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1974 Dolomite Sprint


SiC

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those sill trim clips

https://www.bresco.com/acatalog/Moulding-clip-for-9.8mm-moulding-flange-gap--and-4mm-panel-hole.-Chrysler-Avenger--Triumph-Dolomite--Vauxhall--Viva-HB-and-general-application.------70600P.html#SID=3

I think these are the fellers 30 of them for 7.49 + vat and shipping. Best remove all that you have on the car, treat the metal/rust and use new ones

Vactan is rust treatment stuff I use for surface rust, then overcoat with dynax. belt and braces

POR15 is pricey for my pockets.

That gearstick gaiter, looks similar to the stag item, made from tracing paper, lasted a month before it split again. make one out of a sheet of old leather

https://rimmerbros.com/Item--i-715382

gearbox mounts are all made from cheese these days, oil leaking onto them seems to make them dissolveĀ 

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Those clips look ideal for what I need, as I was thinking they probably need replacing due to being very brittle.Ā 

Repro mounts seem to be the usual ongoing issue of remanufactured parts not being made to the right spec rubber wise. However someone in the TDC has found that a Volvo 740 mount can be made to fit without too much pain:Ā https://forum.triumphdolomite.co.uk/viewtopic.php?t=29990

Rear crossmember needs it's holes elongated and 4mm of washers to bring it around the same height. The rest just fits and apparently is night and day to noise transmitted through to the car chassis.Ā 

Being made by one of the big automotive part manufacturers, the rubber actually is to a reasonably decent spec and far closer to the original than the much more expensive repro parts.Ā 

I still have the issue that the engine seems rather rigidly attached to the car. Not sure if it's the replacement front mounts or the rear mount fallen through. Also noticed that if you push up and down on the centre bearing you get a clunk. Not a whole lot of travel does it but I wonder if the vibrations of the engine moving causes the noise too.Ā Ā 

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Busy ol' night tonight.

Started off by cleaning off some of the paint around the rusty front wing with a knott wheel, till I found good metal. The bit at the bottom went rusty like this in literally a couple of days. Not helped by the hot humid weather and rain.
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So much filler on here! I eventually did find good metal and discovered that someone previously tacked on a replacement bottom half of wing.
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I'm guessing self fabricated given the large quantities of filler. I then cut off along the tacked on panel. Then decided the sill end section will definitely need some work, so cut even more of the wing off.
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At this point it got to my 9pm cut off where I don't like to do much more noisy work to keep the neighbours sane. So I sprayed some rustoleum brilliant blue paint on - which is entirely the wrong colour. However it will hopefully stop the bare, clean metal going rusty in hours with the rain we're getting at the moment.
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I then set on about replacing the gearbox mount with the Volvo one.

Supported the gearbox with the jack and then undid all the bolts. Was quite a fight to get the crossmember off, as the exhaust pipe was very much in the way. Dropping the gearbox down did help a fair bit to give enough clearance.
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Old mount actually didn't look too bad in my eyes. Certainly wasn't split or anything.
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However as I already was at this point and I had a replacement mount in hand, it made sense fitting it's replacement.
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Looking at what appears to be date stamps moulded into the rubber, I think this mount is actually still in full series production.
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As the mount is a bit lower than the stock mount, I dug out a load of washers to make a spacer. These were actually originally the washers that I replaced when changing my MGB fuel tank. Nice and chunky so provided around 2.25mm per washer. I filed out the hole to fit the 12mm bolt they needed to fit through.
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The crossmember was in reasonably decent shape. I gave a good spray of brake cleaner to remove the old oil, grease and grime.
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The new mount is slightly smaller than the stock mount around the mounting holes.
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Required half hours worth of filing to enlarge the slots to allow it to fit.
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Then put it all back together again. Found that if I put the mount in first like this:
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There wasn't enough room to get the gearbox mount bracket attached. So ended up sliding the whole lot in but all undone. Right faff and required a bit of patience.
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I'm happy how this has turned out. Not least that this mount feels good quality and a fair bit cheaper than the repro jobs.

Next job will be making some templates and cutting metal to fix the sill end piece. Debating whether to get a proper panel to do the wing, or fabricate something myself. It's not a terribly difficult shape or bend to do, but I don't know how well it'll come out. Not overly keen chucking a tonne of filler on it like the last person here did. Panels aren't terribly expensive but I'm not flush with cash right now - not least after buying this.

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That rust in the wing is an annoying find, but at the price isn't unexpected and is at least pretty easy to deal with.Ā  Way better that than finding the floor is made of newspaper and filler.Ā  At least you'll be able to sort it properly.

Ā 

I'm absolutely sure I've seen that gearbox mount on other things too...

Don't honestly think I've ever driven a Dolomite now I'm thinking about it...never mind a Sprint...though I'm really curious to spend some time around the engine given its common origins to the Saab motor I've done many thousands of miles behind.

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Nice work on the gearbox mount, Iā€™m impressed by your dedication being outside working on cars at that time of night too!

