Morris Minor Owners Club

I'd imagine the bolt is 3/8" which is 9.5mm, should be easy enough to get, ours has a dual circuit set up and uses standard M10 bolts into adaptor bracket, they don't hit the Torsion bar.

It's not difficult to find the correct bolts with thin heads. Not cheap as they're specially made.

https://www.morrisminorspares.com/brake ... eg-p829357

Stephen

A standard bolt head could, of course, be slimmed down.

What you can do is use a half depth nylock nut and then you can insert the bolt the wrong way round. Saying that you must ensure that there is adequate clearance between torsion bar and nut. You may have to put washers under the head of the bolt to ensure clearance. The forces acting on the bolt are shear and not stretch so the half nut is more than adequate.
In my own case I have used two studs with half nuts on the outer (torsion bar) end and normal nuts on the inner end.
With the set up I have there has been no contact between torsion bar and nut.

I’m considering a disc brake conversion on my traveller. The brakes are just adequate in normal driving but sometimes a bit scary in modern traffic. Lady in a large SUV pulled out from parked in front of me and I needed to slow from 40 quickly. Fortunately she drove off very quickly in her electric car otherwise I think I wouldn’t have been able to stop. Certainly didn’t lock the wheels.

I’ve had 3 minors, the first had poor drum brakes, the second were much better the current setup is as poor as the first. All had been rebuilt with components from ESM.

I think if I do the conversion I’ll fit a servo too but that’s another level of complication. I think it would cost me about £600 which is my only reservation (unless I could find used components in good condition)

Grumpy21 wrote: ↑Sun May 10, 2026 8:20 am I’m considering a disc brake conversion on my traveller. The brakes are just adequate in normal driving but sometimes a bit scary in modern traffic. Lady in a large SUV pulled out from parked in front of me and I needed to slow from 40 quickly. Fortunately she drove off very quickly in her electric car otherwise I think I wouldn’t have been able to stop. Certainly didn’t lock the wheels.

I’ve had 3 minors, the first had poor drum brakes, the second were much better the current setup is as poor as the first. All had been rebuilt with components from ESM.

I think if I do the conversion I’ll fit a servo too but that’s another level of complication. I think it would cost me about £600 which is my only reservation (unless I could find used components in good condition)

You know from your own experience of Minors that the brakes on your current car shouldn’t be poor. The brakes need investigation. Keep it simple and cheap and just service and adjust the drum braking system.

Stephen

Agreed Stephen. If I stamp on the pedal hard enough my brakes will lock the wheels.
I had to do an emergency stop, some months ago, when some !!!!!!! (insert word as necessary) reversed out of their drive, onto a main road, without looking.
My Minor stopped well with a little bit of tyre screech and a bit of a slide.
The torsion bars will bend downwards sufficiently to fit the master cyl. bolts the correct way.

svenedin wrote: ↑Sun May 10, 2026 9:17 am

Grumpy21 wrote: ↑Sun May 10, 2026 8:20 am I’m considering a disc brake conversion on my traveller. The brakes are just adequate in normal driving but sometimes a bit scary in modern traffic. Lady in a large SUV pulled out from parked in front of me and I needed to slow from 40 quickly. Fortunately she drove off very quickly in her electric car otherwise I think I wouldn’t have been able to stop. Certainly didn’t lock the wheels.

I’ve had 3 minors, the first had poor drum brakes, the second were much better the current setup is as poor as the first. All had been rebuilt with components from ESM.

I think if I do the conversion I’ll fit a servo too but that’s another level of complication. I think it would cost me about £600 which is my only reservation (unless I could find used components in good condition)

You know from your own experience of Minors that the brakes on your current car shouldn’t be poor. The brakes need investigation. Keep it simple and cheap and just service and adjust the drum braking system.

Stephen

what I know from previous experience is the some minors have standard braking systems that are better than others, what I don't know (and neither do either of my more experienced pals) is why one standard system in seemingly good condition should be better than another.

my minor 'guru' has driven all 3 of my cars and has no explanation why the components in the current system, identical as they are to my earlier car, don't perform as well. I've renewed components, tried better shoes, checked cylinders and pistons for free movement and leaks. There's no air, fresh fluid, decent flexi pipes, etc and they're OK. He says they're as good as his van but they're not as good as the ones on my previous saloon.

Grumpy21 wrote: ↑Sun May 10, 2026 5:56 pm

svenedin wrote: ↑Sun May 10, 2026 9:17 am

Grumpy21 wrote: ↑Sun May 10, 2026 8:20 am I’m considering a disc brake conversion on my traveller. The brakes are just adequate in normal driving but sometimes a bit scary in modern traffic. Lady in a large SUV pulled out from parked in front of me and I needed to slow from 40 quickly. Fortunately she drove off very quickly in her electric car otherwise I think I wouldn’t have been able to stop. Certainly didn’t lock the wheels.

