Morris Minor Owners Club

HI, THIS IS MY FIRST TIME TO A FORUM SO I HOPE THIS WORKS!

I HAVE JUST BOUGHT MY FIRST MOGGIE TRAVELLER AND I LOVE HER, BUT THE BREAKS ARE BAAADDDD! REALLY BAD! I WANT TO CHANGE THEM BUT DONT KNOW IF ITS BEST TO USE A NEW BRAKE KIT OR USE OLD MARINA ONE?

IF I GO DOWN THE MARINA LINE, WHAT DO I NEED? COULD SOMEONE PLEASE LIST EVERYTHING I NEED TO BUY SO I CAN JUST TAKE IT TO THE GARAGE AND LET THEM GET ON WITH IT?

ALSO DO I REALLY NEED A SERVO?

THANKS

LUKE

Hi Luke,
welcome to the forum,

Where abouts do you live? Please add some detail to your profile.

The brakes on a 1970 should be fine without modification or a servo. It's most likely that they just need a good service. Brakes are a good place to start and really not difficult to do. You might even find one of the members here is local and could give you some advice.

My best advice is get yourself a Haynes manual off eBay and see if you can do it!

THANKS,

I'M GOING TO BE USING MY TRAVELLER ON A REGULAR BASIS THOUGH, AND I FIND IN THE WET THEY REALLY GO DOWNHILL, IS THAT A COMMON PROBLEM?

ALSO THANKS FOR ADVICE, IM WATCHING A HAYNES MANUAL ON EBAY NOW!

A servo won't make the brakes more powerful - they just "power assist" the brakes so you don't have to push so hard.

It's possible to fit the Marina discs to the Minor but the kit is no longer produced and the new disc kits are Ford based and rather expensive.

There is a manual available free online for the Minor......can't remember the url

bmc will be along shortly,they probally just want adjusting its easy tell us where you live and someone may be able to help .

THANKS! I'VE SEEN A "MR GRUMPY'S" MARINA BASED KIT FOR £299. ANY THOUGHTS?

THANKS DALE. IM TRYING TO SHOW PEOPLE WHERE I LIVE BY TYPING INTO MY PROFILE BUT ITS NOT WORKING. I LIVE IN CHELMSFORD, ESSEX.

It's working now Welcome to the messageboard, and don't forget to take a look at the "new member?" thread at the top of the 'general discussion' forum for some useful advice. I'd recommend getting a copy of the original workshop manual if you're planning on maintaining the car yourself. As already stated though, you should find that well maintained and correctly adjusted standard brakes are perfectly adequate so I'd go down that route first before deciding that you need an expensive upgrade. Just a word of caution though, if you are not experienced in vehicle maintenance, or are unsure of what you are doing, please be careful and take advice if working on safety critical areas yourself.

Are you a club member yet? The Essex Branch is pretty active and are a friendly bunch so I suggest that you go along to one of their meetings. I'm sure there'll be someone there who is more than happy to offer advice and recommend some local 'Minor friendly' garages. Contact Desmond Brick - tel: Zero1277 65311 five.


(And just a tip, but typing in capitals makes it appear that you are shouting )

Welcome to the forum as everyone's said, maybe they need adjusting or maybe a cylinder or two is seized, does it pull up in a straight line? A good service may make a huge difference.

Well adjusted brakes in good order aren't bad, although need more of a shove than a modern.

Mine need adjusting at the mo, (Saturday morning's job!) and I can feel the travel is longer, so it appears as if it's harder to stop.

a great move buying a trav!

Andrew

not wanting to be picky, but a caps lock being on dosent make it easy to read

The Minor brakes should be quite capable of locking the wheels at 10mph. If they pull to one side then maybe the linings are contaminated or a wheel cylinder is stuck. They should also feel solid when you push the brake pedal. If they feel spongy then there is probably air in the system. If there is too much free movement on the brake pedal then the shoes need adjusting.
If you have not checked the brakes yet do not use the car until you have checked the fluid level in the master cylinder.

I'm afraid I'm biased discs and a servo works for me. If you go down that line and Roy will be along in a minute to tell (advise) you to use Wolsley front drums, buy the best kit you can afford. You do get what you pay for.

billlobban wrote:I'm afraid I'm biased discs and a servo works for me. If you go down that line and Roy will be along in a minute to tell (advise) you to use Wolsley front drums, buy the best kit you can afford. You do get what you pay for.

Wheres that can of worms got to??

I don't ever have trouble with the drums not working in the rain on my traveller, quite the opposite, it tends to be easy to lock up, skinny tyres and light vehicle. I can only imagine discs on a standard moggy would accentuate this! As you are new to it all, strip and sort the standard set up first before jumping into modifications. Standard drums definitely overworked if you are carrying any great load at speed, but fine generally. As you may already be aware, we have a fiercely fought civil war on this forum regarding brakes split between:

1/ Standard drums are fine, just anticipate a bit (and hope no-one walks out in front of you!

2/ Disc brakes are the only answer, 21st century, yah dah yah dah. A bit pricey, and involve stripping master cylinder to remove a seal, and ideally fitting a remote reservoir.

3/ The only sensible option : Fit Wolseley (9" dia) front brakes. Close to a straight bolt on job, keeps in character, still prone to brake fade apparently, though mine haven't and I cane the old girl. Cheaper/ simpler than the disc route IF you can find the parts. (An ad in the wanted section may well bear fruit).

Now sits back and waits......

linearaudio wrote:Fit Wolseley (9" dia) front brakes. still prone to brake fade apparently.

Not if you drill some vent holes into the drums....

Blue - unless you are planning some serious performance upgrades - just stick with the standard brakes - in tip-top condition. There have been some unfavourable reports about the 'Grumpy' disc brakes - and if you fit any discs you also have to modify the master cylinder (which may mean buying a new one if the old one has a rusty bore) - and then you may find the brakes are too heavy and you need a servo - and probably a remote reservoir too! The costs mount up.
The others have covered my 'set piece' about the excellent Wolseley brakes - I will 'say no more' !

Earlier this year I was concerned about my brakes as it took some pressure to stop and always drove around with plenty of space between me and the car in front. I decided to upgrade from 7" to 8" and when I pulled everything apart I found that I had a one seized cylinder on each side so it pulled up in a straight line.
So when the 8" went on I put 4 new wheel cylinders on the front and am really wrapped with the braking performance now.

Check that you havent got seized cylinders before you go the disc way

BMC, in what way are the Wolsely brakes different to the later Morris ones - I have the 8 inch drums to the front, are the Wolsely's bigger?

alanworland wrote:BMC, in what way are the Wolsely brakes different to the later Morris ones - I have the 8 inch drums to the front, are the Wolsely's bigger?

Wolseley drums are 9" diameter, makes an appreciable difference to braking capacity when loaded! BUT check/ sort your existing brakes first before jumping at any mods!

Fronts are 9" diameter -and slightly wider. Bolt straight on - no master cylinder modifications and no servo required. Riley version is also 9" diameter, and even wider - however some have reported they make the pedal 'heavier'. Rear W brakes are 8" diameter (actually they are the 8" Minor front drums!) - and again the R version are slightly wider again. Only snag is finding a set!