1974 Dolomite Sprint

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Re: 1974 Dolomite Sprint

Post by DodgeRover »

That could have been tricky to explain when a trio of performing seals are delivered to his door step
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Re: 1974 Dolomite Sprint

Post by Hooli »

Mrs SiC would be sure to smell something fishy.
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Re: 1974 Dolomite Sprint

Post by CLINT »

Especially if it was on a Thursday evening. It would be a while until she realised it was out of the ordinary
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Re: 1974 Dolomite Sprint

Post by SiC »

I feel really guilty about this car. It's been sat outside for a winter and a good part of the summer since buying it. Life, house moving, work and other cars have taken priority over this. Not helped by adding to the fleet by buying a Austin 1100 over lockdown. But finally it now is it's time for going into the garage. I imagine this project is now going to make most of this winter.
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First off I gave it a good wash. Amazing how much dirt came off it from sitting a year outside and then later in storage (old chicken shed). Being up close reminds me how much work is needed and the rust bubbling through the paint. I was hoping to avoid a full respray, but I'm being to think it may be necessary.
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Even the boot badge is corroding FFS. Oh and I shouldn't have poked the bubble on the boot either!
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In the boot was mouldy and minging. Ended up washing this out.
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Then finally the push into the garage. A massive improvement over my old workspace but still going to be tight working! Especially once I start stripping bits off.

My hope at some point this door will be replaced with a roller door. Ideally before I get this car done!
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Then closing the door and reclaiming the drive with the moderns.
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So this is going to be a lot of work. First steps now will be to do a stock take on the car and build a list of jobs that need doing. Primarily it's going to be bodywork but there is a few mechanical bits that need attention. Mainly carb rebuild, cooling system attention and suspension refresh.

One of the first things I need to do is removing the windshield and rear glass. I know the front windscreen seals are available, but are the rear? Both are heavily perished and fit for the bin.
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Re: 1974 Dolomite Sprint

Post by SiC »

Went surveying with the screwdriver last night to figure out the extent of what needs to be done. Rusty picture heavy warning!

Starting from the front.

Bulkhead/windscreen area I know about. Not too terrible.

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Wheel arch corners need finishing off
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Made a small hole by the front at the battery area
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Drivers side headlight mounting has gone at the back. Passenger side looks fine though but need to clean back the dirt to check.
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Drivers side lower wing needs finishing off. I have a panel for this. Made a hole in a rust bubble on the bottom of the door. Straight through so will be a bit of a job.
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Rear driver's door isn't as bad. Will be interesting to see how thin this is.
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Rear wheel arch ...
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Unfortunately it looks like someone has welded a repair panel over the top of the body. Dirt has sprayed up in the arch and has got between the two.

I'm going to run over the top of the area and take the paint off. Hopefully I can cut the repair panel and fix it up as I know they're hard to get hold off. I suspect this one may not be salvageable.

Boot floor isn't terrible.
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Boot lid is crusty but not holed. Hopefully clean up and fresh paint will be all that is needed.
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Rear arch on passenger side is not too bad. You can tell the same problem where it's welded on top. Not decided what to do with this yet. Probably should cut it out and reweld it in properly. I'll figure it out once I've been through everything else.
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Bottom of the arch is bad too.
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Door jams have had a bodge repair previously.
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Found fibreglass and lumps of filler. More cleaning up needed.
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Front isn't as bad but still needs cleaning up and new pieces welded in.
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Finally the bubbles along the front eyebrows aren't that bad. Only one hole poked through.
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Then the bonnet catch needs a quick few welds to reattach the mount.
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At least the roof opens fine though!
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So all in the bodywork is not as bad as I feared! A lot of work but it's not insurmountable. Rough list:
- Windscreen/bulkhead area. No real pics in this post as dash is in but there's pics earlier in this thread.
- Offside Wheel arch corner
- Front light surround
- Lower Drivers side wing
- Both offside door bottoms
- Rear offside wing
- Boot floor
- Nearside wing
- Nearside door jams/posts
- Nearside wheel arch corners
- General small patches and cleanup

Main parts I need to find now is the rear wheel arch panels. Hoping the rest will be possible to fabricate up. Interior will need plenty of bits, but I'll come to that after the bodywork is done.

If anyone sees any for sale, please let me know!
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Re: 1974 Dolomite Sprint

Post by brandersnatch »

That all looks pretty scary to me. Then again I can’t fabricate or weld or paint so what do I know? Good luck with it. I’ve seen your previous work so I’m sure you’ll have it done by next weekend!
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Re: 1974 Dolomite Sprint

Post by Hooli »

Blimey I thought this looked quite solid when you first got it too.
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Re: 1974 Dolomite Sprint

Post by SiC »

You mean this isn't normal?
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You can't say no, as I've seen your Jag thread 😁
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Re: 1974 Dolomite Sprint

Post by Hooli »

I can say no, that's got too much metal in it!
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Re: 1974 Dolomite Sprint

Post by SiC »

Cracked on with a few minor jobs. Door removal first. Wish I could have done this when I worked on it last.
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Six bolts came out easy enough
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This had been "repaired" before. I knew it was there but foolishly thought it was welded. Not sure why, because welds don't look lumpy. Anyway I poked.
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Next up was removing the steering column. This bolt is a right bugger to get at and remove.
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Once that's out, undo the column height adjuster and remove the pin that holds the bolt in. Then lift the whole column out.
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Then next up was the dash out.
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First job was to remove the clocks. Easy enough. Then couple of bolts and screws to remove the whole dash section.

With that out, you can see where I was at last time when I had to pause. No better than it was but no worse. Big difference this time is ok going to cut out the windscreen. That way I can cut out the riveted plates and sort all this properly.
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Bit more disassembly and then I can get on with putting fresh metal in.
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