Seized Brakes

[bmcecosse]

Springy suggests low on oil/air in the system. Change the oil!

[Trickydicky]

If they are springy and bouncy as you suggest and low on oil then most likely they have leaked in the past, the ones that are fitted to the car now may be the best ones to refill with fresh oil.
Unfortunately the only way to test the dampers for leaks is to replace the oil and fit them to the car,then check them after driving around for a couple of days.

[bmcecosse]

If the shaft through the damper is 'wobbly' then it IS going to leak... Search for Declan's excellent thread on how to overhaul the damper....although it does require some engineering skill.

[Trickydicky]

Roy,
The wobbly feel on the lever arm is because the oil in the dampers also lubricates the two connecting pins which connect the pistons to the lever arm, this creates wear and it is this that gives the impression of the shaft wearing when in fact it is the connecting rod pins that are worn.
Because the oil has leaked out a oval hole is created by the action of the damper as it never performs a full stroke. If you were to fit a camera to video the action of the damper under normal working conditions the lever only moves about a quarter of its full travel. With the seal failing and the damper leaking oil this then creates the oval hole in the body of the damper because the shaft gets no lubrication.

Sadly nobody remanufactures the Armstrong dampers, (except one guy in the states), the only methods of repairing them in the UK is by Declan's method or by the way I devised, which is a variation of Declan's method.

[MarkyB]

Before you condemn the reconditioned dampers put them upright in a vice and work the arm up and down a couple of times.
There is every chance that air has got in the wrong place during transit.
They are only designed to work with the filler uppermost.

[bmcecosse]

Richard -yes I agree - still say if it's wobbly (for whatever reason) it's going to leak when filled up. Worth a try though surely for 50p worth of SAE 40! And yes - I had forgotten you had a 'variation' on Declan's fix - perhaps you could add a link to it?? And yes - the dampers need to be 'upright' so new oil and full stroking - they may be fine !

[LUR759H]

Hi BMCECOSSE,
The damper that still remains on my car is fitted at an angle is this right?

The other side i have now removed and plan to remove the spring and replace shackle plates, bushes, U bends and locating plates, shackle pins and maybe the bolt that goes through the springs.

Do the shackle pins just push out as the one Im working on will not move as the thread was gone badly with rust I ended up cutting both nuts in the top and lower pins to free the spring.

Alan

[bmcecosse]

Yes - they 'just' push out.... And yes one damper lies back at an angle - that's ok - it's lying on side/upside down that gets air through the cylinders....

[LUR759H]

Thanks BMC I'll be back at work on it tomorrow afternoon, and I'll send a picture of what I'm doing...

Thanks again

Alan

[kennatt]

b . However, as 20 years ago car does not like axle stands. Door don't shut but I think it is asjustment rather than chassis flex

Are you saying that the doors shut if its stood on its wheels but won't when on axle stands.or have I misread this Not too familiar with convertables,is this normal

[tysonn]

ALL older convertibles are floppy when raised.I have had many over the years inc stags,vitesses and mustangs.They all do it.Its not a worry especially.Of course if the structure is unsound they will do it more.

[svenedin]

b . However, as 20 years ago car does not like axle stands. Door don't shut but I think it is asjustment rather than chassis flex

Are you saying that the doors shut if its stood on its wheels but won't when on axle stands.or have I misread this

Yes. The doors are badly adjusted and only just catch when the car is on its wheels but when in the air they won't shut. I don't know whether this suggests excessive chassis flex but the doors definitely need adjustment. The door gaps on the lock sides are parallel but excessive. I have been under the car poking and I've had the carpets up too. I cannot see any evidence of rot or poor repairs.

[tysonn]

Pack the hinges to move the doors backwards?How wide is the gap at the other end?You can just pack the hinges to give an equal gap if its not excessive.If its already a large gap then move the wings backwards to even it up.Daft as it souns just having the gaps a similar width makes it less noticeable.

[mike.perry]

Is the door shut different with two people in than when empty?

[svenedin]

Is the door shut different with two people in than when empty?

I'd have to check that but I don't think so. The only thing that happens when people get in is that the leaf springs creak and groan a bit. They look rather flat to me. Maybe from standing for so many years.

I think what the car really hates is being jacked up on one side only, especially at the rear. This must induce a "twist". It isn't bad when both sides are up.

[kennatt]

have you had the sill covers off to have a look inside,I would

[svenedin]

Can anyone tell me the correct grease to use on the brake backplate where the rear cylinder slides? I'm aware that certain greases could cause rubber seals to fail if they became contaminated. Haynes manual refers to "white brake grease" but I'm not sure what that is. I have copper grease, multipurpose grease, graphite grease, wheel bearing grease and castor oil rubber grease on my shelves already. If any of these are suitable it would save me buying more.

[bmcecosse]

No grease - it will only attract dirt/grit. Just leave it dry and clean.

[svenedin]

Moved on to the front brakes today. Rear brakes are reassembled but I need to renew all the pipework, handbrake cables and master. One side at the front was seized, the other rotated with difficulty. I blasted the stuck drum with buckets of penetrating oil and banged it all around. Eventually it wobbled a bit but my heart sank at the though of hours of struggling to get the drum off. I had the idea of putting the road wheel back on and using it as a lever to rotate the drum. It worked and I was able to slacken off the adjusters and get the drum off without difficulty. I noticed a couple of things. The bump stops in the front wheel arches are missing and it looks like the nuts for the master are on the torsion bar side. Looks like the underside of the car is much younger than the rest of it. Box section stuff looks quite new (it is still 25 years old at the very least). Hooray, the master may not be too awful. I was a bit worried that the end of the bolt looks rather close to the torsion bar though. I wonder whether to pack the head side of the bolt out a bit with washers to reduce the sticking out on the other side? Is it really worth trying to put the bolts in the right way or am I wasting my life?

[Trickydicky]

BMC designed them like that for the reasons of safety so I would put them back the correct way round.
If a jobs worth doing...