The Triumph Dolomite Club - Discussion Forum

Before I place an order with Rimmer for £71 worth of 16 3/8” Sprint wheel nuts just thought I’d double check with those in the know that this is my best source price wise? I've emailed Quiller to ask if they have any, and I keep thinking that somewhere someone has an coffee tin filled with old wheel nuts in the back of their garage..!

Chris Witor?

Unless he has a secret stash, there's only tapered on the website...

I'd post in the wanted section, look on ebay and try all other usual suppliers
like Fitchetts, Winns, Paddocks etc before I gave "them" 72 quid...

Quillers I wouldn't buy from at all....

Jonners

On Ebay there are hardly any listed, try looking for a person breaking a Sprint, they usually list
with a buy it now price of a £1 or so and if you buy you would only get a wheel nut. In your case
exactly what you want.

Mahesh wrote:On Ebay there are hardly any listed, try looking for a person breaking a Sprint, they usually list
with a buy it now price of a £1 or so and if you buy you would only get a wheel nut. In your case
exactly what you want.

Quality! You're right, they always say you're bidding on a wheel nut!

Jon Tilson wrote:I'd post in the wanted section, look on ebay and try all other usual suppliers
like Fitchetts, Winns, Paddocks etc before I gave "them" 72 quid...

Quillers I wouldn't buy from at all....

Jonners

Ah, not sure who are the quality suppliers yet. Winns is not one I had come across yet, but a quick Google and they have an identical complete set for £63 (when you add the VAT, sneakily don't include it), heading in the right direction. They do have some odd stuff at Winns, like a brand new Sprint inlet manifold... Paddocks, once I worked out it's not the Land Rover place, have original alloy ones for the Stag only.

Triumph1300 wrote:Chris Witor?

That's who I bought my steel ones from for the Track Sprint.

I have some, not a full set but a start. I'd have to find them before I can count them....

I smile when I read threads like this and then realise that you folk don’t realise that you are living in Triumph heaven and do not know it!

For those of us who live on the other side of this planet we are filled with envy at the thought of you all having a range of suppliers on your doorstep. We are eternally grateful though to folk like Rimmers who stock the vast majority of parts for our range of cars and who offer discounts to us far and distant customers from time to time.

What makes it so awkward for us is the cost of the freight to get parts from the UK to here. And if you begrudge those who stock our parts, their selling price, then perhaps someone could explain why in some instances, and here is an example - the shipping of a set of shock absorbers is more than the retail selling price.

I purchased a full set of steel Sprint wheel nuts on my last trip to the UK. I looked at the price and then thought that if I had to take some bar, drill and tap it and then set up a mill to mill the flats on the faces, turn the odd chamfer to make them look pretty, then wash clean and paint and put them into stock for some indeterminate time – and pay the stock holding costs, then the price they are being offered for sale seems extremely reasonable.

So I bought a set over the counter in Lincoln – and wished I lived closer to Triumph heaven.

But how do I get them home on the aircraft when they and several other parts put my baggage allowance well over the limit? I placed them in my left hand pocket and tried to look very nonchalant as I walked up to the check in counter, fighting the tendency to walk around in anticlockwise circles. The lovely people in Terminal 5 at Heathrow seemed not all that bothered and the chaps on the x-ray machine who x-rayed my watch, wallet, passport, pills and other potions us older folk carry about our person, simply rolled their eyes in fake amusement and let me pass through, no doubt, questioning my sanity. Not so those with less humour at the Frankfurt airport security where I changed aircraft for the long haul flight down to Sydney. I was let through only when I promised never ever to travel with car parts “about my person”.

You are living in Triumph heaven folk, yes there is a real cost to owning, maintaining and upgrading your cars but don’t be too tough on those who supply the parts. We down here simply question the cost that the shippers charge us for I am sure they make more in profits than your suppliers ever do.

I suppose the next question you might ask is what happened to the wheel nuts my new steel nuts replaced. Well they are sitting on my shelf here but the cost of sending them back to the UK is probably more than what you could purchase a new set living in Huntingdon. They can stay here in the meantime.

Robert

I have a full set which I've just taken off having recently fitted steel wheels to the 1850. I could be persuaded to sell them for less than what the usual suppliers are offering. Have you tried Fitchett's yet?

Edit: You can have first dibs on the nuts. I've already got a buyer for my Sprint alloys so the nuts are available.

Toledo Man wrote:I have a full set which I've just taken off having recently fitted steel wheels to the 1850. I could be persuaded to sell them for less than what the usual suppliers are offering. Have you tried Fitchett's yet?

Edit: You can have first dibs on the nuts. I've already got a buyer for my Sprint alloys so the nuts are available.

Dave, did you manage to buy them at a good price or did they come with the wheels?

Toledo Man wrote:I have a full set which I've just taken off having recently fitted steel wheels to the 1850. I could be persuaded to sell them for less than what the usual suppliers are offering. Have you tried Fitchett's yet?

Edit: You can have first dibs on the nuts. I've already got a buyer for my Sprint alloys so the nuts are available.

Thank you very much! I'm now resisting the urge to dash outside with a torch and check the stud diameters, as I'm hoping that some enterprising soul in the last 40 years has not upgraded the studs to the 7/16" ones, or is that hoping that you have the 3/8" nuts and I have the matching studs?! Haven't tried Fitchett's yet I must admit, I'll give them a shout in the morning, after I've double checked my stud sizes. I've also dropped Chris Witor an email asking if he has any.

Mine are definitely 3/8" (my Dolomite is an 1850 which has the 3/8" studs). It might be an idea to check the studs on your Sprint before you commit yourself. It left the factory with 3/8" studs.

Bill, the Sprint alloys were on the car when I bought it in 2008. I changed to steel wheels because it was a pain having to pump up the tyres every couple of days and I wanted to return it to early 1850 spec which is why I've also got the stainless steel trims. Unfortunately, the wheels I have at the moment are SE ones. My spare wheel was the correct type so I've put it on. I'm going to do a swap with Alun who has the correct 4.5J non-SE steel wheels. His wheels are on a car so the swap will keep his car mobile and I get exactly what I'm after. A win-win situation. I can live with the SE wheels for now because they're still holding air 2 days on. The rears would be down to 20psi by now if I'd kept the Sprint alloys on the car.

If an enterprising soul had upgraded your studs to 7/16" you would have far more options on sourcing the nuts as they are readily available second hand!

And are rather stronger, threads much less likely to strip.........