engine and 'box complete on the subframe is your easiest option...

[cleverusername]

I would do what these people did, a bit of a faf, but I hate trying to wrestle gearboxes back into place in tight spaces.

https://dolomitesprint.weebly.com/sprin ... ne-removal

[bergxu]

Thanks gents, I’ve checked the prop support and it seems to be in fine order although I’d be replacing it when I do the clutch as a matter of course. Good info on the other items to scrutinize so I shall add those to my inspection list as well. The judder happens in clutch take-up but only after the car has been driven a while, hence my suspicions on oil contamination or worn friction surface.

Cheers,
Aaron

[Graham04]

Don't forget the slave cylinder, this can also cause a judder and after all your work may be worth replacing anyway.

[bergxu]

Thanks Graham, how does the slave cause the judder? Just weak hydraulic action? Never heard of that phenomenon, but then again, a Triumph is capable of creating many odd goings on!

[KWM338R]

As a matter of interest Aaron, where in the USA are you?

Regards
Mark

[bergxu]

Mark,

I’m in Cincinnati. I’ve got several other cars which I’ve imported from England as well; a Triumph 2500S Estate, a TVR Griffith 500, Rover P6B 3500 and an MG TC.

Yes, I have more RHD cars than LHD. My neighbors might think I’m a bit mad

Cheers,
Aaron

[Bish]

Hi Aaron

Nice collection of English metal you have there! How do you find running and maintaining them? How is parts supply, I guess there are a few suppliers around?

The Triumph Dolomite club here holds stock of hard to find spares. Access to them is worth the membership fee alone.
A great supplier for your both your Rover & Triumph is http://www.winsintltd.co.uk/ if you haven’t already found it?
Not a click a buy website, but if you email Geoff he will help with decent quality new, nos original, and used parts and advice. Not plugging someone I have connection with, just wondering if you know there are alternatives to Rimmers.

Good luck with the clutch, mine had similar symptoms. New clutch and prop centre bearing seem to have fixed it although I haven’t driven the car fully yet.

Cheers, Bish.

[KWM338R]

Hi Aaron,

I'm in Massachusetts. That's a nice collection you have. I have a Lotus Esprit and Range Rover P38 to keep the Dolly company.

Cheers,
Mark

[bergxu]

Hi Aaron,

I'm in Massachusetts. That's a nice collection you have. I have a Lotus Esprit and Range Rover P38 to keep the Dolly company.

Cheers,
Mark

Hi Aaron

Nice collection of English metal you have there! How do you find running and maintaining them? How is parts supply, I guess there are a few suppliers around?

The Triumph Dolomite club here holds stock of hard to find spares. Access to them is worth the membership fee alone.
A great supplier for your both your Rover & Triumph is http://www.winsintltd.co.uk/ if you haven’t already found it?
Not a click a buy website, but if you email Geoff he will help with decent quality new, nos original, and used parts and advice. Not plugging someone I have connection with, just wondering if you know there are alternatives to Rimmers.

Good luck with the clutch, mine had similar symptoms. New clutch and prop centre bearing seem to have fixed it although I haven’t driven the car fully yet.

Cheers, Bish.

Thanks guys, I've always been pretty big into Triumphs. I've still got my '74 TR6 I bought from its original owner when I was in college; that's a NAS car, so LHD obviously, but I'd wanted a Sprint and a 2500 for a long while so after enough searching and vetting of cars over there, I found two I was happy with. The Rover P6 I bought as a bit of a consolation when I couldn't lock down a P5B Coupe that I was happy with, and the TVR, well, that car is just bonkers, so you know...why not? The TC was also a bucket list car of mine but it took me a long while to find one that had been in long-term ownership and was well documented, plus the colors I preferred.

Bish; spares availability here, at least for the Sprint and 2500, is nil, so I get everything from the UK, pretty much the same for the P6 and the Griff. Funny you're in Maidstone, I bought my TVR from a fellow in Kent. You may have seen it out rumbling around, it's dark blue with dark blue leather and top. L241VLE was the reg.

Thanks for the heads up on the additional parts supply. I've heard that good quality Sprint motor mounts are tough to come by. My Sprint was reg no OAC54W and was in Wales. It's Carmine Red, one of my favorite colors.

Mark; I love Range Rovers, I had a P38A then sold it and got an L322 which I really liked. Haven't got that any longer but those are cracking rigs for the money nowadays. One of my best friends from high school is considered to be THE Lotus Esprit S1 guru in the US. He's had loads of them. I'd considered an Esprit V8 but ended up with an Elise which was a great little car, sorry I sold it as it was a 2006 in proper, non-metallic BRG as opposed to most which were the metallic Lotus Racing Green. That car took me forever to find too

I've heard of maybe 10 or 11 Sprints stateside, (there is actually another one here in Cincinnati) but maybe there are more. As I'm told, my 2500S Estate is the only one in the US and there were less than 100(?) maybe left that weren't SORN in the UK, but I can't confirm that data.

Cheers,
Aaron

[Graham04]

I suffered with a sticky slave cylinder on a Stag. It might have taken a clean up and seals but I chose to replace it with a new one. It cured my problem for not a great deal of money. It had begun to move off like an old British Leyland Marina, notorious for kangaroo starts. Returned to silky smooth.
Graham

[sprint95m]

As I'm told, my 2500S Estate is the only one in the US and there were less than 100(?) maybe left that weren't SORN in the UK, but I can't confirm that data.

Cheers,
Aaron

In its day the 2500S estate was popular but these were only produced for the last two years of production.
Sadly all they late big Triumphs were very very prone to rot.

In the late eighties I broke one up for the differential. It was really rotten in the sills and back wheel arches
and the lack of wheel arches did explain why there was so much tyre noise .

The rarest estate is the mark one 2.5PI. (It was only sold for a few months before the mark 2 version came along).



Ian.

[bergxu]

As I'm told, my 2500S Estate is the only one in the US and there were less than 100(?) maybe left that weren't SORN in the UK, but I can't confirm that data.

Cheers,
Aaron

In its day the 2500S estate was popular but these were only produced for the last two years of production.
Sadly all they late big Triumphs were very very prone to rot.

In the late eighties I broke one up for the differential. It was really rotten in the sills and back wheel arches
and the lack of wheel arches did explain why there was so much tyre noise .

The rarest estate is the mark one 2.5PI. (It was only sold for a few months before the mark 2 version came along).



Ian.

Ian,

Yes, I reckon I got lucky with my car, although I looked for quite a while and vetted several cars before settling on the one that I ended up with which had had a photo documented restoration. The only thing I wish were different about it would be the color as it is Triumph White and I’d much have preferred a blue or green, but I went on condition above all, especially since I was buying the car from so far away.

Cheers,
Aaron