The Triumph Dolomite Club - Discussion Forum

Ok, so as we all know my greaan 1300 is coming apart (boo, hiss!) and I feel I will have a number of questions to ask whilst dismantelling it.

I must say it has been really good fun doing it and a mahoosive learning curve already. Worst thing which has happened so far is when I decided to ignore the Haynes manual when it talk me taking the boot lid and bonnet of was a two man job..

Well, the bonnet came of fine, but the boot lid ? I opened the boot and unscrewed one bolt from each hinge and though to myself 'If I take of all 4 and don't catch this, it's going to fall through the glass' and so in my wisdom (lack of) decided to do it from inside the car.

I had already taken out the devided between the back seats and boot and so just stretched (uncomfortably) through the cross thing which is there, Bolt three of, no problem. Do avoid it falling through the window still I had 'closed' the boot (let it shutish under its own weight aware it wasn't funnly closed).. so off comes the 4th bold and off goes my boot lid about 2 feet out of my garage..

Phil didn't know the hindges would open up and catapult his poor boot lid away from hi. Oh well, lesson learnt.

Anywho, the reason I am here is because I went down to take my back bumpers off tonight but when I got past the initial unscreweing the bolts just started to spin ! I tried to wedge something next to it so it couldn't, but alas - it failed.

Any ideas ?

Thanks,

Phil

Not taken one off yet myself chap but can you grip onto whatever is spinning on the outside of the car, maybe just use locking pliers or something?

You mean the bolt on the side? Yep, standard fitment; you need a metrinch spanner or something similar; the (no longer) captive nut inside the side iron is square, so an ordinary A/F spanner won't grip the sides as in order to have jaws wide enough to do so the head is too big for the gap!

Grind the head in the boot off and separate the blade from the corner; you can then remove the corner with remnant of bolt in situ and remove at leisure on the bench. (tank out first)

As for the boot, one of the manuals I read (I have the factory one too; it's well worth buying) said to detach the spring from the car first. I got mine off without too much hassle.

Yeah, that would have been a better idea.. i'll remember for next time

Ok, now if I was to have 'lost' or 'droped' the window whilst trying to remove a door.. is there anyway of getting it back and preferably working ?

Phil

If the glass has come off the runner then take the door trim off. Then have a poke about inside the door shell. It's quite fiddly to get the glass back up if it's dropped all the way down.

Getting the door trim off is the first hurdle, the window winder is the tricky bit. You have to push the door card into the door and look on the shaft of the winder for the small pin to push out.

Hope you're practising on the Green one

I dried to get the handle off with a friend tonight and will made a mahoosive error. We prized (if that is the word) a peice of metal through a whole/slit which we shouldn't have..

I don't thin, unless the door can be split in half, i'll be able to get the metal back through the hole.
I got the door trim off but not the window winder which I'm not happy about.

I think I have found the pin but it really is small.. like.. a pin I guees Any suggestions for what what I can use to get that out ?
Yup.

Phil

a small alan key will get the pin out

just find something small to use as a drift to hit it with. I used one of those miniature screwdrivers you find in christmas crackers.

How?????????????????

Well the reason I wasn't happy about it was because I lost my temper..

I'm sorry to say there is one less door trim in the world..

Phil

Phil, when you say door trim, it normally relates to the entire soft panel INSIDE the car, not the weather strips that wipe the glass as it goes up and down. Therefore I would say it's virtually impossible to get the door trim off without taking the winder and grab handle off first

It may be my misunderstanding rather than yours though.

The correct term is known as the 'Door Card' from what I was told. To take the door card off, you need to undo the two large philips screws from under the grab handle then drift out the pin from the window winder. Once you have done this, put your fingers at the bottom of the door and pull the door card away at the bottom, it will pop out bit by bit until you get to the top. If you have the wooden cappings on the door then be carefull as they can break easily.

You don't split the doors in half chap under normal circumstances anyway.

I know where you're coming from, it is quite fiddly to do. You need to get your hands inside the door however is best suited to what you are doing. I must have spent about 2 hours in the dark and rain trying to get the glass back into my door after some wally smashed it (before I bought it). Even after all that I think the glass is scratched and may need replacing if it cant be polished out.

Best to throw your toys out of the pram on the green one and save your better moods for the carmine one

Yeah, I was in a bad mood at the time..
Yeah I managed to pop out all the bits round the edge it was just the door handle. I have another three to 'try' on so hopefully I'll get there in the end.

I know my questions are a little all over the place, but I;m hoping eventually yo put an overdrive gearbox into my 1850. Looking about Stoneleight some overdrive gear boxes were labled, so like '1850' or 'Sprint'. So long as it is the 'J-Type' box (that us right ya ?) does it matter if it is 1850/Sprint/Purple Elephant.. obviously not that last one..

Phil

Dolomite boxes are NOT easilly intercchangeable.
The 1300/1500 has a cast iron bell housing, slave on the passebger side.
Innards are similar but ratios are different. Overdrive unit is the same I believe, but I did have one slip on me when I moved it from a Spit box to an 1850 once.
The 1850 has an alloy bell housing and slave at the top right.
Sprint boxes are totally different and have bell housing and box casing in one casting. Needs adapter plate to suit slant 4 blocks as was originally designed for T2000 and TR6.

Jonners

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Note from Admin: sadly Jon passed away in February 2018 but his humour and wealth of knowledge will be fondly remembered by all. RIP Jonners.

So you mean 1500 -> 1850 or 1850 -> Sprint ?

An 1850 OD Box would fit ino, uh.. the 'space' of a non OD 1850 box ?

Phil