The Triumph Dolomite Club - Discussion Forum

You don't really want that to happen, especially if your engine is a bit oily! The heater inlet will draw in mucky oily smoke that has just been expelled by the louvres!

If anyone is interested, I have 4 louvre panels salvaged from a scrap MkII GT6 bonnet, that could be let in as a square (ish) or trapezoid panel rather than having the louvres pressed in. Which brings them in range of an amateur metalworker. I fancied letting the GT6 wing louvres (which are angled) into the top of the Dolomega bonnet, as a nod to directing the airflow outboard of the screen. However the bulge that I HAD to fit would have been extremely close to the louvre panels. I was also a bit short on time, so I dropped the idea.

Steve

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'73 2 door Toledo with Vauxhall Carlton 2.0 8v engine (The Carledo)
'78 Sprint Auto with Vauxhall Omega 2.2 16v engine (The Dolomega)
'72 Triumph 1500FWD in Slate Grey, Now with RWD and Carledo powertrain!

Maverick Triumph, Servicing, Repairs, Electrical, Recomissioning, MOT prep, Trackerjack brake fitting service.
Apprentice served Triumph Specialist for 50 years. PM for more info or quotes.

Steve,

They would only be an inch, or two, further in than on the one in your photo.

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Those louvres look very neat & tidy, and for those unfamiliar with these car models, they could easily be mistaken for a factory-standard feature. It will be interesting to learn whether they have the desired effect of reducing engine-compartment temperatures and improving the efficiency of the engine cooling system.


I’m tempted, but I have yet to learn the “black arts” of things like tinning, leading, brazing and welding; some things I must try to do in the not too distant future! Sadly, these and other craft skills were things which were not included in the curriculum at my local secondary-school, for pupils after the 3rd Form (i.e. Year 9 in current nomenclature) in the “A-Stream”.

Although I did have some metalwork classes in the 1st, 2nd & 3rd Forms at secondary school, which included one teacher-demonstration of brazing, most of the activities were restricted to cutting, filing, drilling & shaping, plus a little lathe work. My subsequent scientific & technical studies at sixth form college and university, also provided few opportunities to develop engineering craft skills, although I have had some experience of using lathes, milling machines & angle-grinders, plus an automotive valve-grinder & valve-seat cutter; sometimes as a result of my unofficial ventures & projects in various workshops at work and college.

What size and shape (e.g. linear dimensions of sides, plus diagonals and/or apex angles) would the trapezoid be (n.b. trapezium – 4-sided shape with two parallel sides); allowing for a reasonable flat sheet-steel margin around the periphery of the louvres?

One of my concerns about incorporating louvres, is that of water from rain, car-washing or flood-water bow-wave (something I experienced once with my Toledo during the early-1980s!) entering the engine compartment via the louvres, and draining down onto the hydraulic systems, ignition-system and other electrical components of my otherwise factory-standard 1974 Triumph Toledo 1300 “HL Special”; such as the following:

• Single or dual circuit brake master cylinder
• Clutch master cylinder
• Ignition coil
• Ignition distributor
• Starter motor
• Starter-motor solenoid
• Windscreen-washer pump
• Heater & ventilation system fan motor
• Bulkhead-mounted fuse box

To learn about the flood-water bow-wave that cascaded over the bonnet, windscreen and roof, follow the link:

Board index » The Triumph Dolomite Club » Dolomite-related [Start here!] » 40+ Years With A 1974 Triumph Toledo 1300 “HL Special”

The Toledo Takes to the Water! – Early-1980s

viewtopic.php?f=4&t=29933&p=316552#p316552


Have you yet been able to identify the source of the electrically-heated front windscreens for Triumph Dolomites & Toledos; which I suspect might be Tyneside Safety Glass, in Gateshead, Tyne & Wear?

https://www.tynesidesafetyglass.com/#heated-glass

I would agree that the factory-fitted Lucas 17ACR alternator [36A maximum output] or substitute Lucas 18ACR alternator [43A maximum output] might struggle to cope with the demands of an electrically-heated front windscreen, which is one of the reasons why I would advocate using a switching circuit whereby only one of the two heating zones (i.e. left & right hand sides) could be switched on at any given moment; typically using a double-throw switch, single change-over relay and two accessory relays.

Board index » The Triumph Dolomite Club » Dolomite-related [Start here!] » Improving Heating, Ventilation, Demisting & Defrosting

https://forum.triumphdolomite.co.uk/vie ... 78#p338878

https://forum.triumphdolomite.co.uk/vie ... 83#p340483

This was a circuit I designed several years ago, with the intention of substituting an electrically-heated front windscreen into my VW 1900 Type 4 engined, VW 1600 Type 2 Westfalia Continental motor-caravan, whose standard factory-fitted Bosch alternator [55A maximum output], could in theory be replaced by an optional Bosch alternator [70A maximum output], which was factory-fitted to those vehicles equipped with the Eberspächer petrol-fired auxiliary heater, if I can source a second-hand one from Scandinavia or North America.

Since the mid-1980s, my Triumph Toledo 1300 has been equipped with a higher capacity [60A maximum output], second-hand alternator, salvaged from a Rover SD1, which would give me some reserve capacity, if only one heating zone of an electrically-heated front windscreen is operating at any given moment.

Even just a single heating zone, would probably consume about 15~20A, so an electrically-heated front windscreen, would need to have its own dedicated fused supply from the alternator & battery, and it would probably be wise to uprate the alternator & battery supply cables.

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Regards.

Nigel A. Skeet

Independent tutor of mathematics, physics, technology & engineering, for secondary, tertiary, further & higher education.

https://www.linkedin.com/profile/view?id=308177758

Upgraded 1974 Triumph Toledo 1300 (Toledo / Dolomite HL / Sprint hybrid)

Onetime member + magazine editor & technical editor of Volkswagen Type 2 Owners' Club

You're right, I somehow mentally misjudged how wide the factory vent is. i'm not sure if you'd get them that far inboard, though there is a good couple of inches available in the panel, you have to allow for the width of the tooling that makes the louvres. I've not seen it myself but I gather it's fairly hefty and overhangs the louvres themselves on all sides by more than an inch. check the second pic, you can see the louvres are more or less centred in the clear section underneath, I suspect this is completely intentional!

Hindsight, wondrful thing that it is, has also made me think that a) the heater inlet is all the way over to the l/h/s of that factory vent, so only in line with 1 louvre, b) if the engine's THAT smoky you should really DO something about it and c) if it suddenly GOT smoky (ie something breaks, like the turbo) you'd get early warning though your NOSE that something was up! So not necessarily a bad thing!

_________________
'73 2 door Toledo with Vauxhall Carlton 2.0 8v engine (The Carledo)
'78 Sprint Auto with Vauxhall Omega 2.2 16v engine (The Dolomega)
'72 Triumph 1500FWD in Slate Grey, Now with RWD and Carledo powertrain!

Maverick Triumph, Servicing, Repairs, Electrical, Recomissioning, MOT prep, Trackerjack brake fitting service.
Apprentice served Triumph Specialist for 50 years. PM for more info or quotes.