The rear-view! 

This is the most recent pic taken today. 

It lives! (again)

The engine now runs. The parcel turned out to be something else so I'm still waiting for the centre bearing. Once the propshaft is sorted out then this car will once again move under its own steam. I've had to tigheten things up in a couple of places but everything seems to be fine. I've found the tappets to be a bit noisy for the fist few minutes and then it quietens down. Maybe I should change the oil again to clear out any blocked oilways. We shall see...

At last I've done it!

Yes, I've drilled out the stud, retapped the hole and refitted the manifolds without any problems. The exhaust pipe's been reconnected and just needs to be tightened up but I prevailed! Just the air cleaner to refit. I think that Mr. postman tried to deliver the centre bearing because I got one of those cards that they put through the letterbox when they try (and fail) to deliver a parcel so I'll have to collect it myself from the sorting office.
On a slightly different note I now have mains electricity. The 50 metre extension I bought earlier on this week was plenty long enough and works a treat! I can now use my electric drill and I've got plenty of light!

I'm making slow progress.

This stud seems reluctant to come out. The cordless drill I've got isn't the best one to use. There just isn't enough power. The generator still won't start so I'll get my mate to have a look at it for me. In the meantime I've bought a 50 metre extension from my local Big W (Woolworth's) so that should reach from the pub and I can use my electric drill again. Also, I'll have proper lighting so I won't have to use my torch!

Here's the offending stud that I'm still unable to budge. I couldn't get the generator going tonight so I'm having to borrow a cordless drill off a mate to try the next time I'm back at the garage. 

This blasted stud!

I'm having trouble getting it out. (and that's just the stud!) I tried the stud extractor but there isn't enough room. The water pump housing is in the way. I tried making a slot with the hacksaw blade so's I could get a flat-bladed screwdriver in. My next idea is to drill a hole through the stud, insert a rod (something like the shaft of a cross-head screwdriver) and hopefully that will exert enough force to unscrew the stud and get it out of the cylinder head intact. Failing that I'll have to saw it off flush with the cylinder head and carefully drill it out. If I can get the generator started I'm home free. It cut out last night and wouldn't start again.

I'm making more progress

I've now sorted the heater problem. I just bled all the air out of the cooling system. I removed the filler cap from the radiator, started the engine and gave it a bit of throttle and topped it up then I replaced the filler cap. Result! A warm interior now. Turning my attention to the manifolds I've got most of the nuts off. Just one more to go and then the exhaust manifold can come off. I know why it was blowing in the first place. When I fitted the exhaust maifold I'd sheared one of the studs but I hoped I'd get away with it. Obviously not. Hopefully the stud should come out without too much trouble. What goes in must come out! Once I've got my centre bearing I can get the propshaft sorted out and on the car.

The current state of my door bottom... 

Did a bit more

I just picked up the drill and wirebrushed the door bottom. If I'm gonna be using filler then it makes sense to get rid of all the rust beforehand and hopefully it will look better when its done. I'm really glad I bought that drill. Not bad for £20 from my local Halfords! I might get an angle grinder as well! (also useful for cutting toenails!)

Not much more I can do at the moment.

I might just chill out today. I've been thinking about giving the garage walls a lick of white paint. I've been toying around with the idea for a while. I also want to make some more room in the garage. I'm sure that I can get rid of some more stuff. I got rid of lots of rubbish when I first got the garage. I'm going ahead with the centre bearingthat I was offered. (somebody on the TDC forum) He's only asking half of the Rimmer Bros. price plus £5 for postage which is worth it then it's over to my mate Brian (who is restoring a Herald 13/60 convertible) who's better equipped to be able to dismantle the propshaft so's the centre bearing can be fitted. I seem to be having problems with the cooling system. The engine warms up fine but there's no heat in the heater. No doubt that I will get to the bottom of the problem. I'll need to sort out the exhaust system as it is blowing. Again it is nothing major compared to getting the engine installed and running!

Here is the 1500 engine (with the 3-rail gearbox) just after I'd taken it out.. 

Back to it...

Can't stop for long. I've made a start on getting rid of the bits of rust on the bodywork. I'm just wirebrushing with my hammer drill and getting down to bare metal and then I can just skim over with filler. Hopefully, there's no danger of rust reappearing with the car being in the garage. Also I'll need some more sanding discs for my drill. I've been offered a centre bearing for my propshaft for a bargain price and I can get my mate to fit it to my propshaft. He's got a sturdy bench with a vice so he'll be able to sort it out for me in a breath and then I can get this car to move under its own power.

1300 engine and single-rail gearbox ready to go in... 

Engine bay looking a bit empty... 

Out with the 1500 engine... 

I've got myself a rent-free garage. It is at the pub where I work. I have to provide my own electricity and heating and pay for the upkeep but I've got plenty of room to keep my stuff in and it is secure (since I replaced the lock on the door)

Resting on my laurels

I'll be having a break from working on the Toledo tonight. I've some stuff to take to the garage so I'll fire the car up now that it runs and run the engine until it warms up. It's quiz night in the pub where I work behind the bar and after that I'm going down to my local Flares with my mate. I'm still thinking about whether to get a new centre bearing for the propshaft or to use the one off the other propshaft. It needs sorting out before the car will be drivable again.

Had a good night tonight.

First I got the generator going. The spark plug needed a good clean. Using 20/50 engine oil doesn't help! I managed to secure the distributor and I fired up the car and it ran! I'm now over my main hurdle. Next will be the propshaft. Because I'd fitted a single-rail gearbox I had to get a shorter proshaft but it needs a centre bearing. I'll see how much a new one costs and I might get one ordered then I'll just have the problem of separating the 2 halves of the propshaft to fit the centre bearing.

Tonight's plans

I'll be sorting out the connection from the coil to the points. I needs a proper female spade connector. Also, I'll be having a look at the generator. It just won't start. I'll be taking a look at the distributor clamp and see why it's not holding the distributor in place like it should.

Here we have the 1500 engine installed... 

This was the Toledo's resting place until I fitted the 1500 engine 

This is what happened on the way back home. It helps if you don't try to drive these cars like modern ones! 

Here's the front end view... 

This is my Toledo when I first set eyes on it. 

How it began...

In October 2003 I bought a 1974 Triumph Toledo on eBay. The car was in Aylesbury in Buckinghamshire so I had to get down there to collect it. As it was road legal it was my intention to drive it back to Bradford. Not having driven a car that old I tried to drive it like a modern car (big mistake). I ended up killing the engine and came the rest of the way on the back of a recovery vehicle. The car stood in my mate's garden for several months until I was offered a free 1500 engine (came out of a Dolomite) so I took this offer up, fitted the engine and the car was running and drivable again. I then decided to fit a 1300 engine to return it to original spec so I was offered a 1300 engine which I collected, fitted and I changed the gearbox too. The engine is on the brink of running. At the moment I'm having problems with the disributor clamp. It's not holding the distributor securely thereby losing my ingition timing.

The name's Bond, James Bond.