Toledo Man

Martin, you want to Czech it out... (makes a change from the pig puns!)

On a slightly more serious note, you'll be in the market for some of Lloyd's panels if replacements are going to be needed.

I remember Paul D. and Andy F. hitting a deer in Andy's TR3A on a previous 10CR. Sorry to hear about Martin & Mike's retirements. It will give them plenty to talk about at the next P&P meeting! At this rate, it'll be a wonder that anyone will actually finish.

Did you get the remnants of the old bushes out? If there's any left it could prevent the new bushes from going in. I would rule out the new bushes because Super Flex are a perfect fit. They're my number one recommendation and Chris is your man. The front end of my Dolomite has Super Flex bushes (aside from the front ARB) all bought from Chris.

It could well be the coil. There are some poor quality ignition parts out there so don't rule them out of your diagnosis. You will need to check the carb and inlet manifold for leaks and makes sure the valve clearances are fine. Check the ignition system next and once you're satisfied it is 100% you can then move on to the fuel system. Is your 1500 brown and on a K plate? If this is the one I'm thinking of, it has had a lot of bodywork done in recent years and belonged to a young lady from Edinburgh who was active on the Triumph Dolomite Club forum. I suggest that you also join the TDC forum where you will get plenty of help and advice.

Just one more thing: Please don't type every thing in upper case (capital) letters. It is considered poor forum etiquette. Unfortunately, I see this sort of thing where I work (a solicitor's office) and it is one of my pet hates.

It could well be the coil. There are some poor quality ignition parts out there so don't rule them out of your diagnosis. You will need to check the carb and inlet manifold for leaks and makes sure the valve clearances are fine. Check the ignition system next and once you're satisfied it is 100% you can then move on to the fuel system. Is your 1500 brown and on a K plate? If this is the one I'm thinking of, it has had a lot of bodywork done in recent years and belonged to a young lady from Edinburgh who was active on the Triumph Dolomite Club forum. I suggest that you also join the TDC forum where you will get plenty of help and advice.

Just one more thing: Please don't type every thing in upper case (capital) letters. It is considered poor forum etiquette. Unfortunately, I see this sort of thing where I work (a solicitor's office) and it is one of my pet hates.

Mark, the Sprint has a Lucas 44D4 dizzy. It was only the 1850 that had the hateful Delco dizzy. That's why I've got a Sprint dizzy in my 1850. The compression figures are on the limit of "within 10% of each other" so the head might just need retorquing. If your dizzy shaft has some play in it, you will get timing scatter. The only fix is to recondition/replace the dizzy or to fit electronic ignition. There are some poor quality ignition parts out there so don't rule out the new parts. Check your carb mounts. An air leak might affect running.

Nick is right. The first thing to check is the ignition. A few basic checks on the ignition system will help. The head is alloy so it had hardened valve seats. This means that you don't need to worry too much about valve seat recession.

Don't you remember the Mr Men? They were a series of children's books writtien by Roger Hargreaves and some were made into TV programmes which were narrated by Arthur Lowe (he of Dad's Army fame).

Nick, you're thinking of the Pre 1940 Triumph Owners Club which doesn't cater for the Mayflower. The Mayflower's looking good. That looks like a modern paint colour.

Totally Triumph cased trading recently when Max decided to retire. I had him MoT my first Acclaim. He was sh*t hot at welding.
T.D. Fitchett is another supplier who I would heartily recommend. Unfortunately, Tony Fitchett Snr died recently but they're still going. Andy who answers the phone still has the same demeanour but he knows his onions.
Wins & Co is another recommendation.
Jigsaw, Canley's Paddock's are still going.
Spitfire Graveyard has changed hands a few times but is still based in Sheffield.

Getting back on topic, some stiff wire down the spark plug hole should help you determine the stroke. The parts catalogues are very useful. The 1500 engine is identical to the one used in the Dolomite except for the prefix. The prefix for the 1500 Spit is FM, the 1500fwd is WB or YB and the 1500TC/Dolomite 1500/1500HL is YC.

