The Triumph Dolomite Club - Discussion Forum

Please would someone explain how the wooden door cappings are removed from our cars? I'm sure it's obvious and it feels like a silly question, however I've looked in 3 workshop manuals and on the club's technical articles DVD to no avail.
I've found any number of methods on refurbishment of flaking veneers and will be following the procedures described in Dolly Mixture about 18 months ago; I've got the requisite Langlows stuff from the factory in Liverpool.
Thanks
Alan.

First of all remove the door cards and the door lock pins. This will be a bit of a pain when it comes to removing the window winder but by no means impossible.

You'll then see 2 or 3 small screws which screw the cappings via a bracket to the door. Unscrew these and then the capping will lift away. It will need a bit of a tug but it will come out easily enough.

What Mark said adding a gentle bump upwards so the clips which hook over the door top and which form the other end of the screw fixings clear the top of the door.

It makes sense when you have the door card off.

Jonners

You also need the quarter lights to be open to remove the fronts.

I've developed quite a knack for removing window winders:

1. First, open the door fully and place a piece of newspaper on the ground beneath the winder (when you become aware what is about to happen you can dispense with the newspaper).

2. Open the window about 1/4 turn. If the handle is fitted in its factory orientation this will see it pointing downwards.

3. With the cupped finger tips of one hand, push the black plastic bezel toward the door card, exposing the shank of the winder. Looking down onto the shank you'll be able to now see the top of the pin in its hole.

4. Keeping the black plastic bezel pushed toward the door card so that the whole of the pin is exposed, use your free hand to gently jiggle the winder to and fro the door card whilst holding it at the black spinny bit end so that it is put into slightly unnatural rotation.

5. Once you have acquired the knack, the pin will drop into the newspaper below/palm of your jiggling hand.

Refitting needs some needle nosed pliers to push it back in from above, tapered end first.

To then remove the door cards you need to undo the two cross headed screws in the door pull and then gently prise out the spring clips holding the edge of the card to the door frame edge. A wide bladed screwdriver can assist here, but if your door cards are in good condition, then a convincing tug on the door pull once the two screws are free will see all springs ping out together. If your door cards have ever been wet however, this technique can destroy them!

As the door card releases, the two spiral springs which tension the window winder will likely fall off the shaft.

...... and just before you lift the woodwork from the door you will need to unscrew the interior door locking mushroom head buttons. Unscrew anticlockwise viewed from the top.
Tony.

alangraham wrote:...I've got the requisite Langlows stuff from the factory in Liverpool.
Thanks
Alan.

What's the 'Langlow's stuff'?
My door cappings are the only bits that let the interior down due to cracking
They're not awful but I know they could be a lot better if I could refinish them without completely b@!**ing them up!

Thanks for the replies everyone; I'll set to as soon as it dries up outside. As for the Langlows stuff, you'll need to see page 8 of Dolly Mixture Issue 162 (August to September 2014) in which Steve Waldenberg produced an article on how to fettle your door cappings - it features an illustration of the product. When I retrieved that edition, I'd forgotten there was a picture of my old Sprint on the back cover.
Renovation of the door cappings is pretty much the last job required to complete the 10 year restoration of my current 1500. Hopefully there'll be pictures of the car in the next or next but one edition of the magazine (SYA500W).