Carb swap

In order to address the 1850's thrist for petrol I've been looking at replacing the carburettors. The car came with twin SU HS6s on a TR7 manifold. I know this because I had to get a TR7 airbox as the 1850 airbox wouldn't fit. One of my Dolomite friends (I'll call him Alun) made me an offer of a straight swap: some SU HS4s on an 1850 manifold for my known working HS6s. He even sent me the carbs (along with another pair for spares) at his own expense on the proviso that I do the same with mine or bring them along at the next event that we're both attending. Top man. He's definitely a big Dolomite fan with the biggest collection of Dolomites in the West Midlands. The job of fitting them was easy enough and it was cheaper then the TC conversion I did on Snowdrop. I spent just £20 on parts from T.D. Fitchett who were on top form with their quality of parts & next-day delivery. I had to cannibalize the rear carbs to make a decent one but I've now got the car running and performance seems to have improved. I've put £10 worth of unleaded from the local Tesco at 97.9p a litre. Hopefully it should go a bit further now.

Blue has been in regular use lately (just passed 34,000 miles) and hasn't missed a beat.

Sorted

The exhaust section for Blue arrived. When the time came for fitting it I noticed that the glass out of one of my door mirrors was missing. A visit to the Guru soon sorted it out. Anyway, back to the story. I managed to fit the replacement exhaust tailpipe and all is well once again. I hope nothing else goes wrong as I won't be able to do anything about it. Things aren't looking good at the moment.

Exhausting

I ordered a replacement section of exhaust for Blue costing only £40 plus £12 delivery by FedEx. It was from a supplier in London. Nice to know that not everything from the capital is expensive. Being a man of lesiure these days I've now got all the time in the world to get it fitted. No progress on the jobhunting and I've got a appointment with the local JobCentre tomorrow. It's a far cry from the days when I was last claiming any benefits. (late 80s)

Some chav has snapped the wing mirrors off the 1850. I suppose this was a blessing in disguise as I'm not breaking the law by not having them and whenever I was doing any spannering they got in the way. I do prefer door mirrors anyway.

Time for an update

Since my last entry I've decided to pull out of the RBRR. Last Sunday I went down to the TDCIR (Triumph Dolomite Club's international day) and I went down in the Dolomite 1850. On the way down I took it easy & didn't lose much transmission fluid but on the way back I pushed the car a bit harder and it was like it had been before so. The fluid is coming out of the bellhousing vent so I reckon the torque converter's leaking. This might explain why fuel consumption is crap. Surely, it can't be the Sprint carbs.

The exhaust section I got off the Guru for Blue wouldn't fit. Blue has the later type and the Guru only has the earlier type. I can't use Becky's because she has the earlier type and I'm not swapping the entire exhaust because of the tendency to blow at the manifold joint on those types of exhaust. I've been quote about £80 from Kwik-Fit and my local Motosave. A local Unipart was asking around £60. I'll have to see if I can source one a bit cheaper. The Guru has a complete later type but he will only sell the complete exhaust, not the tailpipe.

Snowdrop remains out of action since the accident. I really need to reapir the leaking brake master cylinder I remove from the Dolomite 1850 and fit it. Ideally the car needs restoring but that's not really possible at this time.

Misery & woe

Problems problem problems. First the Dolomite 1850 won't now run despite replacing all the ignition components and taking out the distributor. Blue's tailpipe fell off the rear silencer yesterday to add to my misery. I managed to get a replacement rear section from the Guru so that'll be an easy enough fix - if this bloody rain will let up!

It has been a good weekend

The autobox has stopped leaking but the car was running like a bag of spanners at low revs. I started to replace the ignition parts in the hope that it would cure the problem. First up were the spark plugs, next it was the HT leads and after cleaning the terminals on the distributor cap & rotor arm it cured the problem. New ones will be ordered but the car runs like a dream. I'd also cleaned the carburettor dashpots and balanced the carbs which helped things along. I've stopped the exhaust blowing at the manifold-downpipe joint so it is a bit quieter. I also solved the problem with my CD player which was losing the memory whenever it turned the ignition off and lately it would lose power. First I moved the earth wire to a more suitable earthing point (I ended up using the driver's door treadplate) then I ran a wire from one of the fuse terminals (a permanent live) for the memory wire on my CD player and now the CD player works as it should. I cleaned up the contact on the passenger side courtesy lamp switch and the interior lamp now comes on when the front passenger door is open.

All in all, a productive weekend.

