Brakes

[matttate]

Hi everyone,
I am new to the game after always dreaming of owning a `moggie`,At christmas time i purchased a 1970 4 door saloon off a chrming family in market harboro.

The problem is i want to work on the project myself but am unsure about many items 1- the brake pedal is down to the floor and don`t know whether this means new master cylinder or just bleeding as previous owner said he had `done` brakes? how do i know?

2- Is there anywhere you can go to learn how to work on old cars? or is there a friendly,helpfull minor owner in the notts/derbys area willing to part with some knowledge to a new starter like myself?
Cheers, matt

[brixtonmorris]

Hi Matttate. Welcome. You could start by removing the brake mastercylinder cover which is under the carpet, below your feet, when you drive, and checking to see if there is any brake fluid in it. A minor spark plug socket will undo the nut. clean the area first, to stop any thing falling in there.

[matttate]

thanks brixton,what does it mean if there is fluid/isnt?

[brixtonmorris]

if you dont Know about brake fluid and your master cylinder at all, then best you check this one in to the garage and start your minor education on the engine or body work. brakes /life, does it need saying???????

[matttate]

I see what you are saying!! i wont be driving it til i know its safe tho!

[TerryG]

You should invest in a haynes manuel. On a serious note if you dont know what you are doing then dont touch the brakes!!! if they fail then you will end up with at best a steering wheel shaped red mark on your head. You can guess the worst! As easy as minors are to work on they are also easy to screw up (Speaking from experience) Its alot cheaper to have somebody fix a problem than to have somebody fix your fix (also from experience!)

[bigginger]

The brakes are very simple and easy to work on, but as written above, DO get a pro to check them over, and don't touch them until you've got a little (or a lot of) experience. They're single circuit, so if you get it wrong, your only brakes are the engine and the handbrake, which can be a bit interesting...

[bmcecosse]

Some local colleges run ' car maintenance' or even 'classic car restoration' courses - so check that out. Also get all the Minor books you can find from local library - and buy a Haynes - often very cheap on ebay.