Post by Matt of the Vivas on Feb 20, 2017 20:01:55 GMT
My 1972 Dolomite 1850 Auto....
I bought it in May 2012 from a chap in Suffolk.
Its only done 10,000 genuine miles from new - it was laid up in a garage from 1981 to 1996 then used very lightly since.
It came with the original sales invoice, and every MOT to prove the mileage.
The story goes that a lady in North London bought it new, trading in her Triumph 1500 and paying extra for the Autobox and Webasto-style roof (i think its actually a Weathershields unit) and drove it very seldomly until 1981 - the last MOT in 1981 shows 8,400 miles. Then she had an accident in it, resulting in the need for a new passenger side front wing. The car was repaired, but she never drove it again until she died in 1996. The car was then left in her will to a chap in Kent - her nephew? - who then paid a vast amount to have the car recomissioned by a garage in Woolwich, London. He barely drove it and sold it on to the chap in Suffolk i bought it from in 2006.
The car was a mix of good and bad. It was very close to being rustfree, apart from a small bit of rot in the boot floor under the fuel tank and a few bits of surface rust. The interior was and is virtually perfect. The engine was sweet, but lacking in power and a very poor cold starter - it now goes well but cold starting is still a pain... The brakes and road holding were scary, as it was riding on a set of budget tyres from 1996 with virtually untouched since new brakes and suspension - no
how it had an MOT really. The paintwork was awful, the front end had been painted after the accident and was a poor match, and the rest of the car was original but very thin paint, with quite a few dents and scrapes from being stored for years.
I rebuilt the brakes and suspension pretty much straight away, going so far as fitting poly bushes all round and powder coating all the arms and links, all new brakes with silicone fluid, and new tyres. I also renewed all the radiator hoses and rebuilt the carbs. I drove it over the summer of 2012, enjoyed it, and then made the decision to have it resprayed as it really needed it - it would have started to deteriorate otherwise. This was done autumn / winter 2012. Since then ive just kept it looking good, and done lots of little tidying up jobs and improvements. Its not perfect, but it is very nice and im happy with it. I dont use it much, i must admit to feeling guily about its lack of use over the 5 years ive had it, but maybe this year is the year?
Here follows some pictures from the restoration that i saved from the old forum, they are not in any special order but you get the:
Currently up on stands having its underneath cleaned, painted and waxoyled.
I do enjoy a good dollop of waxoyl...
I bought it in May 2012 from a chap in Suffolk.
Its only done 10,000 genuine miles from new - it was laid up in a garage from 1981 to 1996 then used very lightly since.
It came with the original sales invoice, and every MOT to prove the mileage.
The story goes that a lady in North London bought it new, trading in her Triumph 1500 and paying extra for the Autobox and Webasto-style roof (i think its actually a Weathershields unit) and drove it very seldomly until 1981 - the last MOT in 1981 shows 8,400 miles. Then she had an accident in it, resulting in the need for a new passenger side front wing. The car was repaired, but she never drove it again until she died in 1996. The car was then left in her will to a chap in Kent - her nephew? - who then paid a vast amount to have the car recomissioned by a garage in Woolwich, London. He barely drove it and sold it on to the chap in Suffolk i bought it from in 2006.
The car was a mix of good and bad. It was very close to being rustfree, apart from a small bit of rot in the boot floor under the fuel tank and a few bits of surface rust. The interior was and is virtually perfect. The engine was sweet, but lacking in power and a very poor cold starter - it now goes well but cold starting is still a pain... The brakes and road holding were scary, as it was riding on a set of budget tyres from 1996 with virtually untouched since new brakes and suspension - no
how it had an MOT really. The paintwork was awful, the front end had been painted after the accident and was a poor match, and the rest of the car was original but very thin paint, with quite a few dents and scrapes from being stored for years.I rebuilt the brakes and suspension pretty much straight away, going so far as fitting poly bushes all round and powder coating all the arms and links, all new brakes with silicone fluid, and new tyres. I also renewed all the radiator hoses and rebuilt the carbs. I drove it over the summer of 2012, enjoyed it, and then made the decision to have it resprayed as it really needed it - it would have started to deteriorate otherwise. This was done autumn / winter 2012. Since then ive just kept it looking good, and done lots of little tidying up jobs and improvements. Its not perfect, but it is very nice and im happy with it. I dont use it much, i must admit to feeling guily about its lack of use over the 5 years ive had it, but maybe this year is the year?
Here follows some pictures from the restoration that i saved from the old forum, they are not in any special order but you get the
:Currently up on stands having its underneath cleaned, painted and waxoyled.
I do enjoy a good dollop of waxoyl...
