The Triumph Dolomite Club - Discussion Forum

Look what i have just bought

KLJ895W, track day sprint. £3000 from a nice chap in Bristol.

Superficially it looks ok, but upon test driving it my dad pointed out a very noisy diff. We took the back plate off this morning and there is some very worrying play in the cross piece(i dont know the actual name) which holds the planet wheels in place.

synchro between 3rd and 4th is worn

hand brake adjustment cylinder's seized on both rear drums(meant we had to remove the drum to get it in the garage)

emissions are out on both HC and CO. hoping this is a simple jetting issue!

i would appreciate all of you questions and queries!

Lovely car! I was very interested in, my Dad even went to view it.
As for the HC and CO you should be able to alter it by adjusting the mixture screws. I set mine using a colortuner which works really well.
I would also expect a little more power from that engine considering the spec, so maybe it'd be worth checking the jets anyway.

What did he think?

Yeah? What power would you expect?

Very good, I can't remember him saying anything bad about it. The body seems really good.
I'm not an expert but depending on what exact cam you have I'd expect at least 170, hoping for 180+. It all depends on how well it was put together, how well the ports were matched, how far they were opened, what valve springs were used, whether the cam timing was set precisely, whether the jets were randomly selected or on a rolling road... there's many factors.
http://www.triumphowners.com/uploaded/3 ... sprint.jpg
Anyway, enjoy it, I'm jealous!

Dolly-Nut wrote:Very good, I can't remember him saying anything bad about it. The body seems really good.
I'm not an expert but depending on what exact cam you have I'd expect at least 170, hoping for 180+. It all depends on how well it was put together, how well the ports were matched, how far they were opened, what valve springs were used, whether the cam timing was set precisely, whether the jets were randomly selected or on a rolling road... there's many factors.
http://www.triumphowners.com/uploaded/3 ... sprint.jpg
Anyway, enjoy it, I'm jealous!

these are all things that we will get round to looking at eventually i think. just want it on the road first(the diff is the first problem)

using an awesome looking puller to remove the hubs!

well hello there. i have been very busy with other stuff and as such havent done too much to the car. however, we have found this stuff...

firstly, we uncovered the inevitable rust. the sill has been repaired along its length. who knows how far forward the rust travels underneath the plate.



then, we noticed this. the nearside chassis rail has been replaced completely along its length. this would be ok, had the welding not looked like it had been done by a monkey!



plate on the boot floor....



also, the rear arches have been repaired badly, the wiring is a mess and the front panels are hardly held on as the joins with the chassis have been cut.

suggestions?!

at this point im taking any advice at all! im worried not only by the structural rigidity of the shell itself, but also about how much rust may be lurking underneath the (badly welded in) patches everywhere.

First things first is not to panic. And then just take things slowly one at a time and you'll be ok. Seems like a fair amount of work but you'll be ok

Picking up a shell today but still undecided as to what to do! . My conscience says that i should try and save this one because its (probably) saveable. It really is a bodge of a car however. What I've mentioned here is barely half of everything that is wrong with it. However then I realise that im going to be throwing this around circuits and id rather have a good starting point so I want to be confident in the structural rigidity....

I just don't want the collective thinking that im being a wuss and taking the easy way out :-/

But if you started again with a really good shell and ended up dinging it you'd be really p155, whereas this one wouldn't matter so much.
What else is wrong with it?
Anything can be fixed it just takes time, at least there's not much rust!

Dolly-Nut wrote: at least there's not much rust!

its likely that the whole of the drivers side sill(diaphragm and inner) is iron oxide

and nearside wing

i dont know what to do. starting exploratory work on replacement shell tomorrow.

Update - - - He's bought a new shell.

PollyB wrote:Update - - - He's bought a new shell.

Thanks Mum.......