For those interested in old cars.

[boxbrownie]

10 hours ago, jcredfer said:

 

That's poor driving.....    normally associated with the Nut behind the wheel.  

 

Julian

As we used to say, the biggest flaw with our vehicles was the nut holding the steering wheel 

[alastairq]

2 hours ago, boxbrownie said:

As we used to say, the biggest flaw with our vehicles was the nut holding the steering wheel 

 As noted.....yet so very, very prevalent ...even today, where everything is done for the 'drive' using technology?

 

Every time I heard a 'driver' complain that this vehicle was cr@p, or that vehicle was rubbish, it always boiled down to the driver's inability to 'drive' properly.

[note..when working, especially on my last job! Which, in itself, I didn't consider to be 'work' in the real sense...not like harvesting cabbages!!]

 

[Phil Traxson]

59 minutes ago, alastairq said:

 

[note..when working, especially on my last job! Which, in itself, I didn't consider to be 'work' in the real sense...not like harvesting cabbages!!]

 

More like teaching them?

[Northmoor]

This caught my eye on eBay:

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/233568397756?ul_noapp=true

 

I thought my 1850HL (first car) was quick enough, this must be, errmm, entertaining!

[boxbrownie]

1 hour ago, Northmoor said:

This caught my eye on eBay:

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/233568397756?ul_noapp=true

 

I thought my 1850HL (first car) was quick enough, this must be, errmm, entertaining!

Although it looks nicely converted, lots of details need addressing obviously, and TBH I’d be looking for a Sprint if I wanted a Dolomite (had a Sprint in about 1980) the output of a Sprint engine would be about the same as a normal 3.5 Rover......without the weight.  Bet it sounds nice though.......

[jcredfer]

5 hours ago, boxbrownie said:

Although it looks nicely converted, lots of details need addressing obviously, and TBH I’d be looking for a Sprint if I wanted a Dolomite (had a Sprint in about 1980) the output of a Sprint engine would be about the same as a normal 3.5 Rover......without the weight.  Bet it sounds nice though.......

 

The Dolomite was a great car, always a pleasure to see.  I had a friend who owned one briefly, but sadly never got a grip of it.  Then life brought a need for something a bit larger, so the moment passed, shame.

 

You will know, what sort of metal was the Dolomite donkey made of?  I ask, because I got a Rover 3,500 and was interested to find that the Aluminium 3.5 lump was lighter than the original 2 Litre one and lighter than the MGB original B Series one, too, when that came about.

 

Julian

 

[Northmoor]

7 minutes ago, jcredfer said:

You will know, what sort of metal was the Dolomite donkey made of?  I ask, because I got a Rover 3,500 and was interested to find that the Aluminium 3.5 lump was lighter than the original 2 Litre one and lighter than the MGB original B Series one, too, when that came about.

 

Dolomite 1850 and 2-litre Sprint engines were based on ally blocks, the 1300 and 1500 were cast iron.

[jcredfer]

25 minutes ago, Northmoor said:

Dolomite 1850 and 2-litre Sprint engines were based on ally blocks, the 1300 and 1500 were cast iron.

 

No wonder they went well.  Any idea where the origin was?

 

Julian

 

[PhilJ W]

2 minutes ago, jcredfer said:

 

No wonder they went well.  Any idea where the origin was?

 

Julian

 

I understood that they were originally designed/built for SAAB though the Dolomite preceded tha SAAB into production.

[jcredfer]

15 minutes ago, PhilJ W said:

I understood that they were originally designed/built for SAAB though the Dolomite preceded tha SAAB into production.

 

Thanks, I wasn't aware of that connection, although the SAAB slow, meticulous, design process is familiar {which is rumoured to be why they are no longer in production}.

 

Julian

 

[boxbrownie]

11 hours ago, Northmoor said:

Dolomite 1850 and 2-litre Sprint engines were based on ally blocks, the 1300 and 1500 were cast iron.

Exactly, which is why the V8 for the stag was such a good design (basically two Dolly engines in V formation) .......had it been installed correctly without the cooling system issues!
 

I think it was some silly internal BLMC political rangling that precluded the use of the Rover V8 in the stag at production, would have saved cost and increased reliability in the long run.

[boxbrownie]

11 hours ago, PhilJ W said:

I understood that they were originally designed/built for SAAB though the Dolomite preceded tha SAAB into production.

I understood the engine was designed by BLMC (with SAAB input) for use in both SAAB and BLMC products as SAAB didn’t have the production capabilities/capacity required at the time. It was supposed to debut in the SAAB first but typically there was some sleight of hand and Dolly went into production with it first.

 

Don't quote me, there’s probably more to it than that as well.

[boxbrownie]

12 hours ago, jcredfer said:

 

The Dolomite was a great car, always a pleasure to see.  I had a friend who owned one briefly, but sadly never got a grip of it.  Then life brought a need for something a bit larger, so the moment passed, shame.

