Dolomite 1300 - Opinions?

[AlsoMike]

Mornin' chaps, I've seen this Dolomite on ebay and I'm a bit tempted by it.

 

 

It's not too far from me, and looks fairly tidy. Thing is, I know nowt about Dolomites other than what I've read on the web, so would a 1300 be deathly-slow? What sort of prices do they go for (This one is on an £850 start, £950 BIN). If I do go and have a gander at it, do they have any problem areas I should look for? It'll not be a daily, but in general would it be a REALLY BAD IDEA as purchases go?

[dollywobbler]

Would be a bit hectic on motorways due to low gearing (if they're anything like the FWD 1300) but it's a good, strong engine and there are a lot more performance mods available than the 1500 due to the Spitfire use...

[scooters]

I'd have it over the 1500 which is a bit fragile.

 

Nice wee cars for a runabout

[M'coli]

Watch out for snapping wheel studs with the Sprint alloys - the one I worked on last year had two break on the way to the Norfolk Triumph meet. I believe the Sprint had slightly thicker studs - 11/16" - whereas the 1300 and 1500 had 3/8" studs from the factory. So, wheelstuds the same thickness as a Mini's, with a PCD a 1/4" smaller than the Mini's, and a car that weighs a fair bit more than a Mini - genius cost saving there, BL. There's more information on this problem elsewhere on the internetz.

[Mr_Bo11ox]

I've had one of these, you pay for the small engine in motorway cruising skills, but round the doors they are perfectly nippy and very nice to get about in.

[eddyramrod]

Mine was a Toledo, so essentially the same thing. I'll echo what's already been said, around town it's a right little handy thing but I don't think you'd want to take on many motorway trips. It'll be comfy enough, for sure, these were a little luxury in their day. A competing Escort, for example, would need to be a Ghia. My 1300 engine developed an oil leak: the timing chain tensioner had worn through the cover! Not that difficult to fix, the whole cover just unbolts. Trans tunnel comes out of the interior, followed by the gearbox, if you want to renew the clutch. Taking out the front seats will make that easier. Watch for evidence of rust and/or old repairs over the headlights, that seam each side is a prime spot. If you get a good one you'll enjoy it (in a fairly leisurely manner). Stock up now on Werther's!

[wuvvum]

I've had one of these and essentially agree with what's been said so far. The 1300 engine is a sweet and quite eager little thing if you get a good one, and low gearing makes them nippy around town (mine was quicker to 30 than my 1850 auto), although maximum cruising speed is realistically going to be around 60. They're very comfy though, quieter than an Escort and handle quite well.

[quicksilver]

Rust is the real killer on all Dolomites, they can rust pretty much anywhere so make sure you give it a good once-over and keep on top of any bubbles that appear. They're pretty heavy cars so the 1300 can't be hurried and as others have said it's fine at town speeds but not much good for motorway cruising. Steering is a bit heavy at low speeds but it has a similar turning circle to a Herald so you can squeeze it into small spaces.

[Cavcraft]

Hmm, what's going on here though?

 

 

Could be my eyesight/trick of the light but arch looks a bit suspect and it also seems that someone's attached a plate to the sills possibly using the medium of BlueTak.

[Spiny Norman]

 

Looks like the same sort of thing's gone on in the front as well. tbh I'd be surprised to see any Dolly that hasn't seen a welding torch at some stage in its life, guess it depends how well the work's been done.

Gut feeling it it seems a bit pricey for what it is, I'm sure you could find a better one for that money.

[Mat.T]

Hmm, what's going on here though?

 

 

Could be my eyesight/trick of the light but arch looks a bit suspect and it also seems that someone's attached a plate to the sills possibly using the medium of BlueTak.

 

That looks pretty normal and pretty good!

^ thats on my Toledo which hasent been welded in that area, i suppose a viewing of the Dolly would soon reveal and problems.

[quicksilver]

Those interior pictures bring back some memories. Another thing to check is the clutch, it has a nylon-coated flexible section of pipe crimped to metal pipes and these joins tend to let air into the system. Fairly cheap to replace though so if there is a problem rule it out before changing the master or slave cylinder.

[Mat.T]

Oh and opinions! Well I love my Toledo, its not fast but it will cruise at 70 if you want it to 3900ish RPM! with out too much bother. Does 40mpg most of the time and has been very reliable plus bits are cheap from rimmers/ebay.

I've got round the slowness by fitting gas shocks, lower stiffer springs, poly buses, antiroll bars and slotmags! which turn the Toledo in to a little go cart

Rust wise i;ve had to deal with the ends of the wings and a bit onthe end of a front chassis leg.

[AlsoMike]

Cheers for the replys, sounds like I could get on with one of these. I think that a viewing will be in order, the price is perhaps a bit high unless it turns out to be a belter.

[HMC]

I had an 1850 automatic a few years back. A lovely old thing, spoilt only by rot around the front end (the panel work around and behind the front lights- fairly common rot spot.) IIRC it had a fairly tall diff ratio and was much better at motorway work than a 1300 I breifly had some years earlier. Was sadly scrapped after somehow the rear axle broke up, halfshaft was spat out, and I was overtaken by my own rear wheel. The car ended up in a ditch and what would have been a sortable problem was made much worse by the recovery people who seemed to have trouble getting her out again!

