xjlee
Part of things
Posts: 294
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Oct 14, 2011 20:40:00 GMT
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Ok bit wierd, its a car that I shouldn't like but I do! But I know nothing about them! Can they be made to be good cars, or are they as patchy as all th BL cars of that era? What can you do to them mod wise, but most importantly can they be fun? The reason I ask is I've seen an 1850 auto for good money down a lock up by me. Looks kinda funky I've never seen one properly - do they have potential?
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Del
South East
Posts: 1,448
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Oct 14, 2011 21:11:15 GMT
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Oct 14, 2011 21:28:43 GMT
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Great cars, particularly the 1850HL automatic - one of my favorite in the range. Very competent cruiser. Of course, as with all classics, a dodgy or duff one is just a pain. One that's in good structural and mechanical condition, however, is a lovely bit of kit. All of 'em are fun in their own unique way, even the FWDs (although they're technically not Dolomites, however). Parts support is generally excellent, a fair amount of tuning stuff available (brakes, suspension, aero, induction, ignition, fuelling, cams, etc), great club, plenty of potential. Previous threads for inspiration: retrorides.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=general&action=display&thread=94544retrorides.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=general&action=display&thread=104122retrorides.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=general&action=display&thread=102899retrorides.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=general&action=display&thread=8320&page=2
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Last Edit: Oct 14, 2011 21:32:36 GMT by Lewis
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Oct 14, 2011 21:33:20 GMT
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There's a fairly decent 1850 for sale through the club for not a lot of money at all... Wheels are a pain to find as they have the strange 95.25x4 pcd and trying to get anything over 14x6 to fit will be fun, though there are a few on MGF wheels. They do rot, wings, front panels, rear arches, boot floor, sills... Everywhere really. Some panels are hard to find, NOS wings are upwards of £300 a piece, same for a front panel really, but the club do decent GRP replacements now. Tuning wise, if it's not a Sprint there's not a lot of point, unless you change the engine. Engines are good if looked after, if not serviced properly, it'll be a money pit. They won't set the world on fire with acceleration, my 1850 would happily keep up with modern traffic though. Not sure about 1300 or 1500 versions. Mine (when working) always, without fail brightened up a bad day. I'm not entirely sure an Auto will be as fun tbh, plus they're bloody rare, so it'd be a shame to manual box it. Anyway, more pictures, mine first. And a Toledo for good measure.
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Oct 14, 2011 21:35:23 GMT
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I love Dollys and went through several in the 80's They were better built than most of the BL range but many parts were still shared, their biggest problem is rot, the rest is all straight forward stuff
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tontoe
Part of things
Enter your message here...
Posts: 139
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Oct 14, 2011 23:23:29 GMT
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I would say do the usual checks for rust etc and go for it. they don't rot any worse than any car of the late 70s era probably less than most vauxhalls / fords of the same era and a lot less than other bmc cars such as minis etc they were more up market than the usual ford escort etc when new . like the most Triumphs they have a good spares supply
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life is just a game we play
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Oct 14, 2011 23:25:22 GMT
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I really, really want one of these: Now, there's a light blue one on here which has a red-top in. I've seen a RV8'ed one. Any other engine options? Will a Saab turbo fit in?
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" East bound and down, loaded up and truckin' "
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Del
South East
Posts: 1,448
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Oct 15, 2011 20:45:45 GMT
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Without wishing to hijack Lee's thread, is there anything in the way of parts that that you can't get for a Dolly/Tolly/1300/1500? I assume Rimmers do pretty much most things?
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Oct 15, 2011 23:32:26 GMT
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if there rwd, u can get a bell housing that will link the saab turbo lump to a ford type 9 box so yeah a saab lump will fit. To fit a saab turbo lump into a toledo, then the early ones bolt upto the f17 gearbox so again can be run with fwd
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Nobody dies a virgin, because lifes curse word us ALL
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I had one in mid 70's and even then rot was a problem. Worse is the inner wing between bulkhead and suspension tower. Very difficult to repair properly and at least required outer wing removal for access.
