need another (driving) hobby - so, with son, am buying fully restored '81 Dolomite Sprint, green, lot of bills, pix of all work etc - any contacts, pse, for owners' club and best place to get insurance quote?
many thanks
EH
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EH
Look at the Triumph Sports Six Club, they were very helpful when SWMBO had her Herald.
www.tssc.org.uk/
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Terry
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Lovely cars, especially when you can get the tuning right. A friend and I had a couple - but both lost their battles with rust eventually.
Rimmer brothers used to do a free spare parts catalogue - well worth having. I'm sure there's also a sprint club - it would be in the back of practical classics magazine.
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groups.msn.com/TriumphDolomiteSprint
www.triumphdolomiteclub.com
www.tdsclub.supanet.com/
cant vouch for any of them but should get you started
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Also look up the Dolomite on the excellent www.austin-rover.co.uk website. Can't do a link unfortunately. Obviously about BMC , Leyland etc, but does have a section on the Triumph saloons.
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I wish you a lot of enjoyment.
A cracking car, and I'd love one (but unfortunately for such ownership, running the motorbike as a Big Boy's Toy comes first!)
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Also look up the Dolomite on the excellent www.austin-rover.co.uk website. Can't do a link unfortunately. Obviously about BMC , Leyland etc, but does have a section on the Triumph saloons.
>>
here you are,
www.austin-rover.co.uk
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Practical Classics magazine out this week has a good article on the restoration of a Dolomite Sprint. Clubs, parts suppliers & insurance either in the article itself or the small ads at the back of this fantastic mag.
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Am i correct in saying that the Dolomite Sprint had the first 16v engine? I'm sure it did, pretty impressive stuff considering their main rivals in the 70's Ford took until 1992 (i think) to prouduce a 16v if you ignore the Cosworths.
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Not sure about that but fitted a TR7 2.0 litre in one went like a rocket as I recall in those days had 105 in third gear.well before speed cams.I tuned it and looked after it for several years.seems its still going.but down cornwall some where.not seen it since.
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The Dolly Sprint (as we called it then) used a bored-out version of the 1850cc engine that Triumph designed for SAAB. This was when Triumph was run by George Turnbull (who went on to set up Hyundai, with financial backing from the Midland Bank!).
I actually worked on a couple of Sprints about 25 years ago. They were 16v 4cyl engines, but with just one cam, running over the inlet valves. The inlets were driven directly off the lobes, and the corresponding exhaust valves via a long rocker arm.
The gearbox was the good old Triumph 2000 'box.
I never actually drove one, but they had a reputation for rather tricky handling.
The engines were temperamental (overheating problems) and I vaugely remember changing a headgasket on one - the new h/g was coated with latex (or something similar) to help it seal!
The bodies rotted rather badly - not seen one for many years now.
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When I worked for BL (:!) many years ago a colleague had a new one as his company car. They had just been launched.
Great accleration, but it overheated and when he tried to open the bonnet, the cable became detached from the mechanism and it would not go. Pretty typical BL lack of quality control.
Handling was abysmal in the wet: narrow track and poor suspension design meant gross oversteer. It was in yellow: a popular colour of the day.
After that I never fancied one.
madf
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i believe the dolomite sprint was the first production car to have 4-valves per cylinder.
mate of my dad is clearing out his garage and threw away some parts for the sprint last weekend. there may be more unearthed this week as the clear-out progresses. if el-hacko posts his general location, i will see if any more parts found can be sent his way.
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wot wunnerful people you are - casa mia is Epsom, Surrey
ta ever so
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two items we're looking for, in particular, are front spoiler and black carpeting
thanks again
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