[Mr_Bo11ox]

The 1850 autos have a super high diff ratio, 3.27:1 I think (1300 is 4.11). I know this cos i dreamed of finding one to put in my Ital 1300 back in the day.

[Mash]

Same colour as the one I had (twice!)

 

 

This was a particularly good example and even at upwards of 60mph felt as though it had plenty in reserve and fairly lively. It cruised perfectly well on the motorway to be honest though if you get one make sure it's properly balanced up and nice and tight at the front end and steering column or you'll curse it at these speeds. They are much less fussy than the front wheel drive version which is revving its bollocks off even at 40mph.

 

Handling is a dream and they're lovely and light to drive, nice slick gearbox, dead simple mechanically but not the best build quality in the world. All in all a damn good buy, wish I could have kept mine.

[purplebargeken]

Mash, that was a lovely looking Dolly

 

Just to add to what other folks have said. The 1300 is probably the most sturdy of the Dolly engines and is pretty peppy too in standard trim. The 1500 is prone to bottom end grumblings and doesn't give a lot more benefit despite the couple more cc's. The 1300 is a great car and tune-able. Spitty cam, twin carbs and overdrive make it very nice indeed. There is a book on tuning these engines that is worth a look (sorry I can't recall what it is). The Toledo is a lovely car with a nicely styled shorter rear end and different rear lights (nicer than the Dolly I think). Oh, and make sure you use the proper non-retun oil filter too.

 

Interiors hold up pretty well with the exception of the rear seat uprights which fade and thin due to sun damage and the material is NLA (beige and black seats are the worst offenders). Vinyl seats from the TC and FWD models fit the Dolly and the Toledo without issue except the gap between the front seats is slightly reduced. Headlining can get a little brittle and stained with the old glue. I've degreased mine with meths and painted it with a mini roller and white satin matt paint and you can't tell. Interior mirrors can be a bit wobbly and the plastic mounting plinth is fragile but a F*rd Ka stick on mirror looks fine and is the same size. Door cappings can suffer with flaking varnish, etc. Screen seal leaks and clogged drain holes make your carpets soggy.

 

Rust points: boot lid, under the rear roof vent section, rear wheel arches, boot floors, jacking points, sills, footwell sections, front wings at the lower rear and front bits by the headlights and the panel behind the headlights. The front lower valance, the upper T section and bonnet. One the one for sale it also has rusty A pillar sections, again pretty common but easily fixed - 'they all do that Sir'. Oh, that's almost everywhere! The colour is Carmine Red and is prone to fading (like a lot of red cars). Again easily fixed.

 

Don't fret though. The Triumph Dolomite Club does bloody good repair sections including fantastic GPR wings and front valances. Check the front chassis rails for rust and under the battery too. There are still plenty of good doors left and I have a virtually mint boot lid in the loft. Electrics can be problematic but are usually down to poor earths and connectors. Voltage regulators can cause the petrol guage and temp guage to play silly buggers but fit the TDC one and forget it. The rectangular headlights on the Toledo, 1300 Dolly and base spec 1500 Dolly give a better spread of light than the round headlights. Most of the outer trim is stainless bar the hubcaps, bumpers and door handles. Plenty of spares availability too.

 

Not sure where the one advertised is located but if it is in Herts, Essex or North London I am happy to go view it with you. Ah, Newark, just checked. Register with the TDC forum and ask if anyone local can check it out for you.

 

The price is pretty reasonable with the spares (the steering rack is worth £35 alone), but check out those repairs and don't be put off by the list above as they are pretty easy cars to fettle (even the bodywork). Trust me I've had 1 x 1300 Dolly, 2 x 1850 Dollies, 2 x 1500TC's, 3 x Toledo's, 1 x 1500FWD and 5 x 1300FWD (all since 2005 bar 1 Toledo ). Just dump those bloody Sprint wheels and put some proper steelies on with good tyres!

 

All the best.

 

Ken

[Jordan T]

I've got a 1972 Toledo, and I think there brilliant cars!! Light and easy to drive, good handling, and i drove mine 100 miles on the motorway, and it was happy to cruise all day at 50 and 60 mph and even 70mph if i let it! The engine didn't sound hard pushed, and compared to a Herald or Vitesse, which im more used to, the ride is much more relaxing and refined, the engine on tick over can barely be heard on mine!!

 

 

here mine;

 

[purplebargeken]

Hi Jordan, saw the Tolly over on the TDC site. Looks great. The GT6 wheels look pretty cool.

 

Ken

[AlsoMike]

Lots of very informative and helpful stuff

 

Cheers Ken, just the stuff I needed to know!

 

Jordan, your Toledo looks great on those wheels, much better than the Sprint alloys.

[purplebargeken]

A pleasure mate. Wherabouts in Lincolnshire are you? There is a really sound bloke in Holbeach that is into his Dolomites and might be willing to help. Just be aware that I had my Toledo lifted from Holbeach Fen