Clonk on Braking

[svenedin]

Glad you sorted it, an all round bolt check sounds in order after your rebuild, 2nd loose fitting
Maybe being a bit too gentle on assembling?

Agree. Too gentle and too forgetful!

[svenedin]

Anything can break anytime, anywhere? Bonnet safety catch broke today. It doesn’t matter. I can still open the bonnet.

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[svenedin]

Car behaved well today. About 100 miles of very small roads. The type without central white lines. No clonks whatsoever. Having driven now in convoy for a number of years I find I am in the minority without the anti-roll bar mod. It is really quite obvious that I have to slow down a lot more for tight bends.

Stephen

[Bill_qaz]

I'm sure you would reach limits of standard tyre size grip before body roll was a concern

[svenedin]

Now that I am back and after around 1,000 miles on new front brake shoes I decided to get the dust out of the drums, adjust the brakes and grease the front suspension. I noticed that there was a tiny amount of play in one front wheel bearing by raising the wheel off the ground and trying to rock it top to bottom. I had replaced the bearings in both front hubs before the trip. I removed the split pin and tightened the hub nut a small amount and the play is removed. I checked the brake back plate mounting bolts. They were not what I would call loose but they were not tight either. This is after they were tightened in France. My conclusion is that this was all caused by fresh paint on the backplates and my obsession with rust proofing undercoat as well as top coat. Of note, the brake drum screws were also loose and I painted the brake drums too. I found a minuscule leak of brake fluid between brake line and flexible hose. So small that it was the slightest dampness but the union is nipped up too.

Break time and then back brakes.......


Stephen

[myoldjalopy]

I never tighten the break drums screws much at all. They are soft, easily damaged and tend to get stuck in place over time - many have had problems getting them out again! I give mine a bit of copper slip grease and, after ensuring the drums are on properly, tighten them just enough that the heads are flush with the drum. That is enough to keep the drum in place while adjusting the brakes. There is no need to do them up tight as it is the wheels, after all, that ensure the drums can't come off while driving.

[svenedin]

I never tighten the break drums screws much at all. They are soft, easily damaged and tend to get stuck in place over time - many have had problems getting them out again! I give mine a bit of copper slip grease and, after ensuring the drums are on properly, tighten them just enough that the heads are flush with the drum. That is enough to keep the drum in place while adjusting the brakes. There is no need to do them up tight as it is the wheels, after all, that ensure the drums can't come off while driving.

Agree they can be awful to remove and I have resorted to an impact driver before. The drum does have to be absolutely fully home to adjust the brakes properly though.....even though yes the wheel nuts hold it on when the wheel is fitted.

Stephen

[philthehill]

The two countersunk screws holding the drum in place also do another job - they keep the drum central on the hub. The wheels hold the drum to the hub but do not hold the drum central so the screws must be done up tight.
If you have difficulty with the Philips headed screws fit high tensile countersunk Allen screws which will be far easier to fit, tighten and remove. By all means use a little copper grease.

[svenedin]

The two countersunk screws holding the drum in place also do another job - they keep the drum central on the hub. The wheels hold the drum to the hub but do not hold the drum central so the screws must be done up tight.
If you have difficulty with the Philips headed screws fit high tensile countersunk Allen screws which will be far easier to fit, tighten and remove. By all means use a little copper grease.

I use this tool both as an impact screwdriver (hit with hammer) and just as a general heavy duty screwdriver. The chunky handle and very strong screwdriver bits fit the brake drum screws perfectly and can deliver high torque without slipping. By removing the bit holder it can also be used with 1/2" drive sockets. The mechanic who taught me how to do my brakes when I was 17 or 18 used one of these. It is also very good on screws that have had the heads previously marred and damaged.

I do like the idea of countersunk Allen screws though......Where to get them though? Front and rear are different lengths too.

https://www.drapertools.com/product/223 ... -12-piece/

[philthehill]

You can get the countersunk Allen screws off 'e' bay in what ever length you want.
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/272565243666 ... BMqJriqu5l
The original factory fitted brake drum screw head are Philips cross head drive and a Posidrive screw driver is not suitable for undoing or tightening the screws.

[svenedin]

Thanks for the link.

Do you happen to know what lengths the front and rear brake drum screws are? Moss says 5/8" for front AND rear which is not correct. Front are short and rear are longer. Rear brake drum screws are the same as the half-shaft flange screw aren't they? I don't want to have to take my wheels off again just to find out the screw length!

Yes, any crosshead screw on the Minor was Phillips originally because Pozidrive did not exist at the time. Replacements such as supplied by ESM are Pozidrive (you can just see the additional radial indentations of a PZ screw head).

Stephen


https://www.morrisminorspares.com/brake ... rt-p829461

[svenedin]

Here is an original mashed up Phillips brake drum screw and the ESM replacement which is Pozidrive

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The original and replacement are different lengths too. The original is 7/16" but the replacement is 1/2". I think these are fronts (shorter than rear) but I am now muddled......

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IMG_2216.jpeg (1.44 MiB) Viewed 82 times

[myoldjalopy]

I have new spares of each, from ESM, the short front one is 0.5" (like yours) and the long rear one is 3/4".

[svenedin]

I have new spares of each, from ESM, the short front one is 0.5" (like yours) and the long rear one is 3/4".

Thank you!

[svenedin]

If you are a bit of a nerd like me (a lot of a nerd actually) then this may be of interest. As a hobbyist clockmaker and watchmaker a screw is not a simple thing. On old clocks and watches, pre-mass production, one screw fits in one place. It was made to fit that hole and none other. A pet hate of mine is marred screw heads. The wrong choice of screwdriver either crosshead or ordinary slotted will chew a screw head. Watchmakers make a very big thing of their screwdrivers. We meticulously demagnetise and sharpen our screwdrivers so as not to harm a screw head! In old watches screws are often blued and are part of the beauty of mechanics. Not only does it work but it is beautiful too......

Stephen



https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Screw