That ā€˜repairā€™ someone did to the wing is terrible! Why go to the lengths of trying to fix it and weld it on like that!? You can see why it rotted though, doesnā€™t look like thereā€™s any sort of protection inside the sill. Thatā€™s probably going to you a favour now though as thereā€™s nothing worse than trying to weld but setting fire to all the old wax and underseal as you go.

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10 hours ago, Zelandeth said:

That rust in the wing is an annoying find, but at the price isn't unexpected and is at least pretty easy to deal with.Ā  Way better that than finding the floor is made of newspaper and filler.Ā  At least you'll be able to sort it properly.

Ā 

I'm absolutely sure I've seen that gearbox mount on other things too...

Don't honestly think I've ever driven a Dolomite now I'm thinking about it...never mind a Sprint...though I'm really curious to spend some time around the engine given its common origins to the Saab motor I've done many thousands of miles behind.

Thing is, this was rated as a A1 condition car by the Triumph Sports Six Club valuation around 6-7 yrs ago. I'm sure it looked it back then too with a fresh, gleaming paint job. What makes me wonder is how many show queens that carted to shows, would actually look like in bare metal? Would be really easy to spend 8k+ on a pristine example but then find the body is mostly tack welds and filler!

Ā 

4 hours ago, purplebargeken said:

I replaced the very soggy gearbox mount on the Toledo a few months ago with a standard item. Mine has the 1850 set up, so this will be a good option if needed again. nice work Si.

I would go TDC panel, time saved and all that, plus it's a perfect fit.

This is where I found the info on the mount on:Ā https://forum.triumphdolomite.co.uk/viewtopic.php?t=29990

Mount that I bought:Ā https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/1x-Febi-Transmission-Mounting-22394/191737018560

Just happened to be the cheapest seller I could find at the time. You will need some repair washers or similar to shim out the gap a bit, otherwise the gearbox could end up too low. They need to have a 12mm hole (or file one into it)

Ā 

4 hours ago, danthecapriman said:

Nice work on the gearbox mount, Iā€™m impressed by your dedication being outside working on cars at that time of night too!

That ā€˜repairā€™ someone did to the wing is terrible! Why go to the lengths of trying to fix it and weld it on like that!? You can see why it rotted though, doesnā€™t look like thereā€™s any sort of protection inside the sill. Thatā€™s probably going to you a favour now though as thereā€™s nothing worse than trying to weld but setting fire to all the old wax and underseal as you go.

I kinda wish I didn't go poking on this bit so much! As it turned out not structural, it probably could have waited until after we (eventually) move and have more time/space to repair it. However it will need doing at some point anyway and it's one of the worst bits on the car.Ā 

I do need to stop working late. Getting in from outside at 12:30am and then going to bed at 1am constantly isn't good for the health! Thankfully I'm on no fixed working hours, so I can saunter into the office at 10:30am today. But I still get woken up at 7am by Mrs SiC getting ready for work, so I'm in a bit of sleep debt this week.Ā 

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My experience is that the TSSC valuations are strictly for insurance purposes, rather than a reflection of what anyoneā€™s paying for most Triumphs. But I get your point, and I see vehicles advertised on the basis of these all the time.

Ā 

Great work with the Sprint!

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How is it going with the Dolly Si?
Rain has been stopping play over the weekend on any bodywork. :(

Yesterday I replaced the battery isolator. Seemed a simple job, but as usual it ends up being a bit more involved.

Disconnecting the terminal led to the earth wire breaking. To be fair it only had a couple of strands left connected.
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I recrimped a new piece on. I'd rather this be a ring crimp but I couldn't find one with a hole big enough.
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I also took the time to fit an additional and heavier duty earth connection to the body.
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That location was previously occupied by the relay that I think drove a rear fog light. Not needed now as it doesn't have one and nor did it need one at this age.

The reason why I removed the isolator is that the knob was getting rather stiff to remove. Once removing the isolator it became clear why and why I don't like this style much.
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You can see the plastic has melted from getting very hot. This is likely because it hasn't been making good electrical conduct and leading it to act as a resistor. A resistor passing energy through it will heat up and hence melting that knob. I don't really like the design of these as their contact surface area is pretty small - especially for the amount of current they need to pass when starting. Longer term I'll use a different type of isolator.

I also started feeding the wiring in to put an electrical oil pressure gauge before the weather turned in again. I bought a NOS Smiths job a while back, so will be nice to see how the engine is running. Should remove (or add...) any fears the banging is definitely not engine internal related. As a side note, the oil pressure switch connector crimp is pretty loose. Makes me wonder if the pressure switch was even working when vibrating through running. Will be able to see clearer once I've got it off.
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interesting to see that as the The Invacar has something similar and I was wondering how well a connection it makes, but the isolator knob thingy on the invacarĀ is female and it screws into the battery post IIRC, with the main chassis earth lead ending in a ring crimp that gets sandwichedĀ between the 2

luckily there's no melting that Iv noticed, and given the relatively light load an invacar is I don't think I have too much to worry about, but I have found sometimes it can vibrate lose and suddenly you lose all electrics, (usually when you go to restart after stopping for a while) so something to keep an eye on there

but that's probably me being a wuss and not tightening it enough LOL

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Weather half decent tonight, so made some small progress.