Paul h
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if there rwd, u can get a bell housing that will link the saab turbo lump to a ford type 9 box so yeah a saab lump will fit. To fit a saab turbo lump into a toledo, then the early ones bolt upto the f17 gearbox so again can be run with fwd The Toledo is rear wheel drive as are all Dolomites. Only the 1500fwd (looks the same as a Dolly, guess the major difference ;D ) isn't. Oh and early Saab turbo lumps will bolt upto the Sprint box if you use the corresponding plate off the back of a Sprint lump. Or so I read on a quick TDC search at stupid o clock. I'm fairly sure there was a reason it hasn't already been done though, I just can't remember exactly what. I think it was either the exhaust manifold/turbo being in the wrong place, or the head is too wide.
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No-one's ever done the Saab transplant mind, and no-one really knows for sure if the box, bellhousing or tail end of the engine bears any similarity. It's all hypothesis, at the moment Then, as Elmo mentions, there are questions about it fitting. I stand to be corrected on the above, mind, but that's as far as I'm aware. XE, Zetecs, smallblocks, Rover V8s, SR20DETs, Cosworth four cylinders, Essex V6s, all fit with a varying degree of work Pretty much anything will go, if you drop it from high enough.
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Last Edit: Oct 16, 2011 9:40:41 GMT by Lewis
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Ed@AC
Part of things
Posts: 350
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Oct 16, 2011 14:31:43 GMT
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The first car I can remember my family owning was a Dolomite 1850, I absolutely love these, a well sorted one is gorgeous.
That said, I remember dad doing hasty fibreglass repairs to the wing tops and a few other rot spots before moving it on, at that point it could only have been perhaps 4 years old.
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Automotive Connection - Whoever you are, whatever you drive.
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bl1300
Posted a lot
Posts: 1,678
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Oct 16, 2011 19:20:31 GMT
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Dolly's are good cars. As with all cars from the 70s rust is the main problem. Sills, wheelarches, eyebrow panel, front valance and A pillars all rot for fun. But in all fairness the worst rot areas aren't that hard to fix. Also don't rule out the FWD models. They are comfortable, frugal and well equipped. My 1300FWD is quite nippy on acceleration but is pretty low geared so not that good on motorways. It does 40mpg quite easily provided you don't rag it everywhere. 1300 engine is stronger than the 1500. I wont comment on the slants as I don't know them that well. Handling wise they are ok my fwd handles well and has a really smooth ride with little road noise. The 1300 FWD is also the only dolomite range car with all round independent suspension. Parts are not as easy to source as other triumphs but the club has a decent spares stock. Rimmer bros is expensive for parts I would reccomend Mick Dolphin Triumph spares all day long. p.s. I have made a buying guide for the 1300FWD a lot of it will be relavent for any dolomite. here
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Current fleet.
1967 DAF 44 1974 VW Beetle 1303s 1975 Triumph Spitfire MkIV 1988 VW LT45 Beavertail 1998 Volvo V70 2.5 1959 Fordson Dexta
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bl1300
Posted a lot
Posts: 1,678
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Oct 16, 2011 19:46:19 GMT
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Current fleet.
1967 DAF 44 1974 VW Beetle 1303s 1975 Triumph Spitfire MkIV 1988 VW LT45 Beavertail 1998 Volvo V70 2.5 1959 Fordson Dexta
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Oct 16, 2011 19:54:06 GMT
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To fit a saab turbo lump into a toledo, then the early ones bolt upto the f17 gearbox so again can be run with fwd Bear in mind that the fwd Triumphs and pre-GM Saab 900s use a longitudinally-mounted engine with the gearbox under the engine, while the F17 is a transverse 'box.
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1989 Peugeot 205. You know, the one that was parked in a ditch on the campsite at RRG'17... the glass is always full. but the ratio of air to water may vary.
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