The Triumph Dolomite Club - Discussion Forum

Is this project completed yet? If so, don't forget the poor editor of Dolly Mixture is always needing copy.

Thanks.

Appreciate your need for magazine, when is the latest date for submission of article?
Car not finished yet but targeting Motorfest 50th birthday, but can write an update article for you?
Thanks
Pete

I've just checked the mag and May 15th is the deadline for the next issue.

Get writing!

Spent last few days getting engine ready and I think I assembled it correctly with no bits left over - a good sign!
Finished spraying doors, boot and bonnet and they look good, just need a good buff up after leaving to harden for a time.
Gave garage a good clean up - doesn't spraying make a mess!!!!!
Wheels had been refurbished and had new tyres fitted and they made a remarkable difference. Only hand painted but with hub caps on there is little to see anyway.
Pushed body into garage and hoisted up high into roof leaving room for front sub-frame to be slid in on my patented wooden 'A' frame. Bought transmission down from top of garden where they were refurbished in my shed to the garage, about 40 yards and mounted onto sub-frame - God it was heavy even for two of us! Had to make a heavy plate to attach to rear of sub-fame to extend its length by about 75mm to mount the 1500fwd transmission mounting. It did not have a proper mounting in first place, just a bodge (see earlier) so fitted proper mounting and found that 1500fwd sub-frames must be longer than my 1300fwd, so extension plates made and all's well.
Carried assembled engine down from shed - just as bloody heavy, and fitted to transmission. Two problems, opened bottom gasket set (bought at auto-jumble about 12 months ago) only to find no gasket for joint between engine and transmission so had no choice but to use instant gasket and keep every thing crossed. The other problem was the two front screws that go into the front sealing block, a cast alloy 'bridge' that spans the open gap in casting face where end main bearing was machined out. The previous mechanic must have either used too long bolts and/or over tightened them so threads had been stripped. Too late to do anything so will press ahead and get engine running to check for leaks.
Connected new doughnuts and drive-shafts up and pushed the 'A' frame under the car and set about lowering the body onto the front sub-frame. This is awkward as my home-made hoist works by putting spanner on ratchet disconnecting cog-stopper and allowing the spool to unwind using the spanner to prevent it coming down at a fast rate of knots before engaging cog-stopper. Sadly, only enough room for half a turn at a time. (not the best invention, but good enough for once in a blue moon). Anyway to get to it with body in the air was to stand on a garden stool and reach across front to access with spanner. Slowly and surely the body was lowered and my friend took blocks away from under the car one by one, these were just in case of disaster until the rope went slack and I said to my friend that the body was on the sub-frame, he said it was not and that something else was stopping it. I tried to move my foot on the stool, but could not! I had lowered the body onto my foot distorting the front valance (which I had spent hours straightening out!) - surely that must hurt said my friend, but no as I was wearing shoes with steel toe-caps!!! He really helped the situation by taking a photo before allowing me the raise the body off my foot and starting again. All was well when I got my foot out of the way and body nestled nicely on sub-frame. Managed to nearly push out indent where my steel toe-cap had been and should be alright as number plate will hide it! Next step is to finish engine and get it started before anything else, just in case of oil leaks due to no gasket and stripped threads.

The vinyl paint fix for the headlining has served me well since doing it in 1981 for the first time.

Thanks for the link by the way.

It is all looking bloody brilliant

Looking good, 2 weeks to the deadline

Been so busy getting the car ready for Coventry that no photo's. Status is that engine is in and works! Managed to drive it up and down our quiet road which is a dead end, not very long but just enough to go through the gears which seem a bit 'notchy' but should settle in. Engine will need a tune-up but expected that, mind you it was very strange as there were no doors, bonnet or boot lid on the car and I was siting on the floor driving.................
So by the end of today managed to fit doors, glass, locks etc and fit does not seem as good as we had it before taking it apart for spraying, oh well go with what we have got for the MOT on Wednesday. Boot lid's on and shuts, but need to do something with rubber which I looked at for the first time since stripping it 18 months ago. Looks awful and seems to have been stuck on in the past, need new one - is there one that clips onto up-stand around inner boot edge rather that sticking one on?
Had loads of problems with exhaust bought through the club. It seems that the first section is wrong and I have had to spend 2 days heating and bending the pipe to get it somewhere near. I have taken several photos forwarded to the club who have sent them onto the manufacturer, we will wait and see if they will do anything about the poor quality and it was very, very expensive. I hope the work I have done on it and some Gum Gum will get it through the MOT.
2 days of hard work to go!

