Morris Minor Owners Club

i have been reading some of the old topics, is it not possible to renew the master cylinder seals with it in place? the bolts are fitted the correct way round, so I would have to remove the torsion bar, and I dont want to bother with this unless I have to. are there any clever ways round this or am I just being lazy?

Picky

I guess you could do it in situ, the only snag I can see is that you won't be able to examine the bore for wear and corrosion very easily, apart from "digitally" -that's with your finger
There's also the risk of getting dirt & rust from the chassis member on the new seals and the fun of getting the circlip back in.

You don't have to remove the T bar, BTW, just lever it until the bolts clear it.

you would have to remove the brake pedal shaft, and then you'd still really struggle to remove the m/c circlip. (I expect it'd be quicker to remove the m/c)
Once you've done all that you may find the m/c bore is rusty and the whole unit needs replacing anyway - however with it still in the chassis leg you'd not be able to inspect it properly anyway.
Reassembly of the internals without removing the housing would be a job that I'd give my right arm not to try!

Removing the m/c is very easy if you've done a few of them - although most people struggle the first time.
Have a look here for tips:
http://www.morrisminoroc.co.uk/index.ph ... pic&t=8563

As Andrew points out - you can just lever the torsion bar outof the way, but take care not to damage it. Or - you can cut the heads off the bolts (not the easiest job) and then pull the shafts out from the outside. Bolts can be put in the 'wrong' way round - but make sure the nuts/excess bolt shaft are not going to rub on the torsion bars. You may need to shorten the bolts slightly, but as long as they are fully engaged in the nut will be ok - although my car seems to have ample clearance.

ok thanks for all the ideas I think to do it the long way would be best. Im looking at the centre crossmember end of the torsion bar, where there is an oblong shaped hole, but then bracket on the end of the torsion bar is just bolted through with a bolt and big washer. is this right? I seem to recall there is meant to be a plate there aswell..

The bolt heads are thinner than the nuts for a reason, so assemble correctly, always the best option!

I seem to recall there is meant to be a plate there aswell..

yes - there is meant to be a plate with approx half a dozen holes in it which you use to set the height. Without the extra plate, there's a risk that the bolt will slip in the elongated hole.

Les - bolt heads are always thinner than the matching nuts ! look at any nut and bolt combination.

Without the extra plate, there's a risk that the bolt will slip in the elongated hole.

I can speak from experience of the damage that can be caused by the above. A previous owner had removed these adjusters, and the bump stop had been gradually punched up against, and through the inner wing, causing cracking.
An unnecessary repair needed!

Aye - that can happen all too easily if running too low - and with knackered dampers!

looks like i need to get these plates from somewhere! when I first got the car I had the centre cross member replaced by a dubious individual - I am sure the plates where there before I think he just bolted it back together and threw the leftover bits in the bin.

bolt heads are always thinner than the matching nuts !

I'm not too sure about that, possibly slightly, but anyway not as thin as the m/c securing bolts! and that is because there needs to be as much clearance as possible between the torsion bar and bolt heads. Torsion bars flex in use!

Mine are in 'wrong way round' and absolutely no sign the bolts have ever touched the bars.

I have got a special kit on mine, which has thin nuts, same thickness as the original heads. Also came with new, slightly shorter bolts.

looks like i need to get these plates from somewhere!

There are some on ebay right now, item number 280104502851 (nothing to do with me!)

The van i bought had the bolts fitted the wrong way and there's 2 grooves in the torsion bar to prove it! Just give yours time bm. Anyway what's wrong with spending a bit more time to get it right?