The dolly Sprint 16v

[sierra3dr]

Such an interesting read about the Dolomite Sprint,Spen King designing a single cam 16v cylinder head. Was it ohv or ohc?

[alfaSleep]

OHC - 'one half' of a Stag V8!

AlfaSleep

[sierra3dr]

thanks Alfa,impressed with the technology for it's time period. I've noticed late Manufacturers used a 16v sohc heads

[alfaSleep]

My D4F is a SOHC 16V - using 'tuning fork' rocker arms.

alfaSleep

[JPB]

OHC - 'one half' of a Stag V8!

AlfaSleep

Strictly speaking, it's the original 1709cc, 8 valve version that forms the Stag's left bank, the 16v version comes with such luxurious departures - from the original design - as a duplex cam chain and studs that sometimes come out without recourse to the Saab dealers' special extractor since they're surrounded by oil which can help break them.

Both 8v and 16v are very strong though, I had 191,000 miles on my Ice Blue Dolomite and its next keeper took it to 215,000 before taking it off the road for a rebuild that he only just finished after 16 years at it. The brown one went from 40k to 84k in a shade over three years and never lost a drop of any vital fluid though both needed the HG doing properly, using pukka Saab parts, at 37k in the blue car and 48k in the brown one.
Many 99s and Dolomites have covered quarter of a million miles with no real bother on these engines, best thing BL ever fitted to a car apart from the Perkins Prima.

[Martin Evans]

Of course Saab used the Dolomite engine and they wouldn't have used rubbish

I always feel the TR7 should have had the Sprint engine, as then the performance wouldn't have been seen as such a retrograde step after the TR6. Ofcourse if the Rover V8 had gone in, as had been rumoured before launch, it would have been faster than the TR6.

When my father sold his first MGB GT V8, to prevent my growth being stunted (Not that I minded being crammed in the back), a Dolomite Sprint was mentioned and I know we went to look at an Alfa 2.0 GTV (One of the last before the hatchback style), which was a competitor for it. He all but bought a used Jensen Interceptor SP but in the end he bought a Volvo 245 (In terms of space, from one extreme to the other for us) and we did a ten day camping tour of Scotland, with a great big tent and all the gear.

[JPB]

Of course Saab used the Dolomite engine........

Yep, and they used it 4 years before it appeared in the Dolomite.

[DoloMIGHTY]

I always feel the TR7 should have had the Sprint engine,

Never could of been as the 7 was primarily aimed at the American market and the 16v version could never comply too (some) States emission regulations.

And yes, a great bit of design work on the cylinderhead, so much so it received acknowledgement:



..not all things from British Leyland was bad

[rich.]

its a shame that saab build quality didnt rub off on austin rover group.

[sierra3dr]

Thanks DoloMIGHTY,excellent read from the clipping. I suspect when doing valve clearances,it will be touch better