Another infrequent post

It has been nearly 3 months since my last post. I bought myself an electric spray gun via ebay. I avoided the cheapest ones and bought something a bit better. I've stripped as much off the car as I can while keeping the car's interior secured and being able to keep the car drivable. I've managed to paint the car with tins of grey primer from the pound shop. This will give the cellulose primer a decent key and the "pound shop" primer acts as a barrier coat which will avoid any reaction with the paint underneath (that's the hope anyway). I don't think that you can have too much paint on the car. After much deliberation and some feedback from friends and family, I've decided on Damson as the new colour of choice. I didn't mind the Russett Brown but it isn't right for 1972. I'm seriously considering changing the Sprint alloys for the original steel wheels and the metal wheel trims that the early Dolomite 1850s had. Because of all this work, I didn't MoT the car so it will be well into next year before it goes in for the dreaded MoT. I've been restoring parts as they've come off the car so they will be ready to go straight back on once the car is resprayed. I've done the headlights, both bumpers, the number plates and the air cleaner so far. There's the camshaft cover to repaint. It also needs a new gasket because it is weeping. A service is also needed. As part of the colour change, I'll be painting the engine bay satin black.

I'm having a bit of trouble sourcing the cellulose paint and with winter setting in, I'll have to delay spraying until it gets a bit warmer. Despite having just a car port for shelter it is a couple of degrees more than if the car was totally exposed to the elements.

It has been a while...

...since I last posted on this Blog.

After 5 years of ownership I have finally made a start on the bodywork. On the OSR wing there was a crack where it had been filled in so I dug out all the old cracked filler and replaced most of it with fresh filler. I've managed to build the profile back up but I'm not quite there yet. I've decided that the Russett brown has to go not even being the correct colour for 1972 and after much deliberation I have finally settled on Damson. I've started to strip the chrome trim off in readiness for painting. I've been using primer from the local pound shop which is quite decent considering the price (£1 for a 300ml tin). Because I don't have a garage, I need to keep the interior safe from the elements so the doors and the glass will have to remain in situ and I need to be able to open, close, lock and unlock the doors and I'll have to mask up the parts I can't remove. I shall be getting a cheap electric spray gun which will give infinitely better results than rattle cans and will in the long run cost less. There's also a bit of rot in the headlight panels so I will have to bite the bullet at some point and get that sorted out properly.

Besides the bodywork, there's the hazard switch to wire up (I'm changing from the later type push-pull to the early type rocker switch), an oil and filter change, 2 front tyres to replace, the front wheel tracking to be adjusted and I need to fit relays the the headlight circuit in readiness for halogens and to avoid the indicator stalk burning out.

Oh, and it will need a fresh MoT as it has run out a couple of days ago. Looks like I've got my work cut out for me.

A bit more work done.

I have been meaning to sort out a blowing joint on the exhaust so one sunny evening. I managed to remove and separate the entire exhaust except for the downpipe. I then carefully reassembled it and I now have a leak free exhaust. It still isn't 100%. Ideally, I'd like to fit a new one so I'll need to save some money and get a stainless exhaust from the Triumph Dolomite Club.

I then turned my attention to the carbs. I knew the mixture was fine so I concentrated on getting them balanced. I found my carb balancer and after adjusting the front carb it was running a lot better. Brown is running on SU HS4s and being a 1972 car it should have Strombergs. I was looking at fitting Stromberg carbs but opinions are divided so I've put the idea on hold. Besides, the money it'll cost me can be better spent on other things and some of the parts I'll need are quite elusive.

The most recent job I've done is to complete the instrument panel. It started out as the later type and now it is the early type. It is also possible to adapt the later type loom. An example is the warning light cluster. The multiplug connector is different between early and late cars but the wires are still the same colour so if you swap like for like it will work. The only downside is that I can't use the heated rear window and the seatbelt warning light doesn't work. These are minor problems which can be resolved. I've had to keep the existing hazard switch because the indicators won't work without it. It'll have to do until I can wire the rocker switch up

There's a show tomorrow at Harewood House in Leeds. This will be the first show I'm doing this year. The weather forecast is dry with some sunshine so it will be better than last year when it was cancelled due to the heavy rain.

Fanbelt and LED bulb.

I bought a new fanbelt for Brown costing my just shy of £3.

As you can see, the old one was in dire need of replacement and was stretched. I had to retension it last night so it should be fine.

I ordered some LED bulbs for my Astra so I bought a couple for Brown. The first bulb I changed was the interior light.

Definitely an improvement. Less heat, less current and longer bulb life. I had assumed that the bulb for the selector lever for the autobox was the same as the interior light (42mm festoon) but it is smaller so I'll have to order another LED bulb. When I took the old bulb out one of the metal terminals came off. This explains why the bulb was working intermittently.

I'm planning on going to work in Brown tomorrow and that evening there is the Club Triumph Pendle & Pennine meeting which has been brought forward because the IAE takes place that weekend (just the way the days have fallen) so it will be a good one tomorrow night. I've put the battery on charge so I shouldn't need a jump start from the Astra.

Reviving Brown

I managed to get the wiper blades replaced costing me just £8. I couldn't afford to go to Gaydon so that didn't happen. Tonight I jump started Brown and went to the local Morrisons for petrol, a jet wash and some air in the tyres. The fan belt is slipping constantly so I'll need to get a new one. My current job is permanent so I can start doing more to this car (including using it!). I haven't been to any club meetings or any shows this year so that will change now. The next meeting will be a local Club Triumph meeting on the 7th of June which is always well attended in that particular month. The next local TSSC meeting is the following Tuesday and there's Northern Dolly Day on Sunday 16th June which I'm hoping won't be rained off like last year.

Becky II has now gone...

The buyer turned up today to collect the car.

I'm now down to just the one Triumph so the Blog will continue. Brown needs new wiper blades, some air in the tyres a good wash and some fuel. If I can afford the fuel I'll be able to make it to the big Triumph event at Gaydon tomorrow.

Becky II has been sold

I haven't used this car since November of last year. The last outing was to the West Yorkshire TSSC meeting and the car had been parked up ever since. Combined with the fact that I've no money until I get paid, I decided to list the car on eBay. One of the bidders came up to view the car with his father (who I happened to know). Because of this I agreed to sell privately and a deal was struck. I ended the listing early and the car will be collected this coming Saturday so for the first time since 2005 I'll be without an Acclaim and I'll be down to just one Triumph. This is truly the end of an era...

Well well well...

...as Jeremy Kyle would say.

There was the house move last November and since then the Triumphs have been neglected. The cold weather and the lack of a garage haven't helped either. The insurance for the Triumphs ran out and I couldn't afford to renew it. The day after the insurance ran out my Astra died so I didn't have a car I could use. To get mobile again I insured the Dolomite for £100 through Adrain Flux who gave me the cheapest quote. Apart from the battery not holding it's charge too well (due to the lack of use) the car has been fine. Now it is 100% road legal once again I might make it to some shows this year if they don't get rained off!