The Triumph Dolomite Club - Discussion Forum

I have a 1973 dolomite 1850 and the door cappings on the front are terrible. I need to take them off rub them down stain and varnish them. Does any know how to actually take the off please ??? and any tips on the refurbishment

jonners did a thread on it a while back, it may be on our old forum....try a search, its too late for me!

Yep I've restored my Sprint ones some years ago and it cost peanuts. I took them off, power sanded them to remove the old lacquer then used a Colron Wood Dye (Medium Oak?) to restore the colour. I applied a small amount of this with an old rag. Then I used lots of thin layers of polyurethane varnish which was a matt finish. You'll need a very good quality natural bristle brush for this. Gently rub down each coat with fine wet and dry. It's not quite original but looks very good.

Top tip though, don't do the sanding in the kitchen you will not be popular and it makes a right mess.

MikeyB wrote:First to remove the door card; push back the plastic ring behind the window wider. You will see a small hole in the back of the window winder a pin holds the winding handle on. Push the pin out with a thin screw driver, handle comes off. Remove the screws at the bottom of the door handle, carfully lever out the clips holding the door card with a flat metal object. Remove the door card.
Front door cappings are retained by 3 posi drive screws below them and "hook" over the door sill.

Does any one have any recomendations on varnishing?

Thank you very much for your detailed explanation. You guys are really helpful , what a great forum, It really is great knowing someone out there knows the answer and is happy to help. I have sent off my application to become a member , I am very impressed with the forum.

SprintMWU773V wrote:Yep I've restored my Sprint ones some years ago and it cost peanuts. I took them off, power sanded them to remove the old lacquer then used a Colron Wood Dye (Medium Oak?) to restore the colour. I applied a small amount of this with an old rag. Then I used lots of thin layers of polyurethane varnish which was a matt finish. You'll need a very good quality natural bristle brush for this. Gently rub down each coat with fine wet and dry. It's not quite original but looks very good.

Top tip though, don't do the sanding in the kitchen you will not be popular and it makes a right mess.

thank you for your advice, it is very helpful and I will try to follow it , I take note of the advice re the kitchen , pity its a nice warm place to work in .......

lancsamb wrote:

MikeyB wrote:First to remove the door card; push back the plastic ring behind the window wider. You will see a small hole in the back of the window winder a pin holds the winding handle on. Push the pin out with a thin screw driver, handle comes off. Remove the screws at the bottom of the door handle, carfully lever out the clips holding the door card with a flat metal object. Remove the door card.
Front door cappings are retained by 3 posi drive screws below them and "hook" over the door sill.

Does any one have any recomendations on varnishing?

Thank you very much for your detailed explanation. You guys are really helpful , what a great forum, It really is great knowing someone out there knows the answer and is happy to help. I have sent off my application to become a member , I am very impressed with the forum.

can you advise are the arm rests attached to the door panel , if not how do you remove them ??

Two large Phillips screws on the underside of the armrest hold it to the door. They are well hidden but at the extreme bottom of the handle on the lower edge.

Stan Part wrote:Two large Phillips screws on the underside of the armrest hold it to the door. They are well hidden but at the extreme bottom of the handle on the lower edge.

brilliant thanks

One thing - putting the window winders back on is an utter nightmare, since you have to drop the pin in. It's much easier to use a piece of wire and then just bend it over and twist it up.

To put the pins in I use a combination of a strong flat screwdriver and a set of lon nosed pliers, works a treat! Still a pig of a job but thankfully one that doesn't get done too often.

By the way if you have the door trim off it's worth checking inside the shell for corrosion, rubbish and allsorts. Clean out as appropriate and get some rust proofer in there making sure the drain holes are clear.

Also reagdring the window winders....remember to put the springs between the door and the door card.

Ive seen a few cars where this was forgotten and the springs (reduced to 1 usually) are under the plastic retainer. this makes fitting the pin FAR more difficult.

With the springs correctly behind the door card iys much easier pushing the black bit back enough to get the pin in place.

Jonners

[quote="Jon Tilson"]Also reagdring the window winders....remember to put the springs between the door and the door card.

Ive seen a few cars where this was forgotten and the springs (reduced to 1 usually) are under the plastic retainer. this makes fitting the pin FAR more difficult.

With the springs correctly behind the door card iys much easier pushing the black bit back enough to get the pin in place.

Jonners[/quote


thank you all for the very valuable advice, will attempt to take the panels off this weekend. I noticed that quiller triumph sell brand new door cappings for £31 each is that a good price ??

£31 each It'll be cheaper to sand down and varnish the existing ones