 

It was a lovely car, used to race a 3L Capri along our country lanes most morning on the way to work (those were the days ) but after a few thousand miles the Sprint had a habit of tearing the rear suspension tie rod mounts under the rear doors out of the floor, luckily BL Special Tuning had also found this issue and supplied a strengthening plate which could be welded on, annoying all the same..

[Hobby]

33 minutes ago, boxbrownie said:

I understood the engine was designed by BLMC (with SAAB input) for use in both SAAB and BLMC products as SAAB didn’t have the production capabilities/capacity required at the time. It was supposed to debut in the SAAB first but typically there was some sleight of hand and Dolly went into production with it first.

 

Don't quote me, there’s probably more to it than that as well.

 

That was my understanding having recently read a book on BLMC engines/cars and I was about to say the same thing you have!

[Joseph_Pestell]

34 minutes ago, boxbrownie said:

It was a lovely car, used to race a 3L Capri along our country lanes most morning on the way to work (those were the days ) but after a few thousand miles the Sprint had a habit of tearing the rear suspension tie rod mounts under the rear doors out of the floor, luckily BL Special Tuning had also found this issue and supplied a strengthening plate which could be welded on, annoying all the same..

 

In the early 80s, my commute to work involved a stretch of the old French GP circuit just west of Reims. Never raced with anybody but I did wind the Astra up to full speed past the derelict stands.

[Kickstart]

1 hour ago, boxbrownie said:

I understood the engine was designed by BLMC (with SAAB input) for use in both SAAB and BLMC products as SAAB didn’t have the production capabilities/capacity required at the time. It was supposed to debut in the SAAB first but typically there was some sleight of hand and Dolly went into production with it first.

 

Don't quote me, there’s probably more to it than that as well.

I remember reading that both Saab and BLMC had contracted out development of very similar engines to the same company (possibly Ricardo), who did some manipulation to put both in touch with each other to join up for development of a single base engibe

 

 All the best

 

Katy

[boxbrownie]

43 minutes ago, Kickstart said:

I remember reading that both Saab and BLMC had contracted out development of very similar engines to the same company (possibly Ricardo), who did some manipulation to put both in touch with each other to join up for development of a single base engibe

 

 All the best

 

Katy

 Correct.....

[Nick C]

The Triumph slant 4 is indeed all ally, and was designed by Triumph for SAAB, though interestingly the opposite way round - the SAABs have it with the flywheel at the front. The 1300 and 1500s have the same iron-block engine that dates right back and was used in Herald and Spitfire amongst others.

 

I know of at least 3 V8 Dolomites, two RV8s and one using the Stag engine. The latter has some very nice custom fabrication to fit it all in, wheras one of the Rover conversions cheated by extending the nose by two inches. The dolly engine bay is surprisingly small!

[steve1]

Seems Saab tried the Stag V8 in the 99 before settling on the Dolly engine.

 

steve

[Northmoor]

5 hours ago, boxbrownie said:

It was a lovely car, used to race a 3L Capri along our country lanes most morning on the way to work (those were the days ) but after a few thousand miles the Sprint had a habit of tearing the rear suspension tie rod mounts under the rear doors out of the floor, luckily BL Special Tuning had also found this issue and supplied a strengthening plate which could be welded on, annoying all the same..

Years ago when I had my 1850, I briefly worked with a guy who commuted in a Mk2 Golf GTi.  He borrowed a friend's Dolly Sprint for a few days and admitted it actually scared him......

Dad really liked mine, he drove it frequently while I was away at Uni and said it was perfect for his regular commute in Wales.  Almost the whole route was unclassified roads but many had been improved and were two cars wide, so bombing along at 50-60 was easy and you didn't really need the overdrive (which ours didn't have).  I've always cars with more power than grip, it teaches you where the limits are.  I won't elaborate on how I repeatedly tried to find out.........

[jcredfer]

2 hours ago, Northmoor said:

<Snip>  I've always cars with more power than grip, it teaches you where the limits are.  I won't elaborate on how I repeatedly tried to find out.........

 

I very much agree, since the lock-down, I have seen so many youngsters struggling, being unused to managing the speed, on the less populated roads.  There is a hedge, less than 1/2 mile from here, with a brand new hole, this week.  Looks a simple corner, but not flat, with a descending curve .....   WHAM!!

 

I think most of us, of a certain age, had to learn how to drive properly, because of the basic level of tyres, suspension etc.  Strangely, one of my "events" wasn't too long ago, with a Freelander Mk1, on 2 wheels round a roundabout.  Did make rather a loud bang when I flicked it back down again. 

 

Julian

 

Edited May 22, 2020 by jcredfer

[Rugd1022]

Dean Martin with his Facel Vega in 1961....

 

 

[steve1]

HK 500. model.

 

steve

[boxbrownie]

7 hours ago, Rugd1022 said:

Dean Martin with his Facel Vega in 1961....

 

 

And amazingly never driven sober......

[Metr0Land]

Hence the old Dave Allen joke "Dean Martin saw a sign DRINK CANADA DRY, so he went there and did"

 

(Sorry for thread drift but this is rmweb)