Morris Minor Owners Club

hi bmc glad you like the pic - taken with an old Olympus which has been dropped on more than its fair share of hard surfaces. Obviously I'm not going to contravene the forum T&Cs by posting problems with specific suppliers, but people can always contact me privately if they want to.

Ahh - the dearly beloved Ts & Cs, so meantime others will continue to waste their money on safety critical parts like these.
PM on the way wp!

well we can say who supplied the better quality brake parts as i understand it

bmcecosse wrote:Ahh - the dearly beloved Ts & Cs, so meantime others will continue to waste their money on safety critical parts like these.

It ain't my forum so I don't rock the boat. Too much respect for the way it's run. Like I said, peeps know how to get the info without contravening T&Cs and making unnecessary work for the mods.

PM on the way wp!

Replied

we are alowed to say where we get good supplies and service

And indeed these good ones came from Automec I believe. Credit where due! Wibble has told me who supplied the 'poor' ones - exactly as I suspected - yet again

To be fair to the supplier of the left-hand nipples, they supply large quantities of them and they are used in a nearby Minor garage - all apparently without incident. It could be that there is something peculiar about my braking system which makes it intolerant of the small irregularities in machining, perhaps?

It actually looks as if the taper angle is not quite right! The blunt end is ok - it's a biggish hole anyway, and I would have thought the slightly poor finish would burnish over anyway as it is tightened in to place.

It could be that there is something peculiar about my braking system which makes it intolerant of the small irregularities in machining, perhaps?

I'm led to believe that the problem is not a one off - hence it being really useful for people to know where to get good parts.
If the original supplier refuses a refund, then I hope you put the complaint on file with the club. It may seem petty in view of the price of the parts, but this kind of hassle with new parts drives many of us round the bend.

Checked on new nipple this afternoon: there is still a leak. Have nipped it up (I might have been a bit gentle with it) and will check it again tomorrow. But it seems it might be the banjo rather than the nipple which is causing the fault.

None of which makes the quality of the other nipple any better

We have looked into supplying full brake sets from Automec. A very honest and genuine company with the required excellent aftersales support and relevant product liability.
However if one is after quality parts ie 99% copper pipe and brass unions then you need to pay more. On a safety critical part such as these I see no margin for error or penny pinching.
Unfortunately a cost of just over £10 above the current costs from the leading suppliers might not be a sum that customers would wish to pay. I hope I'm wrong.
WP if the fitting is still leaking then suspect the banjo. If this is an issue then no union of any quality will cure the leak. Was the banjo new too ?

jonathon wrote:However if one is after quality parts ie 99% copper pipe and brass unions then you need to pay more. On a safety critical part such as these I see no margin for error or penny pinching.

I agree - I would far rather save up and get the best stuff.

WP if the fitting is still leaking then suspect the banjo. If this is an issue then no union of any quality will cure the leak. Was the banjo new too ?

No, we tried new banjos (from the same supplier as the bleed nipples) and they just didn't work. So have carried on with the one Cam put on the system when we rebuilt it all those months ago; one re-used from the old system prior to dismantling the van for the resto.

£10.00 extra that would seem fine to me

You hear so many things about brake pipes, it seems Automec sell copper and copper with something else added --nickle? I also have heard people say copper pipes work harden over time. I think maybe the end flares suffer from this when they are formed which could explain why they are not soft enough to 'nip' up and seal in some cases. I ve just refaced one of my pipes because of a marks on the mating face!

Indeed -Kunifer brake piping doesn't rot, doesn't work harden - doesn't cost much more!

it seems a little bit trickier to flare, though, because of being harder. I'm judging by the work of my lovely local motor factor.

Yes - it is indeed slightly more difficult to make off the ends. Setting the pipe spot-on in the jig, and a spot of brake fluid on the end helps!

Copper pipe (good quality pipe that is) is perfectly fine to use. We have had no issues with its use over the last 15 years or so. No issues with rotting, moisture ingress, or hardened surfaces.
If producing your own flares then buy a quality flaring tool which can produce a consistant standard. And buy the best quality products such as those sold by Automec.