I’ve had 3 minors, the first had poor drum brakes, the second were much better the current setup is as poor as the first. All had been rebuilt with components from ESM.

I think if I do the conversion I’ll fit a servo too but that’s another level of complication. I think it would cost me about £600 which is my only reservation (unless I could find used components in good condition)

You know from your own experience of Minors that the brakes on your current car shouldn’t be poor. The brakes need investigation. Keep it simple and cheap and just service and adjust the drum braking system.

Stephen

what I know from previous experience is the some minors have standard braking systems that are better than others, what I don't know (and neither do either of my more experienced pals) is why one standard system in seemingly good condition should be better than another.

my minor 'guru' has driven all 3 of my cars and has no explanation why the components in the current system, identical as they are to my earlier car, don't perform as well. I've renewed components, tried better shoes, checked cylinders and pistons for free movement and leaks. There's no air, fresh fluid, decent flexi pipes, etc and they're OK. He says they're as good as his van but they're not as good as the ones on my previous saloon.

Fair enough. It seems you've been through the whole system meticulously. One thought is, how much does this particular car get driven? It takes a fair few miles of varied driving and braking for new linings and drums to bed in and when they have, they perform better when the drums are taken off, dust removed and the brakes readjusted. I am not really convinced that modern brake linings are as good as my much favoured Mintex/Ferodo brake shoes.

ESM sell two different qualities of brake drums and two different qualities of brake shoes. I do not know how these compare in real world conditions.

My own set-up has Wolseley 1500 front drums which are a step up to 9" drums from the 8" of the later Minors. The braking is definitely better than on 8" drums and would be dramatically better for cars with 7" front drums. As for shoes, I have Mintex linings front and rear. These are no longer available but they can be found new old stock sometimes or brake specialists such as Powertrack Brakes can re-line shoes with this material. My 9" front shoes were re-lined by Powertrack because Wolseley 1500 shoes are not available off the shelf with decent linings.

In theory, the braking of one Minor should be exactly the same as another with an identical set-up. Some cars are notoriously difficult to bleed the brakes for reasons nobody can really fathom. Is it possible there is still air in your system? Or perhaps the master cylinder is not in great condition? Sometimes drums become highly polished and it helps to rough them up with some emery to get more bite from the shoes.

Stephen

yes, I spoke with ESM and they do sell two different shoes, ive used both and as you'd expect the branded ones and better, not a brand I've heard of though. maybe hunting for NOS is the answer?

Id guess Ive done about 500 miles on them now so they should have bedded in.

I'm due for a mammoth bleeding session with my pal soon. We've decided to renew the fluid in all 6 of our cars at the same time!

Grumpy21 wrote: ↑Sun May 10, 2026 6:30 pm yes, I spoke with ESM and they do sell two different shoes, ive used both and as you'd expect the branded ones and better, not a brand I've heard of though. maybe hunting for NOS is the answer?

Id guess Ive done about 500 miles on them now so they should have bedded in.

I'm due for a mammoth bleeding session with my pal soon. We've decided to renew the fluid in all 6 of our cars at the same time!

I use Silicone brake fluid so unless I have disconnected something I don't routinely bleed the fluid. When I have needed to, I use an Eezibleed which requires a non-vented master cylinder cap that has been modified for the Eezibleed system. Some people advocate jacking the rear of the Minor up as high as possible and leaving it overnight to help air bubbles to travel to the rear to be bled off. I've never needed to do this and any bleeding I have done has been entirely straightforward. Just make sure the fluid level in the master cylinder does not drop more than halfway. If the level drops too low air can be drawn in and you will have to start all over again.

NOS Mintex shoes are the best you can get but I cannot say whether that is enough improvement for you to feel your brakes are to your satisfaction.

Stephen

My observations.
Did the Marina ESM one, although there's no difference with the Ford version.
Removed top hat, replaced cap and fitted remote reservoir at the same time, was easier.
Don't be tempted to fit bolts wrong way round.
Good old fashioned Joiners' claw hammer moves the torsion bar enough to insert bolts the correct way.
Don't expect stand on it's nose like your modern daily driver, it won't!

For what it's worth I had a car with the Marina non-servo kit and loved it.
Present car has the Ford ventilated disc set up with servo and I don't really like it. It has less feel, a slightly lower pedal pressure and greater mass, both sprung and unsprung. And the servo takes up space. AND it has those nasty sliding calipers.