1974 Dolomite Sprint

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Re: 1974 Dolomite Sprint

Post by AutoshiteBoy »

The first TR7s felt exceptionally strong. By the time it moved to Canley, it was thinned out.
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Re: 1974 Dolomite Sprint

Post by LynehamHerc »

Judging by how hard it is to push my MGB I can well believe it.
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Re: 1974 Dolomite Sprint

Post by SiC »

Had a good productive day today. A big day as finally put fresh metal on.

Started it by cutting even more holes into the arch area.
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Then attacked with the powerfile.
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Then made a card template and cut some metal for the jacking point box section
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Clamped up the work and kitted up to start spraying sparks. Struck the first arc and ARRRRRGH SO BRIGHT.

Damn mask battery had gone flat and its now 4pm on a Sunday. Chances of getting a CR2045 battery are pretty slim. So rushed out to Toolstation (close at 5pm) and picked up a cheap mask.
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Finally got down to welding
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Templated and then cut a piece for the wheel arch next and lined it all up.
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Tacked
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Welded. Didn't blow too many holes. Bit thin at the top but not terrible. Decent thick steel on this car.
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Plug welded the rest and seam welded on the otherside
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Otherside for penetration check
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Could do with a quick run over with the grinder to tidy up but it was getting late. So sprayed some red oxide over to provide some protection.
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Still got to finish boxing this off and repairing the membrane then outer sill. Quite a few bits and pieces to make up this section.
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This hole has got bigger at the top of the wheel arch too. Awkward piece that is part of the bulkhead into the cabin and engine bay. Will need a fire blanket shoving down here before I start welding, so I don't get stray sparks into the engine bay. Also has the bulkhead foam backed insulation I need to temporarily remove as that'll be a fire risk too.
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Re: 1974 Dolomite Sprint

Post by SiC »

The other night I got on with templating and cutting out some bits to make up this front section.
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Big thanks to @purplebargeken in lending me this bender. Made a much better job of it than me hitting with hammers on my much abused workbench.
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Bits all cut out and ready
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I had a bit of spare time, so I whipped off the dust cap on the front hub to see the state of the bearings. Should it be black grease? Indication of bearing failure?
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Pulled the outer bearings out and they seemed ok. Timken branded, so possibly original or very least genuine. Seemed to run smooth enough though. Cleaned them up with a tissue and packed it all back in with fresh grease.

Tonight I got in with welding those bits on. No intermediate pictures as I just wanted to get it done tonight. Threw some black enamel on to protect it.
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Need to drill a hole in the jacking point section so I can spray some rust preventer in it. Always awkward when you have to weld a box section in, sealing any access to painting it

Still got the inner sill piece to weld on next in this bit. Had a poke under the dash again and got showered on by rusty bits. I think one of the previously 10 owners must have threw filler up there and then lobbed seam sealer. Unfortunately now it's all very crumbly.

I think this will be the next bit I tackle. Dash will need to come out for it and possibly the heater box too. Also the windscreen will need protecting. Looks potentially an awkward job with a lot of sparks in the face.

This section is higher priority than the drivers floor. Short term I will cut and weld the small, bottom section where its turned to Edam cheese. Doesn't mean I'll never replace the drivers side footwell panel as a whole in the future, but it will buy me a bit of time in the meantime. I would really like to get it all done properly however I still have loads of other bits that need doing still. Not least I think there is a chunk of fibre glass hiding something on the passenger side wheel arch... :O
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Re: 1974 Dolomite Sprint

Post by The Reverend Bluejeans »

Paint wise, you can get French blue mixed at a good factors. Mask up and paint from the lower swage line downwards.
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Re: 1974 Dolomite Sprint

Post by Asimo »

Wheel bearing grease looks exactly as it should. MS3* grease usually specified for such applications. Very messy, stains shirts.

**Molybdenum trisulphide
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Re: 1974 Dolomite Sprint

Post by AutoshiteBoy »

Enjoying this thread.
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Re: 1974 Dolomite Sprint

Post by christine »

£500 off and where's your free moped ? :P
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Re: 1974 Dolomite Sprint

Post by SiC »

Free moped so you can still get to work when it inevitably shits itself?
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Re: 1974 Dolomite Sprint

Post by SiC »

It been nearly a month since I've done any proper work on this. Irritating heavy weather and working outside don't go together. Today though has been a dry and sunny day, perfect for getting on with this wing.

First jack the car back up. This led to an awful lot of water draining out of various areas. I need to get this back under cover before the worst of the weather hits. Need to move before that can happen...
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Sanded back the enamel paint I put on to protect my work.
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Lined up the piece I did last month to seal up the inner sill
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Tacked and seam welded
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Then got the next bit shaped up and cut out
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Welded and cleaned up
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Painted. Ran out of black but found an old tin of hammerite but in white
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Next up was tackling the hole in the arch. This is one of those jobs I know was going to be a massive PIA
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Removed the insulation in the engine bay. This broke up pretty easily. I think this area has been welded up before and this insulation got a bit burnt up anyway.
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This hole is clearly visible from the engine bay area too. TADIS
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Inside I cleaned up the area ready for a patch
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Welded the first patch in. This is in the drivers footwell. Not my best work for sure and a patch too. I couldn't get my head with the helmet on in the right place. Really could do with the column coming out so I could get closer. However it is solid.
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Otherside still to do. I plan to soak this area in paint, seam sealer and rust proofing to slow it degrading. How long it last depends entirely how the car is used. If undercover and used on nice days, it'll last decades. If daily driven in all weathers and seasons, probably a couple of years.
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The left of this, on the piece I put in, was actually a right angle. So I welded it up. This is even messier and I'm not happy with it. I'll clean it up with a grinder (if I can get in) and see what it's like. May use a die grinder to clean it all out an redo.
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Hopefully the nice weather will hold this week and I can get the bottom bit of the front wing on! After that, it'll be finishing fixing that wheel arch hole and then fix up the floor.

Dash is currently out as I've found a rather nasty bit under the windscreen. Not sure I want to show that just yet - it's pretty bad. I can't weld that up really unless I have the windscreen out. That will have to wait till I move house first though. Windscreen needs to come out anyway as the window rubber is buggered and is letting water leak in at the bottom.
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