340 1.4 CVT 4 sale

[Speedy88]

Ah I love Dollys, almost just for the utter unreliability.

[JPB]

Ah I love Dollys, almost just for the utter unreliability.

I bought mine at 40,000 miles from new, it's now covered 64,000, I've only had this one since October 2008. It's my daily driver and as it's a pre-'75 one, isn't remotely rusty but, more significantly, is utterly reliable. My previous one was bought at around the same mileage, and went on to cover 191,000 miles before I [foolishly] sold it, that car had done 211,000 before the head came off for the first time and then only for a decoke and reshim. The engine still hasn't been reground or rebored, though had shells and Cords rings at around 235,000, current mileage (engine) is now around 255,000 in another Dolomite that lives locally.

But later ones, with their nasty Russian steel (as used by Alfa in the Sud plant) and poorer build quality could be troublesome, tough engine though, and the fact that Saab continued to use essentially the same unit for so many years means that parts are easy and cheap. OK, so water pumps live on top of the block and are a bit daunting for the uninitiated, but I've yet to meet an utterly unreliable example.

1500s now, different and rather less robust engine in those, don't confuse the two just because they share a body.

[Speedy88]

Ahh point taken. My chances of getting one have increased then

[Chris_C]

I reckon I might recognise that dolly from somewhere....

Nice to see you on here John, I havn't seen Wills old car for a good few years but it was always superbly turned out when I did. Good luck with it!

[JPB]

Hi Chris, yes, the Dolly has been something of a forum tart in its time.

The 340 is one of those rare beasts that, like my much-loved Sienna Brown '72, just gets better the deeper I delve.
Today I've cut out the rust in the leading edge of the bonnet and brazed a patch into the outer skin, having first welded up the inner area where the rust had begun.

It's now been finished with a layer of body solder and is in primer, awaiting a top coat from an aerosol that I found was available, off the shelf, from Halfords. Tomorrow, unless something else gets in the way, the dent in the driver's door will be filled and also given some fresh paint.
I did consider going inside the door to straighten the dent out but as the damage is so minor, I've decided that filler will be appropriate there. The aim is to keep the paint as original as possible, since it still has a good shine and doesn't warrant a respray which, IMHO, would ruin the originality of what is basically an incredibly straight car.

There were already some grommets in the door step sections of the sills and in the door shuts at the D post ends, so I used the existing holes and poured a gallon of Hot Waxoyl into each side which should go a long way to ensuring that this car remains unwelded, apart from that little bit on the bonnet.

I'll start a thread in a more appropriate section of the board for pictures of the bits & pieces that I'm doing but the next job, and possibly the only one that's anywhere near urgent, is to repair the lumbar cushion area of the driver's seat. Even as it is, the seat is perfectly usable, but if I'm to succeed in my effort to bring the car up to something like the condition of a typically well-kept, much younger car, then I'll be doing things with the long term in mind.

Car and self have bonded well, I'm tempted to name it Cheryl, as it has Tweedy seats.........