Morris Minor Owners Club

paulhumphries wrote:
Look at the prices compared to Minor parts
Even the shoes are on an exchange basis !

John,
As Pete says the Riley setup is a completely different system to the Wolseley one. They both bolt on to Minor uprights with no modification.
The Wolseley setup shoe is IIRC the same shoe width as Minor, but 9" dia.
They adjust from inside drum as Minor and the flexy hoses are same.
The brake cylinders are slightly different. But with a bit of modification, Minor ones will fit
The Riley setup shoe width is about 5/8" - 3/4" wider than Minor, again 9" dia.
They adjust from back of drums and need different flexy hoses.
The brake cylinders are also different. ( and before anyone else jumps in, are more expensive)
I started off with Wolseley and then a set of Rileys came up. To which I fitted a brand new set of cylinders ( about £70 of ebay) and have a spare set of shoes.
Think on reflection, with standard engine, I should have stayed with Wolseley. But having said that nothing at all wrong with Rileys, just more hunting round getting bits.

wanderinstar wrote:As Pete says the Riley setup is a completely different system to the Wolseley one. They both bolt on to Minor uprights with no modification.

This is excellent information. Would you say the Wolseley front drums alone are enough to eliminate any problems with fade, assuming standard engine and not driving like a complete nutcase?

Alex,
In a word. Yes. PM Bmceccosse thats the setup ha has.
Ian.

Is it possible to fit the standard Minor wheel cylinders to the wolseley/riley backplates? I'm after some sort of (cheap) brake upgrade as I'm starting to notice the fade now that I live near hills!

Thanks Ian - Perfect answer

Looks like Wolseley is the way to go to retain drums

Yes - I inherited the Wolseley brakes that ian (wanderinstar) decided he no longer required. I had also used Wolseley brakes on my rally Minor 40 years ago. they are absolutely fantastic brakes - no sign of fade and the pedal is not heavy - nor does it have excessive travel - the brakes are 'right there'. Minor cylinders can be fitted instead of the Wolseley cylinders - some filing and one hole to drill. I also decided to tidy the job up be welding over the old fixing hole that was replace by the new one - but not strictly necessary. These brakes bolt straight on - and the Minor flexi hoses go straight on too. You also DO NOT need to fit a servo - or take the master cylinder to bits to dig out a seal - which always sounds like a bodge to me !! How do you explain to Insurance Co (or the Jury ) that you decided one of the master seals was not needed any more !!!! As far as I can see - the Riley brakes are very much more expensive from a spares point of view - possibly even more effective - but my W brakes have been very well tried and tested on a very hilly RSAC run this summer with not the slightest trace of fade or nasty smells - and we were not hanging about either! I thoroughly recommend them to anyone looking for excellent brakes for their Minor.

But does anyone know if Riley brakes can be converted to minor wheel cylinders?

As for shoes, EBC do replacements for both wolsey and riley brakes.

Riley wheel cylinders are completely different to Minor, plus the method of adjustment is different (from the rear with snail cams).
As less Rileys were made that wolseleys it stands to reason that they are a bit rarer, and more difficult to find. If my wifes old minor still exists 1960 - black disabled persons car - reg was OES 747 (suffered plate transfer after I sold it) there is a set fitted to it.
They are however a more powerful brake than the wolseley - Riley was the hot hatch of it's day.
Also, when fitted in their original vehicle, I felt that the brakes had a better feel to them than when attached to a minor.

Pete

As above - Riley is a very different set-up - and so Minor cylinders are not really an option. The Wolseley set up is so similar to the Minor that it's hard to see why they didn't use the same cylinders on both - they are both same bore - just the Wolseley cylinder is slightly shorter, yet there is plenty room for the Minor cylinder!

thank you to every one who replied to my question re servo on balance i dont think i will bother i will be doing only very low miles ,also being fairly steady driver i think standard will do .

If your standard brakes are in good condition - they should lock all 4 wheels on an emergency stop.

Not a good idea though having locked up wheels when trying to stop in an emergency.