Done loads of little things which has taken two 14 hour days to complete, its easier to take a car apart than it is to put it back again properly. Front and rear seat belts are in properly, had to make up something a bit special for centre floor mounting for front belts, took time but I think it will be well strong enough for MOT. Back and front seats in. The drivers seat has got a sheet of plywood supporting the base as the rubber base is missing, seems a little firm but should be OK for short journeys. Finally got all lights to work after a hell of a game, mainly due to earthing problems and I put one of the leads on the wrong position of the lighting switch. tried to keep it together during restoration but this one must have come off and I put it back in the wrong place - cost me hours!
Putting steering wheel back on took time as silly as it seems as getting the horn to work - nightmare!
Could not find bonnet release cable, so piece of wire will suffice for now until I can find it or get a new one.
The push washer pump does not work so rigged up electric one. Lots of little jobs which take the time.
Drove the complete car up and down the road and seems good, not happy with brakes which need bedding in and maybe bleeding again. Clutch release bearing is squealing a bit, but is brand new so do not know what to do, will see how it goes - wish I had kept the old one now!
MOT at 11.00am tomorrow, Wednesday 27th.........................watch this space!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Put new blades into wipers while watching tell tonight so they can be fitted in the morning.

Did it pass?

50p says it did.

Sorry bed is null and void as it did not get to MOT station so was not tested. First time on the road on the way to MOT so I took long way round and called in an got some petrol and then carried on to station but it started to jolt and stall and picked up again several times up this hill until it died. Thought it was petrol as I had problems with initial start up with priming the pump and had to pressurise the tank to force petrol through. Walked back home and put some tools into MGB GT and drove to 1300 where checking the petrol found no problems at all, so must be electrical....did not have those sort of tools, so drove back home and loaded MG with every sort of tools I thought I would need! Got back to 1300 and put spark plug lights on and found no spark, took dizzy cap off and checked LT system and that ok and noticed dizzy in my hand that the carbon centre bush did not seem very long. It had jammed back and not making contact with rotor arm. Pull it back and forth stretching the spring and it started straight away! I think it would have passed its test but car did not feel right and took long way home where the gauge showed it was badly overheating by the time I got there. Also the clutch was making a very strange 'tinny' and 'rattling' noise. So even if I rebooked the MOT I would not have had the confidence to take it to Coventry, something I was very disappointed about. The clutch noise could be to do with the 1500fwd gearbox which I found out about during overhauling and that I fitted a 1300fwd clutch plate purchase before I knew, so have ordered a 1500 one to see if that works. The overheating probably due to an airlock, on top of the head there is a square headed bolt at the rear manifold corner end which I could not undo and I assume this is to release any air? I will have to drill and tap a hole in the middle of it and fit a bleed screw.
Although aiming to attend show the car would not have been finished, the jobs needed are new hardboard on the door cards, new carpet and felt, door edge trim, parcel shelf, boot lining and cutting in and polishing the outer paintwork followed by refitting chrome-work. Have decided to take a break and concentrate on garden as not done anything yet and do the car in-between times.
Will keep adding updates as and when I complete things.
Thanks for all you interest and look forward to seeing some of you at Coventry when I visit.

Sorry to hear that, we all know how hard and diligently you've worked to try and make the show. At least look on the bright side, when it finally gets to your show of choice it will be finished. Please keep the updates coming.

The plug could be on an oilway.
Be careful.

Jonners

Not all heads have that plug at the back and some do have a bleed valve there, a tc engine i have does. The 1300 radiator can be a little marginal so worth checking that too.

The correct clutch plate would depend on which flywheel you have not which gearbox you have, the 1500 clutch plate is 7.25" dia with the 1300 one being 6.5" dia but the easy way to spot a 1500 flywheel is that the driven plate sits in a recess in the flywheel.

Sorry to hear but you will get it sorted.

Excellent carpets from Coverdale by the way.