Morris Minor Owners Club

bmcecosse wrote:beware - some of the new drums have been known to be less than perfectly made. Sounds like your drums have perhaps been skimmed out oversize? Have you tried USING them really hard over and over until they fade out.

Not sure if original drums had been skimmed out by previous owner, but if they had I think there would be less tightness than I experienced. Also, I'm not sure if the 'Old' drums are original or latter-day replacements. When I got the car there was no history with it, but it looked as thhough a lot of brake work had been done just prior to a 2 year lay up. When I put the new linings in I road tested with seriously hard breaking and driving with clutch foot on the brake for a while (nice country roads round here!). The brakes worked well, nice and straight - but the squealing just got worse and worse. My new drums and linings have arrived from a different supplier - so will post an update if sucessful.

Keep us informed.....

OK, new drums and new linings arrived so thought I might offer up one lining to one drum and very dissapointed to see that they dont fit well at all! Not too easy to see in the photo - but there's about a 2mm gap at the apex. With the previous linings I tried to file them down at the edges to attempt a better fit, but even after several goes and a few hundred miles they still would not bed in and continued to screech, graunch and vibrate alarmingly. The new linings (from a different supplier) came in a box marked Willow, same as previous ones. Is anyone else having this kind of problem?[frame][/frame]

Forgive me if I am wrong, but would it not be the case that, if the drums had been skimmed oversize, surely the linings would then be touching in the middle and not at the ends? Or is my tired old brain more befuddled than ever?

Yes! You are right.....

rogerowen wrote:OK, new drums and new linings arrived so thought I might offer up one lining to one drum and very dissapointed to see that they dont fit well at all! Not too easy to see in the photo - but there's about a 2mm gap at the apex. With the previous linings I tried to file them down at the edges to attempt a better fit, but even after several goes and a few hundred miles they still would not bed in and continued to screech, graunch and vibrate alarmingly. The new linings (from a different supplier) came in a box marked Willow, same as previous ones. Is anyone else having this kind of problem?[frame][/frame]

Think I'm going to have to sand down the new linings to give a better fit, as can be seen - very little is currently making contact and with the previous Willow linings just not bedding in and making a dreadful noise - I can't really see any alternative.

Years ago, the shops that specialized in brakes had a machine to grind the new linings to match the curvature of the drums. Don' know if there's anybody that does that anymore.

Looks like the steel brake shoes are the wrong diameter to me . the linings look the same thickness all round. May be an optical illusion though. Worth checking.

There is very little difference there - fit them and use them HARD.

If it were me, I would pass a feeler gauge (fag paper) between the shoe and drum till it stops, pencil mark it both ends where it stops and rasp the shoe on the high spots, until you cant get the feeler gauge (fag paper) between the shoe and drum.
I realise of course it aint me.

moggiethouable wrote:If it were me, I would pass a feeler gauge (fag paper) between the shoe and drum till it stops, pencil mark it both ends where it stops and rasp the shoe on the high spots, until you cant get the feeler gauge (fag paper) between the shoe and drum.
I realise of course it aint me.

Yes, I think I'm commited to sanding the shoes to fit - something I've not had to do previously. They are all the same i.e only about and inch contacting the drum at the leading and trailing edges. Belt sander will probably be best.

Would be interesting to accurately measure the ID of the drum.

bmcecosse wrote:Would be interesting to accurately measure the ID of the drum.

GOOD POINT! Anyone know precisely what it should be?

7.000 or 8.000 (or 9.000 if lucky enough to have the W brakes..)