Model: Triumph Dolomite 1850 / Sprint
Year: 1979
Mileage: 134,000
Tax: No
MOT: No
Location: Norfolk
Price: £350
Contact: pm or respond here
This was supposed to be my fun car for the summer, but it turned out not to be quite as described and realistically I'm not going to have time to do the work it needs to bring it up to top condition.
It's basically an 1850 shell with Sprint mechanicals fitted. The shell is very sound, the only bits of rot I've found being at the nearside bottom corner of the windscreen and on the bottom of the driver's door (see pics). It's the mechanicals that need attention.
The engine starts and runs, but badly needs servicing and setting up by someone who knows what they're doing. When I got the car the front carb was set way too rich and the rear one was running far too lean, so after a few miles the front two cylinders would flood and the engine would lose most of its power. The jets have now been (very roughly) set and it seems happier now - I did 25 miles in it yesterday afternoon and it didn't conk out once. The throttle cable was also far too tight due to being routed through the wrong hole in the bracket, so the engine was idling at 2000rpm - this has now been sorted. There is an oil pressure gauge (was fitted under the bonnet (!) when I bought the car but I've moved it to under the dash) which reads about 40psi when the engine's warm. I've also fitted a new set of plugs. The engine is still not running anything like it should though - power output is more 1850 than Sprint - so will need further TLC from soneone who knows more about these engines than I do. The tappets could also do with setting. It runs a bit warm but doesn't overheat, even in traffic.
Gearbox is good; overdrive doesn't work, although this may be just because the previous owner hadn't wired it up. Steering is nice and tight, suspension behaves as it should, brakes work fine (Sprint brakes). Electrics all work apart from the screenwash and the radio. Unfortunately the clutch is slipping a bit under hard acceleration (although it's fine under normal conditions), which is the one thing that has made me decide to sell the car rather than persevere with it - I haven't got the time or space to do the clutch, and obviously once the engine is up to full power it'll slip even more. If I just pootle around all summer it'll be fine, but if I'm going to do that I might as well buy myself a 1500 and save myself some fuel. So I've decided to cut my losses and put it up for sale. It'll drive away if you're local, but I'd recommend trailering for longer distances.
Here's some pics:
Year: 1979
Mileage: 134,000
Tax: No
MOT: No
Location: Norfolk
Price: £350
Contact: pm or respond here
This was supposed to be my fun car for the summer, but it turned out not to be quite as described and realistically I'm not going to have time to do the work it needs to bring it up to top condition.
It's basically an 1850 shell with Sprint mechanicals fitted. The shell is very sound, the only bits of rot I've found being at the nearside bottom corner of the windscreen and on the bottom of the driver's door (see pics). It's the mechanicals that need attention.
The engine starts and runs, but badly needs servicing and setting up by someone who knows what they're doing. When I got the car the front carb was set way too rich and the rear one was running far too lean, so after a few miles the front two cylinders would flood and the engine would lose most of its power. The jets have now been (very roughly) set and it seems happier now - I did 25 miles in it yesterday afternoon and it didn't conk out once. The throttle cable was also far too tight due to being routed through the wrong hole in the bracket, so the engine was idling at 2000rpm - this has now been sorted. There is an oil pressure gauge (was fitted under the bonnet (!) when I bought the car but I've moved it to under the dash) which reads about 40psi when the engine's warm. I've also fitted a new set of plugs. The engine is still not running anything like it should though - power output is more 1850 than Sprint - so will need further TLC from soneone who knows more about these engines than I do. The tappets could also do with setting. It runs a bit warm but doesn't overheat, even in traffic.
Gearbox is good; overdrive doesn't work, although this may be just because the previous owner hadn't wired it up. Steering is nice and tight, suspension behaves as it should, brakes work fine (Sprint brakes). Electrics all work apart from the screenwash and the radio. Unfortunately the clutch is slipping a bit under hard acceleration (although it's fine under normal conditions), which is the one thing that has made me decide to sell the car rather than persevere with it - I haven't got the time or space to do the clutch, and obviously once the engine is up to full power it'll slip even more. If I just pootle around all summer it'll be fine, but if I'm going to do that I might as well buy myself a 1500 and save myself some fuel. So I've decided to cut my losses and put it up for sale. It'll drive away if you're local, but I'd recommend trailering for longer distances.
Here's some pics:
