The Triumph Dolomite Club - Discussion Forum

Sorry, it'll never look better than a Stratos - especially from the rear. It's a very pretty cars, the '7 isn't.......

The X19, well, I'll let you have that one I think Both look butt ugly from some angles.



Yum!

Yes, a '7 is a bit wallowly and soft when standard - best fit stiffer springs and uprated dampers. This tightens them up nicely, provided the tyres and rubbers are in good order.

I think that car of yours Adam is a bit rare.

It is a Speke built car (no laurel leaf on the front panel and a black rear panel), not many (hardly any) of these cars still exist.

To have the 5 speed box and the LR derived rear axle makes it odd too, I'm no expert on the 7 but I'm sure both these came much later in production - 1979 (ish).

Not sure. The 5 speeder was offered alongside the slushbox from '76 onwards as far as I know

So being a Speke one it's one of the ones thrown together by really disgruntled people? IIRC the Canley cars were the ones that were screwed together properly weren't they?

This one seems to have the bonnet bulge that Canley put in in preparation for the V8s though? Bit mixed up on that one.

Looks to have been resprayed at various points though, so who knows! Cars like this very rarely have a clear-cut history.

I stand to be corrected on my historical factoids mind, TR7s are something I've never really read into that much

Lewis wrote: So being a Speke one it's one of the ones thrown together by really disgruntled people? IIRC the Canley cars were the ones that were screwed together properly weren't they?

Yes they began production at Speke with 2 purpose built factories for the Toledo. Production was switched to take the TR7 on board and this when I think the workforce got too big for their boots as they realised how much was riding on the TR7 project (we must remember that something like 75% of All S T output was sent across the pond to the States at this time).

The TR7 was designed purely with the American market in mind.

The workforce was one of the most militant that Britsh industry had known. Strikes were abundant at both plants. It first they set back the launch date for the model in the States and later when the UK spec vehicle was launched. It is rumored (though probably fokelore) that production line workers would delibrately scrape paint off from under wheel arches and sills as the cars moved down the line to make them rust quickly to dis satisfy the new owner, thus they would complain to the showrooms, who would then feedback to th factory and then to the management - thus the production line workers who did this thought the were "getting their own back"

A dispute over "work to rule" finally halted production for around 3 months and B L took the decision to close the factory in (I think in early '76) and moved the line to Canley.

So Adam's car would have been one of the last out of the gate at Speke. and probably stood around for a good while whilst the last strike took place.

the 4 was offered alongside the 5 before 79 dont know the exact timing
but it was very early in the production run but most after driving the 5 speed opted for it rather than the 4

That's a standard bonnet, the v8 one had a double bulge.

Its actually a 1977 as I've found out today. On an R reg though.

wedgetastic
Ideal car if you want to improve your welding skills
mine improved no end.

you'll soon find out why so many people give up on restoring them half way through

andy

Perhaps the wedge is to stop the dolomite rolling back off his axle stands on his drive

Damn he wants £200 for the Sprint engine and box out of the TR7 plus it doesn't even have the proper exhaust manifold... So that means he wants £30 for that shell

I'll go pay him a visit