Triumph over adversity

When I picked the car up I noticed the that brakes hardly worked but more of that later on. I filled up as planned but the jetwash was out of action. Today the automatic transmission wouldn't work and left me stranded. For some reason I'd lost 2 litres of trnamission fluid. Once it was replaced all was well. I suspect that due to lack of use the gaskets were porous. Now the car is back in use it should come right. I've not had any problems since. I also changed the engine oil and filter. I bled the brakes and somehow air was getting in. At fist I thought it was a leaking wheel cylinder and tried various motor factors without success. Then it dawned on me that the master cylinder could be leaking. I robbed Snowdrop's as that was known to be working having been rebuilt for the 2006 MoT. Once it was fitted and the brakes bled it was fine. Now I'll all set for tomrrow's Northern Dolly Day up in the Yorksire Dales.

On the road...

The Dolomite 1850 is back on the road where it belongs. I was out gophering so I swung by the garage and got the car taxed. Taxing a car has never felt so good knowing that I didn't have to hadn over a penny to Gordon "the moron" Brown. It'll be ready to pick up after work and the first thing I'll be doing is fill up with petrol, give the car a good jetwash and put some miles on.

It has been a good week this week

Following the accident with Snowdrop it looks like just the outer panels are damaged. I don't think it warrants a reshell. The car needs restoring so I might go that route next year when finances improve.

Anyway, back to the present. I called in at the garage where the 1850 is and the mechanic hasn't had the car tested yet. I'd mentioned that it needs welding so he's gone round the car to see what needed doing. I took the opportunity to show him what Brian and I had found. The mechanic reckons it'll cost around £400 to get it through which I'm pleased with. With no road tax to pay for I can throw a bit of money at getting that all-important MoT certificate and it'll be ready by Friday.

And to top off my week...

...Brian has had a look at my Dolomite 1850 and reckons there's too much work for him to do on it. I'll be seeing him tomorrow morning. I know more than him on how these cars are screwed together so if he can get as much done as possbile and let the garage do the rest. He's mentioned the brake hoses, the brake pipes & a track rod end need replacing so I might end up cannibalizing Snowdrop if it comes to that. I need to get that car road legal so I'll pull out all the stops.

Damage to Snowdrop

I've had another look and I think the damage caused in yesterday's accident is just outer panel damage. I won't know until I tear down the front end of the car. It needed restoration for the MoT anyway. I've spoken to Brian and hopefully he can get the 1850 ready for the MoT over the weekend. With this in mind I can arrange the test. I hope I can get it on the road in time for Northern Dolly Day on the 17th. Once that car is on the road I can start with Snowdrop.

Just when it couldn't get worse...

...it suddenly does. Snowdrop was hit by one of the works van as I was leaving work on my lunch hour. I was just about to leave the car park to turn left and before I even got chance to look left the van had already hit me. It was just a glancing blow but both front wings and the outer front panel are damaged. If the inner panels aren't damaged then the car can be put back on the road. She needs restoring and I was thinking of taking her off the road when the MoT was up. Once the 1850 is on the road (this is the opportunity to this one done) I can park Snowdrop in it's place.

Uttely exhausted - aaarrrrggghhhhh!!!!!!!!!!

For the umpteenth time Snowdrop's exhaust is blowing at the manifold/downpipe gasket and I'm getting to the end of my tether. Also my indicators have stopped working. Hopefully, that'll be a matter of replacing the relay.

On a slightly more positive note I was able to get to Woodvale in Snowdrop for the first time since I bought that car. I wish the 1850 was on the road. It's a better car and more suited to motorway cruising.

Radiator woes & other stuff

My eBay purchases arrived yesterday so the first thing I did was to swap the badges on the Dolomite 1850. Being a 1972 car it should have the correct badges for the year. It had later badges (the donor car was from 1978) and once the swap was done it looked a bit more like it should.

Snowdrop's radiator upgrade didn't quite go as planned. I was hoping to fit the Dolomite 1500 radiator (which is why I'd bought the eBay bottom hose) but once the old one was out I realized that the brackets were different. It just so happened that I had a Dolomite 1300 radiator (another eBay bargain) that was in better condition so that ended up going in. So far it appears that it just needed a decent radiator rather than a bigger one as the car runs a bit cooler than before. The trip to Woodvale this coming Sunday will be the test. I might end up fitting the bigger radiator...

Forgive me for I have sinned...

Having done as much spannering as I can on the Dolomite 1850 I did the P work. Yes, I polished the car. I'd washed it beforehand and decided to dabble with the polish and before you knew it I ended doing the whole car. Not quite Alan Chatterton proportions but a sin is a sin.

On a (slightly) more serious note I've just added the car to my insurance policy at a cost of £44 and I declared the alloys. I was at the local tip and I run into Brian (my RBRR co-driver) and asked him when he can do the welding. Ideally it needs to be at his garage (he's got a pit) which was why I decided to insure the car sooner rather than later. If I have to drive the car there I'm not doing it uninsured. It hasn't left the drive since I got it 3 weeks ago.