Somebody using WD40 for it's intended purpose (water dispersal). I had a similar problem with Becky II. If I drove through a puddle or in heavy rain the car would run badly and would cut out if I let it. The problem was fixed by fitting new ignition parts. Beware of poor quality parts. I had a brand new rotor arm fail and the car had passed the MoT earlier on the same day!

I have Sprint Alloys on my 1850 with 175 tyres. I could go up to 185s if I wanted. My Dolomite 1300 had 185 tyres on Sprint alloys without any issues.

Sorry for taking this thread off topic!

You will need to find one that fits a Dolly Sprint. I have a Sprint dizzy in my 1850 which has a Britpart electronic ignition for a Lucas 45D4. I had to use a 45D4 rotor arm and dizzy cap. It might not be possible to do this with the Sprint engine. I believe an Austin Ambassador dizzy cap would overcome that little problem.

I've noticed that you've got Sprint alloys. Are you having any issues with the offset? What size tyres are on them?

As a starting point for the mixture, screw the jet all the way up (a spanner will do the job if it won't turn by hand) and then unscrew it back down 12 flats (or 2 complete turns). The waxstats should be fine if they're kept clean. The UK equivalent of nang's mod involves pennies (one for each carb). Alternatively, it can be converted to non-waxstat jets. There should be a tag on one of the float chambers with a number on it. Quote that number when ordering your parts.

I doubt that it would be crankshaft endfloat. I know the OHV engines are bad for it but the slant 4 is a different beast.

Sort the hydraulics first and then check the cross shaft. The gearbox can be removed leaving the engine in situ if you take the tunnel out. It might be possible to remove the gearbox from underneath by lowering the rear end of the front subframe but I've never done it that way.

Another problem with the Sprint clutch is the cross shaft. You will need to get under the car and have a helper operate the clutch while you check it. This can break and repairing it means that the box has to come out. I'm not sure it can be done in situ even if you remove the tunnel.

It would be best to check the hydraulics first. It can be a pig of a job to get all the air out. The bleed nipple on the slave cylinder should be at the top. Also, a pressure or vacuum bleeding kit should get any air out. I always found the clutch hydraulics easier to work on with the tunnel off. You could fit a copper pipe but it will need a coil putting in to allow for some movement as copper pipes can fracture without the coil in it. My Dolomite 1300 had a copper pipe for the clutch and I had no problems with it. Another alternative would be to fit a braided hose.

Keith, Wins & Co have good used ones for a lot less. It would also be worth trying T.D. Fitchett. Your neighbour will come across more problems once the Sprint is back up and running again.

Here are the relevant pages from the parts catalogue if it helps.

I've just replaced mine. I bit the bullet and ordered a pair from Wins & Co. £35 each plus £20 exchange surcharge per caliper, delivery & the dreaded VAT. Well worth every penny to have fully working brakes.

Sam, I suggest that you fit relays (if you haven't already done so) which will stop your dip switch from burning out if. I had to do this on my Dolomite when the sealed beams started to fail. The car is now future proofed and has relays to protect the dip switch. Losing your headlights in the middle of nowhere won't be fun on the RBRR.

I see from his Blog that Mr. Pearson is also "lastminute.com" as always. No doubt it will be getting MoTd on the day of the run!

The 123 dizzy will make the biggest difference to reliability. Try to get as many miles on the car as you can before the run. The T6 belonging to Chris is a case in point. A good shakedown will reveal more problems.

This is how I installed my headlight relays on my Dolomite 1850.

This location was handy for a permanent live feed and for breaking into the existing wiring. I kept my cable runs as short as possible to avoid introducing any further problems. I used 30A fused relays from Halfords. What prompted me to do this was the failure of one of my outer sealed beam units. I decided to do the halogen upgrade hence the need for relays. Since fitting the relays, the sealed beam headlights are now brighter. I've also noticed a reduction in voltage drop when I have the dipped headlights switched on during idling.

Here are the photos.