The Triumph Dolomite Club - Discussion Forum

It has been sugested thati should do a restoration thread by someone who will be named .yes Alan .As someone who doesnt talk about what hes doing it will not be easy and i feel i should have started this before i totaly stripped the car out.
Part 1 History.
I decided what i wanted when i left school as my dad had a white 1500TC but didnt get round to buying one untill i could afford one.I started saving up when i started work in 1973.But it wasnt untill 1979 that i went and orderd my pangent blue 1500HL. I had to wait for the colour and trim combination i wanted to come from leyland My dad traded in his TC at another garage for a demo model a 1500HL in horrible Sandelglow.I wasnt to happy as he hadnt told me what he was doing and the fact he got he new one before me.My aunty also when into my dealer and bought a 1300 from my garage and it arrived again before mine. So triumphs are in the blood.
DBC289T cost me around £3995 .I do have all the origanal reciepts and bills/MOTs from new up to about 1992 when she came off the road but it in a box in the roof.
I loved her and she took me to my fav place wells next the sea ,Norfolk every week end .we and my new Golden retriever pup sheba went to Cornwall ,Devon, wales.The lakes yorkshire.South coast I loved traveling in those care free days .I didnt get to scotland though in Dolly (But i did in the montego.)
The joy of driveing went on for many years untill she reached about 58000miles when she developed the dreaded big end trouble.Now in those days i knew nothing about cars only where to put the fuel in ,It and my dad took the cars to the garage for that .
Weather it was a coincidence are not my da had big end trouble at around 55000mile .Any way i had the engine rebuilt and all seamed ok when ataround 59000 big end rattle so back to the garage not happy.he wouldnt accept hed done something wrong in the rebuild so i got the RAC to do a report on th eengine and it was found that there was some oil contamination and debia in the sump.He had to do the job again foc.After that all was ok
I had one accident in her that needed a new front bummper and the ns wing pulling out and thats all .But later on she needed chassis legs welding and then the drivers foot well then the divers sill.and then that i was persuaded to get a monego est that a friend had sean in Nowich.That was in 1988 .I kept dolly still on the road untill 1992 thinking it wouldnt be long before i got her back to how she was when i bought her.How wrong was i and how quickly time goes by If i hadnt had bought that Bl88dy Montego the repairs would have be done then and she wouldnt have got to the point now when she needs a total rebuild.
Part 2 ASAP

That'll be me then?


Thanks for this David, wow what a history you and this car have had. Can't be many of us who actually stil own the car they are planning to restore from new?

I guess your avatar picture is of one of the car back in the 70's then?

Great stuff, keep 'em coming mate.

Stan Part wrote:..........picture is of one of the car back in the 70's then?....

Those shorts are saying early '80s to me!

JPB wrote:

Stan Part wrote:..........picture is of one of the car back in the 70's then?....

Those shorts are saying early '80s to me!

Yes those legs shorts are from the early 80s.
and if i still had them they would still fit

Thanks Alan
The clue to the date is in the reg DBC 289T
bu it was taken in the early 80s in the summer

I only knew this 'cos I wore similar shorts on the beach back then, this is in members only isn't it?

Great to hear from someone who bought a new Triumph and who still owns it. I look forward to reading about the rebuild.

Part 2.
My objective is to replace the outer panels of which i puchaesed in the 1980s front panel /wings /sills/and possably rear 1/4 panel.Re furbish all componants and paint ready for re-assembly some are done .Iam currently doing this to the susspension bits I need to do as much as i can as the shell is going to cost ££££ and as iam unempolyed now need to save on labour cost where i can but not on quality as this job will need to last .I wont fail her again .So i need to get some panels off so it can go and have the new ones put on.before the bl***y vat goes up !!
When the shell repairs ar done shell be going to spl to have there treatment,then get it resprayed.
The engine should be ok but ive arranged to take it to jod c to check it out.
Anyone got a spot weld remover i could borrow.

UPDATE
Right bought a sykes spot weld removeing kit of ebay ,so next week will start attempting to remove front wings.
I am also neeeding any updates on the bulk head sound deadening matireal.can origanl spec be obtained,and does any one know where i can get the floor pads proofing from.

TLC wrote: If i hadnt had bought that Bl88dy Montego the repairs would have be done then and she wouldnt have got to the point now when she needs a total rebuild.

There's an easy solution to that if the Monty is what it looks like (Countryman TD?)....

Post the monty to me so you don't get distracted by it any more - I won't even charge for the service I'm doing you because I love those things

Spunkymonkey wrote:

TLC wrote: If i hadnt had bought that Bl88dy Montego the repairs would have be done then and she wouldnt have got to the point now when she needs a total rebuild.

There's an easy solution to that if the Monty is what it looks like (Countryman TD?)....

Post the monty to me so you don't get distracted by it any more - I won't even charge for the service I'm doing you because I love those things

[-o< for a long time as iam quite attached to my pieces of tin.

When you go to remove the spot welds on the top of the wing, when you get nearer to the front of the car (where the bonnet stay is) you will find a pool of copper braze. You need to remove this before you can get at the spot welds that are under it.

I used a angle grinder though I had to sacrifice the grinding wheel as it soon became clogged up with copper.

Alan. Why is there a pool of copper

Good question, I wondered that. Are you sure it isn't an area where the car you were drilling had had a brazed repair, Alan? In that case it would be a pool of (largely) brass, possibly that car's wings had been attached that way temporarily, so that they could be fettled without introducing distortion prior to welding.

Just for clarity; brazed areas would show this colour:


Copper is this colour:

Yes brazed. I mentioned it on here years ago (when I was removing them) and others said they had found the same on their cars too.