Getting there

More jobs ticked off the list:

Front number plate fitted (OK, so it wasn't on the list but it needed doing) this invloved a trip to the local B&Q for some HSS drill bits to drill a hole in the front valance for the screws.
New expansion bottle pressure cap from the local Halfrauds. The guy there was older than me so I was confident he know what my Dolomite was and he came up trumps. The cooling system now pressurizes and the car warms up properly.
The brake fulid was replaced and looks better than what was there before. I don't know how long the old fluid had been there. It was a bit dark and murky! One thing less to worry about.

I found another hole. This one was the offside rear arch where it meets the boot floor. Again, this is smaller than a 50p coin. That's 7 places that need plating. Money's getting a bit tight so I'll have to put the MoT on hold until things improve.

Made a start on my list...

I got 3 of my jobs on my list ticked off.

First up was the fanbelt. I managed to get it tensioned with an extra pair of hands.
Next was the exhaust downpipe at the manifold joint which is now gas tight.
The transmission lever was adjusted and works exactly as it should in all positions.

I've also removed part of the broken rear exhaust mounting in order to get a replacement as the rear of the exhaust is currently resting on the rear anti-roll bar.

eBay purchases

I won both my remaining eBay bids. I'd been outbid on the badges but I upped my bid and won. I should make my money back on these. There's enough to make up 4 sets and I can sell them cheap and still make a profit.

I tackled the exhaust manifold joint on Snowdrop and it is now gas tight but I can still hear it blowing. I've got a suspicion that it is the manifold-to-head gasket. Easy enough once the carbs have been removed. I don't fancy doing it again. I've already removed the carbs twice. I filled up today and according to my calculations I've averaged just over 36mpg. Not bad and the price of petrol has gone down as well! Tonight will be the 1850's turn for some attention. I've already drawn up a list of jobs that need doing and her they are:

Welding the bottom of the offside front outer wing (the bit between the wheel and A post)
Welding to the offside front inner wing by the front mounting on the subframe.
Welding to the offside front inner wing near the bulkhead.
Welding to the offside chassis rail in the middle.
Welding to the offside chassis rail at the back.
Welding to the end of the nearside outer sill next to the jacking point.
Change the brake fluid.
Check the rear brakes.
Adjust the transmission lever.
Re-tension the fan belt
Make the exhaust downpipe/manifold joint gas tight.
Replace the rear exhaust mounting.
Change the engine oil & filter.
Replace the ignition parts (plugs, leads, cap, rotor arm, points & condensor)
Replace the expasion bottle cap.
Secure the brake & fuel pipes.
Re-varnish the door cappings.

It looks like a long list but some of these jobs will be easy and won't cost me any money. Better than throwing hundreds at the MoT man when it fails. My RBRR co-driver Brian will be doing the welding. It should be easy for him having rebuilt a Herald body tub that was rotten.

Work on the Dolomites

Last night I got some more stuff done.

Snowdrop is now back in use following the installation of a Panasonic radio/cassette. I bought it 10 years ago from my local Cash Converters for £80. At that time I'd just got a Ford Orion through the MoT so I bought the radio/cassette to celebrate. Anyway, it is now installed and fully working.

The Dolomite 1850 has had the new brake pads fitted. The old ones weren't worn to the limit but there's no harm in fitting new ones. The pistons pushed back easily enough so that's a good sign. The brake fluid's looking a bit dark so that'll need replacing. I found some new pins for the brake pads in the boot so they were fitted at the same time. When I was fitting the new pads I found yet another 50p sized hole that needs plating. Again, it is minor but will fail the MoT. I'm up to 6 bits of welding now. I spoke to Brian yesterday and he's going to come over to have a look so hopefully things are moving forward on the welding front.

Little progress

The good news: I managed to get an inner headlight from Barry McGrath the Acclaim Guru. How, you ask? He had a MK1 2.5PI estate restored for an obscene amount of money and in doing so he fitted halogen headlights in place of the original sealed beam units so he had some spare. The Dolomite 1850 uses the same headlights as the Triumph 2000 range so it was just a matter of fitting it and now I have fully working headlights.

The bad news: That's all I got done last night. Snowdrop's CD player is dead and tried the take half of the electrics with it. Despite dismantling the unit (to get a CD out) and doing a few tests with my multimeter I couldn't find the problem so I'll have to bin it. I have a Panasonic radio/cassette which I can fit in it's place. I need something as it's the most important driving accessory and wires sticking out of the apertuere is a bit unsightly. I can hook up my MP3 player when it is done.