Does anyone else.......

[edjones]

....seem to leave it until 2 weeks before the start of the show season to take their Minor apart?

Anyway, having sat in the garage just being cleaned and run for an hour here and there over winter I decided to sort the sticking brakes in readiness for the shows (first one for us on Sunday).

It has disc brakes at the front, drums at the back and a servo. I took the opportunity to use my Gunsons Eezibleed (sp?) kit to bleed the hydraulic clutch and to change the brake fluid - what a piece of kit!

To cut a long story short I now have the front calipers off being reconditioned and some new brake shoes for the back on order after the old ones were bathed in brake fluid, courtesy of 2 leaking cylinders

Should be good when it is back together though, have even managed to stick a radio/cd player in the passenger side glove box for my Fleetwood Mac stuff, and a hidden cig lighter for when I break down and my phone is flat!

Quick question, and probably a stupid one, when turning the adjuster on the rear brakes should both shoes move the same amount, or is it normal for one shoe to move more than the other?

Cheers

[rayofleamington]

Quick question, and probably a stupid one, when turning the adjuster on the rear brakes should both shoes move the same amount, or is it normal for one shoe to move more than the other?

One shoe will move until it contacts the drum - then the cylinder should slide and move the other shoe

[edjones]

Thanks Ray.

Just been to collect the new brake shoes so will hopefully have them in shortly if nothing else gets in the way!

[bmcecosse]

Trust you are also fitting new rear cylinders !!

[edjones]

Trust you are also fitting new rear cylinders !!

Of course!

[bmcecosse]

And new O rings and paper gaskets on the half-shafts ?

[edjones]

Didn't read anything about that. Would the leaking cylinders necessitate that?

[Willie]

NO, I think he is a bit confused, if the leakage was from the cylinders
there is no need to disturb the half shaft gaskets etc.

[les]

It might be of interest to note that the copper washers before and after the brass union that the bleed nipple screws into are best renewed or at least annealed when installing new wheel cylinders, as they harden after a while and if used again often leak fluid.

[bmcecosse]

The leakage may have been from the half-shafts !! So when doing a general overhaul like that - best to renew the halfshaft O rings and gaskets too - they only cost pennies, and it would be a terrible waste to see the new shoes and so-on ruined again !!

[edjones]

Ahh I see. Many thanks for all replys Gents, I will make sure exactly what is required before it all goes back together properly.

Thanks again

[bmcecosse]

Also note the threads in the rear wheel cylinders are different to those on the front of the car - Whitworth I think - certainly a coarser thread than normal.