Ā 

Firstly I tried some paint I had mixed out to see the colour match. It is shit. Should be good enough to do the wheel arches though.

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Ā 

Next was chopping more metal out of this wheel arch. I eventually got to solid metal that isn't pitted.

Before

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Ā 

After

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Ā 

This all looks complicated, but it's not that bad. Just many bits that make up this and will require quite a lot of sections to complete it. Will be fiddly for sure.

Ā 

Next step on this area is to get the card out and start making templates. Then I can get the steel cut up and shaped. Welding on should be a relatively painless exercise - providing I don't catch the car alight.

Ā 

Took some time to remove underseal off the drivers floor. There are a few holes in it, but I'm pretty sure I can get away without using a panel and fabricating it out of sheet steel. Won't be perfectly accurate but this isn't visible most of the time and it's quite a simple, flat area. At the moment it's in need of doing. If I did give a good stamp in this area, I'd have a Flintstones car for sure.

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Ā 

Also this is going to be the first time I'm welding with interior, engine and other flammable things still in the car. On the Austin 1100 I had stripped anything remotely flammable out (apart from underseal), so could weld freely without fear of setting all the things alight. My plan is to stuff some fire blankets down in the wheel arch behind the holes to catch any splatter, sparks and flames.

Ā 

Finally tonight I thought I'd have a look at the drivers front caliper to see the state of the pistons. The inside pad definitely has more material on than the outside. Pulled the pads out. This was quite a fight as the retaining pins were rusty and the pads were corroded enough on the side that it needed a pair of pliers to persuade it to come out.

Ā 

Dust seals on the pistons appear intact

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Ā 

Reasonable amount of meat still on these pads

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Ā 

However they're pretty scruffy

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Ā 

Retaining pins aren't much cleverer either

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Ā 

While I was at it, I stuck my piston retract tool in and wound till it clamped the disc. This allowed me to pump the pedal and check that both pistons move.

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Ā 

As both did and moved to a fair amount, I'm reasonably happy that they're in working order at the moment. Obviously not got a pot that seized solid. I'll do the otherside too and see how they perform. I may still need replacement calipers as the bleed nipple looks like it may give a fight. 2d9e4222362be40d3f0ac8da8def28f1.jpg

Ā 

I gave the edges of the pads and pins a quick sand down. Went back together really well and without an issue. Key thing is that the pads just slid in, rather than having corrosion stopping them and snagging.

Ā 

I do really like these fixed calipers. So much nicer to work on than the sliding calipers that so many modern cars use.

Ā 

Discs have areas of quite a lot of pitting on. I can't imagine this will be helping give a smooth brake action. This could well be a cause of the front brake fluctuation advisory on its previous MOT.

Ā 

If the brakes still give trouble and before I condemn the pads, discs and calipers, I may try new pads and fitting kit at least. Mintex ones are cheap enough to be worth a punt trying to see if it resolves some of the issues for now and give a bit more of a reassuring feel. Brake fluid is in need of an urgent change too.

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Some considered thoughts on this thread.

1.Ā  I hope you're very proud of just how stuck in you're getting.Ā  Fair bloody play.

2.Ā  I am absolutely confident now that I have precisely zero interest in welding an old heap and will continue to use "Ken the Weld" up the road.

3.Ā  I honestly don't think I will ever have the time to own something like this from the 70s.Ā  It seems relentless!

Ā 

Carry on!

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14 hours ago, BorniteIdentity said:
Some considered thoughts on this thread. 1.Ā  I hope you're very proud of just how stuck in you're getting.Ā  Fair bloody play.

It's mostly because I want to start using my new toy! Only actually driven it once and that was driving it back home. Kinda wished I didn't go poking so hard now and left it till I've moved. Then I'll have more time and can do it inside.

My fear originally it was structural. Only after I'd removed the paint and filler did I realise it's just the wing.

Gives me a chance to use the remaining welding gas up though!

14 hours ago, BorniteIdentity said:
2.Ā  I am absolutely confident now that I have precisely zero interest in welding an old heap and will continue to use "Ken the Weld" up the road.

To be honest, right now I'd loved to have bought an absolutely mint example. However I'd have had to paid three times as much as I did. Even then it's possibly hiding bodges and could still have mechanical issues.

Being able to weld means I can afford stuff that I otherwise wouldn't have been able to.

14 hours ago, BorniteIdentity said:
3.Ā  I honestly don't think I will ever have the time to own something like this from the 70s.Ā  It seems relentless!

Carry on!

Admittedly this isn't the best example if you want a ready to jump in and go car. 80s and now 90s cars are suffering the same issues too!

10 hours ago, Tadhg Tiogar said:
ExcellentĀ 

Thankfully I have a proper colour match being done based on a sample I gave. Those lumps of filler with paint on came in useful!

The paint shop didn't have French Blue on the system. I think when he selected Triumph, it was coming up with the motorbikes.

This can was done as a match based on a book and the eye. Except I'm crap at doing such things.

Should be still alright for the wheel arches and underside though.

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