My First Post - I've been offered an 1850HL
Posted: Fri Apr 15, 2016 8:27 pm
Hello everyone. I'm not new to classic cars, but am new to the Dolomite. My brother-in-law has a 1977 Dolomite 1850HL. Up until 1992 it was in regular use and he looked after it well, Waxoyling the body etc. I believe it has only covered about 45,000 miles. Since 1992 it has lain in his garage. The garage is dry but cold, as he lives in the NE of Scotland.
When we were visiting him last week I went to have a look at the car. It is in absolutely original condition with no mods from standard at all. The body appears to be in good condition, as much as I could see by crawling around with a torch. The rear arches aren't rusty, the doors appear sound, as do the sills. I know it has never seen a welding torch. Some of the bright trim on the sides is off, but he has the pieces.
It is filthy dirty and it is hard to tell if there are any rust bubbles on the top of the wings for example. The interior is all intact but in need of a good clean. The seats are not ripped or worn and are surprisingly comfortable. It has a period radio/casette with a speaker on the back shelf!
I'm told that there is an issue with the gearbox in that it jumps out of gear. It doesn't have an overdrive, which is a shame. The engine is not seized but shows signs of having some fairly major oil leaks and I would want to strip it and check it over. Obviously all the brakes would have to be renewed, hydraulics and pads at least. The tyres would also need renewing.
The thing is, he is willing to let me have the car for nothing - that's right, nowt. What pitfalls can I expect if I decide to take it on? I am well experienced in old car rebuilds having done my MGB GTV8 from a wreck, a Midget using a new shell, and recently a Lotus Elan Sprint from a pile of parts. So there aren't many jobs that would faze me.
What should I look out for? How tricky would it be to find and fit an overdrive?
When we were visiting him last week I went to have a look at the car. It is in absolutely original condition with no mods from standard at all. The body appears to be in good condition, as much as I could see by crawling around with a torch. The rear arches aren't rusty, the doors appear sound, as do the sills. I know it has never seen a welding torch. Some of the bright trim on the sides is off, but he has the pieces.
It is filthy dirty and it is hard to tell if there are any rust bubbles on the top of the wings for example. The interior is all intact but in need of a good clean. The seats are not ripped or worn and are surprisingly comfortable. It has a period radio/casette with a speaker on the back shelf!
I'm told that there is an issue with the gearbox in that it jumps out of gear. It doesn't have an overdrive, which is a shame. The engine is not seized but shows signs of having some fairly major oil leaks and I would want to strip it and check it over. Obviously all the brakes would have to be renewed, hydraulics and pads at least. The tyres would also need renewing.
The thing is, he is willing to let me have the car for nothing - that's right, nowt. What pitfalls can I expect if I decide to take it on? I am well experienced in old car rebuilds having done my MGB GTV8 from a wreck, a Midget using a new shell, and recently a Lotus Elan Sprint from a pile of parts. So there aren't many jobs that would faze me.
What should I look out for? How tricky would it be to find and fit an overdrive?
It sounds like it wouldn't take much effort/money to recommission.
