The Triumph Dolomite Club - Discussion Forum

Thanks for the pointers
I have no reason to doubt the alternator at the moment.....the reason for the new battery was largely because the car came without one The electrical issues are with lights etc and not starting.

Went to order a new slave cylinder from the club... but my luck had failed me and they are out of stock to Ebay it is !

Thanks for all your help,
Dalton.

I have a reconned OE ohv clutch slave or two if you want to PM me.

All honed with 1200 wet and dry in brake fluid and new rubbers.

Jonners

Pm'd

Thanks to Jonners for the clutch slave cylinder, great advice, great price and very helpful!

All nicely bled and a good pedal action now, this seems to have solved all my clutch issues, back wheels are now officially spinning
Driving test week after next....looks like ill be stuck with Micra for a few months before the dolly is on the road nowhere near as cool.
Now comes the issue of what to go for next.....
Is there a logical order as to what to tackle next?
Dalton

The MoT items should be your next priority if you want to get the car road legal. Once the car is back in regular use, other issues will inevitably crop up. Don't skimp on poor quality parts. It is worth paying that bit more for decent quality.

Sweet...
Where did you get a new clutch pipe?
Glad the cylinder was as I claimed it would be.... Should last a good while....none of the ones I have
done in recent years have failed again yet...

Jonners

The clutch pipe actually managed to go back on to the union fitting with very gentle heat persuasion, it then shrunk back to a perfect fit If it fails then i will invest in a new one, but so far it seems very solid. Right, so time to invest in some new parts

Dalton

Wow result...

That's not something I've ever done successfully despite trying with boiling water.

What did you use?

Jonners

A combination of boiling water and the gentle application of heat from a hairdryer, didn't get very pliable, but just enough to force the fitting in, very firm fit when it had cooled, as tight as the original as far as i can tell, although i have to confess i added a jubilee clip for a bit of piece of mind, not sure its doing much but oh well.

After reviewing the exhaust, only the rear sections seem to need to be replaced. Has anyone had any experience with the 'cherry bomb' mufflers, I've heard that they were popular on mgb's but wondered if anyone had tried one on a dolomite?

All is going well at camp TYD

Front right brake calliper off today,
Looks to be in good condition bit off surface corrosion.
Ive been looking at various methods of removing surface rust and will try a few out on various parts over the coming weeks and document my findings. What are your favourite methods? Im planning to try electrolysis- Has anyone had a go?

Discs are covered in muck but look to be in good condition, so with some cleaning they should be as good as new!.

Hopefully will be able to progress quickly in the next few weeks as i really want to get her in for an MOT. I've got a week off soon so a few days shall be spent doing various things.

Will post some pictures soon.
-Dalton

Busy day today, had a friend or two come round to lend a hand.
Started a lot of jobs, didn't finish many !
Gearbox oil refilled and tunnel refitted.

Seat 'adjusters' now move again.

Brake callipers started the dismantling process, pistons seem seized.... is brute force the answer or is there a knack to it?
Radiator fitted properly and ready to be flushed before filling.
New fan belt fitted.
MORE bodywork

The biggest stumbling block today has been the seat belts when bolted on they will not lock at all, but as soon as they are taken off they lock well? Has anyone had any experience with this before.

Also i'm trying to source a new tail pipe+silencer for TYD, I know stainless is eventually the way to go but i am loath to splash the cash at the moment after looking at insurance quotes. Does anyone have a solution?

True to the expectations of ToledoMan the steering bush is gone, as well as the ball joint boots.

Oh and we were treated to drinks and biscuits by the mother


More to follow over the next few days

DaltonBarham wrote:Ive been looking at various methods of removing surface rust and will try a few out on various parts over the coming weeks and document my findings. What are your favourite methods? Im planning to try electrolysis- Has anyone had a go?

Yes, it works. It is a very mucky process and consumes an astonishing volume of the sacrificial plate. I used strips cut from the sheet I use to fabricate bodywork repairs, in 24 hours there was more hole than plate left. Get your wires backwards and even something chunky like a caliper would be scrap overnight. Take your time setting up the plates to give line of sight to as much of the part you are cleaning as possible.

I was particularly interested in the Electrolysis because it was something i had studied in chemistry,
I have tried using citric acid (available from pharmacists etc) which reacts with the rust, effectively dissolving it into the solution (Hot water and the occasional scrub will speed the reaction up). I left in some rusted metal for a few hours, the solution left a black film on the metal (which washed off) but the rust was completely gone I'll probably stick to this method for now methinks

Good to see you doing some more work done even if you didn't finish what you started. The only steering column bulkhead bush I recommend is the Super Flex one. It is literally fit-and-forget. Available from Chris Witor who gives a discount to TDC members (on Super Flex bushes only) and offers an excellent next-day delivery service. Worth every single penny. Electronic ignition is the single best upgrade you can do and the cheapest route is the Britpart kit which is a drect replacement for the points and condenser and works in conjunction with the ballasted coil so there's nothing else that needs changing if it is all working.

Toledo Man wrote:... The only steering column bulkhead bush I recommend is the Super Flex one. It is literally fit-and-forget. Available from Chris Witor who gives a discount to TDC members (on Super Flex bushes only) and offers an excellent next-day delivery service.....

And every time you do this I recommend the club one.
It's the same, but slightly cheaper.