The Dark Wob

Ugh.

In this day and age of bland boring cars I think all of those have their place, obviously some of them should be further away from me than others though

That dog

Nearly half a year since proper updates working on the car!

So what's happened since then? Not a lot really on the Dolomite just yet, but a bunch of intervening stuff that affected the timeline to sorting it. In mid February it got transported to storage in preparation for us moving house.



Early March we finally moved house - 5 attempted house sales, 3 attempted purchases and 1.5 years later. Not something we will be doing again for a while. Then the next couple of weeks were spent doing the usual DIY as you move in. Of course as we all know, lockdown happened. This meant my garage, which I'd separately packed away into a storage unit was not realistically retrievable for a couple of months. So in that time I took advantage of an empty garage to paint it.


The garage is a double, so should be plenty of room to work on this. This is good as it's turned out to be much more of a project than I originally intended! Also should be big enough, because I've filled it up a fair bit already with my stuff...

Since then I've got my stuff back, then worked down the priority queue of automotive repairs. Firstly the radiators, coolant pump and expansion tank had to be fixed on this...


That was a fun job I am glad to not be doing again in a rush.

So after moving house, naturally the next good* idea I had was to buy yet another car! Bought completely sight unseen off eBay and delivered to me.




Naturally it needed a bit more work than originally intended. Thankfully mostly mechanical and rarely for an ADO16, virtually no bodywork! However currently that is blocking up the garage workspace.

While chatting to Worldofceri, who transported the 1100, he mentioned that he'll give a buzz when passing next and move the Dolomite for me. I'm very thankful for him doing this as my wife was not keen at all being a tow driver in the front pull car while I sat in the Dolomite. Especially as the storage to my new house is only a short distance but single track lanes with no real passing areas.

So yesterday this turned back up.


I really need to hurry up on the 1100 and get this back in the garage. At least the warm and dry weather we are having at the moment shouldn't affect it too much though.

In the daylight with room to walk around, it's shown up the bits that need tending to on the body. Let's have a brief tour...

Front wing needs finishing. I've got the repair panel for this.


Doors needs attention. This is the worst.


Wheel arch needs some work.


Not sure I want to know what's going on here just yet!


Boot lid has a very crusty spot.


Eyebrows need some attention too. These do pass the poke test thankfully though.



Then there is the bits that you can't see at the moment. Inner wheel arch on both sides with one currently what looks like a lump of fibreglass in.

Finally the bulkhead area. This will be the bit I'll focus on first. Basically needs a new section welding in on the inside and possibly some in the bonnet area on the outside. Now I have undercover working area, my intention is to remove the windscreen from the car. This should allow me to do this area properly.

However I do need to check if I can get a replacement seal. The one on there is cracked up already and in definite need of replacement. But it will likely need cutting out, so I need to make sure I can get a replacement before this is done.

So plenty to do and not quite ready to start. At least with it on the drive it reminds me everytime I go out that I need to hurry up and get on with it. Given I'm quite slow at working, it's likely it will become a late summer and through winter 2020 project.

After the bodywork there is the mechanicals that need attention. Carb rebuild as a minimum, diff/transmission whine looking at, rusty shocks replacement and suspension desqueaking. Finally the front seats are torn up on the front vinyl + foam disintegrating, so they'll need some repair work too.

Just a bit to do then! Next update hopefully won't be more than another month or two. Famous last words...

For the screen seal try sealsdirect.com and the claytonrite one with filler strip. I just had to buy one for the rear window on my pickup and was cheap and nice quality. I rang and they were really helpful......old school company despite the impression from the web address

The filler strip really closes it up on the glass too.....often the filler strip on OE seals is just decorative.

Cool, I'll give them a bell.

According to the Dolomite club forum, it's these guys who make the seal that most places resell:
https://coh-baines.co.uk

I like to try and find firms who are expert in what they do rather than classic car sources if possible......you get better advice and often cheaper.
Not always true mind

Alf892 wrote:I like to try and find firms who are expert in what they do rather than classic car sources if possible......you get better advice and often cheaper.
Not always true mind

I agree. From their website, it looks like Baines is a manufacturer of rubber extrusions for many different markets, including automotive:
https://coh-baines.co.uk/about-us/

Alf892 wrote: ↑Thu Jun 11, 2020 8:37 pm For the screen seal try sealsdirect.com and the claytonrite one with filler strip. I just had to buy one for the rear window on my pickup and was cheap and nice quality. I rang and they were really helpful......old school company despite the impression from the web address

The filler strip really closes it up on the glass too.....often the filler strip on OE seals is just decorative.

Is this the website you mean?
https://www.sealsdirect.co.uk/shopping. ... entId=4#28
(In New Milton, Hants)

(sealsdirect.com ends up in a company in New York state)

MLOR wrote: ↑Thu Jun 11, 2020 9:45 pm

Alf892 wrote: ↑Thu Jun 11, 2020 8:37 pm For the screen seal try sealsdirect.com and the claytonrite one with filler strip. I just had to buy one for the rear window on my pickup and was cheap and nice quality. I rang and they were really helpful......old school company despite the impression from the web address

The filler strip really closes it up on the glass too.....often the filler strip on OE seals is just decorative.

Is this the website you mean?
https://www.sealsdirect.co.uk/shopping. ... entId=4#28
(In New Milton, Hants)

(sealsdirect.com ends up in a company in New York state)

Yep......apologies to SiC!