Dolly wheels

[scoobyh123]

Hi All,
the other night for a bit of bedtime reading i dug through my piles of classic car mags and grabbed anything that was Dolomite related (even if it was a TR7 article but covered an upgrade). One such magazine also had a PIG in it or Parts Interchangability Guide to you and me. As luck would have it, this one was on wheels, including PCDs etc. From what i read, the Dolly is near enough unique in having a 3.75" PCD so only Dolly wheels will fit - is that correct?

What i was hoping to find is that i could find a "Rostyle" type wheel that would fit (pref Vauxhall as they look better than Ford ones) but with that PCD it would seem not? Does anybody know of any that will fit? Looking for something a bit different from the norm while still being in the right period. Many moons ago i had a set of 13" alloys on a Mk1 Cavalier that were the same style as the old Mini Special (?) and i think were called Exacton or something similar. A set of those would also be nice but again, the same thing applies, what other cars could i find to get the right looking sort of wheel?

Any help greatly appreciated,
cheers,
Dave

[tinweevil]

PCD is common to all Triumph small chassis cars, finding the right offset may be more problematic. Use the forum search, the subject has come up once or twice. Or maybe lots and lots more. There's a recent thread in the main forum titled 'the search begins' or similar.

[JPB]

Marinas also used the 3¾" pcd, apart from the heavier versions of the van and pickup, which went with the same PCD as the Stag, MGB, A60, Scimitar etc. at 4½"

I think that sculpted steels from a Marina TC would look good on a Dolomite, just watch for spelks, sharp bits of fine, springy wire and shards of windscreen glass if you're working on a Marina in a scrapyard.

Maestro, Montego and MGF also use the same pitch, but then the size of the studs may need to be changed to fit them.

A Marina TC wheel, seen a few moments ago on Google images:


Or how about a set of these:
(You've more chance of knitting fog.......)

[scoobyh123]

John i think you have some brilliant ideas!! Hadn't even thought about the Marina TC wheels but it's a good (with a capital F) idea!! Seem to recall seeing Marinas with Fiat Mirafiori type Rostyle wheels fitted at some point, reckon they'd look good on a Dolly too!!
As for the second pic, am i right in guessing that was a prototype Marina coupe? It also has overtones of Viva HB with the headlamps and indicators but they're quite nice Rostyles. Also like the single lens indicator and have already been thinking about doing something similar to my Dolly when i get it!! Obviously i'd have to move the side light to the outer headlamp but that will be easy enough to do as i'm planning a halogen conversion using new light units (a complete set of lights on ebay comes in about £60 delivered) and having seen the wiring diagram for the Dolly (got a Haynes manual via ebay yesterday), i think i'll be redesigning/rewiring my Dolly, for reliability if nothing else!! Couldn't believe it only has 2 fuses in the complete electrical system!! Utterly ridiculous!!

Cheers,
Dave

[Mondeo Owner]

Thanks for asking the question, I've been wondering too. Not seen much on Ebay though lots of people seem to have different wheels fitted to their dollys.

[Mat.T]

some more wheel options here:

http://www.triumphspitfire.com/wheels.html

http://www.sportssix.info/wheels.php

[JPB]

I also like TR7 steels, but as they're hub centric, presumably they're dependant upon the diameter of the TR7 hub to locate them. Hmm, could suitable sleeve nuts be used instead?

[1300dolly]

If marina wheels fit so would Humber Sceptre wheels, no or yes?
I have a set the same as in the b/w piccy (i think) on a Humber at the moment which is heading for the grinder.
I will test fit and take some pics tomorrow.

[JPB]

Humber Sceptre? 'fraid not, those have the same PCD as a Ford of the period, 4.3"/108mm.

[scoobyh123]

Like the look of the first one John, not sure on the colour though!! Looks very similar to the Fiat Mirafiori wheel i was thinking of actually!! Second one is a definite yes, the good old marina TC wheel. Not wildly enthusiastic on the 3rd one but reckon it would look good in body colour with a chrome trim ring round the edge and chrome wheel nut covers.
As for the 4th one - where on earth did you dig that up from? It has as much rust per square inch as my last Skyline (Rust In Peace) and i honestly don't think it would look good on a Dolly, even if it didn't have terminal tinworm!!
So i reckon i now have another piece of my automotive jigsaw puzzle, got some serious plans coming together now!! Think i'll have to sit down and make a note of them so that when i do get my Dolly, i'll have a "master-plan" to work to!!
1300dolly - got a feeling the Humber PCD is the same as Fords of a similar time (4 1/4"?) so won't fit the Dolly. It would definitely be worth saving them from the scrap man though!!
I'd like to say thanks to everyone that has contributed to this thread and let's keep it going!! We may just find different wheels that we didn't know existed!!

Cheers,
Dave

[mbellinger]

The first (cream coloured) wheel in John's pics is the lightweight alloy type as fitted to the Le Mans Spitfires amongst other things. They are as rare as rocking horse poo and appropriately priced.

I know that the guy who (beautifully) prepared the lovely little Lenham bodied Spit that raced at the Goodwood Revival paid nearly £2K for his set secondhand and in need of full refurbishment.

[Howard81]

I have Spitfire wheels on my 1500HL, 4.5J on the front and 5.0J on the back (only because that's what I happened to have). I've always wondered if 5.5J Spitfire wheels would fit, but I suspect they would stick out at the front a bit too much.



I'd love to see a Dolly with Marina TC wheels on! Don't think I've seen that one before. Nice and different.

Or you could always fit Sprint wheels

[JPB]

The first (cream coloured) wheel in John's pics is the lightweight alloy type as fitted to the Le Mans Spitfires amongst other things. They are as rare as rocking horse poo and appropriately priced.

I know that the guy who (beautifully) prepared the lovely little Lenham bodied Spit that raced at the Goodwood Revival paid nearly £2K for his set secondhand and in need of full refurbishment.

Replicas are usually around £150 per wheel. Made in an aluminium alloy instead of the magnesium that was used for the real ones and even available in different colours, they were an option on the NG list at around the time when the MGB was passed over as donor in favour of the Marina.

[scoobyh123]

Reckon the 5.5J Spit wheels would fit your car Howard as the Sprint alloys are 5.5Jx13. I've actually decided on a set of Marina TC wheels for my Dolly as they are 5.5Jx13 which means i can fit 175/70 tyres. Like the idea of your "fat'n'skinnys", you could emphasise it a bit more if you could find some 6J wheels for the back end, but then it might start looking like a post 2003 Smart car (YEEEEEEEEE-UUUUUUUUUUCCCCCCCCCKKKKKKKKK!!!!!!!!!).

Cheers,
Dave

[1300dolly]

Humber Sceptre? 'fraid not, those have the same PCD as a Ford of the period, 4.3"/108mm.

Correct, top marks to that man, they didnt fit, in fact not even close.