Morris Minor Owners Club

I was just wondering what people have done to upgrade their front brakes?? As the originals are quite shocking to use!!

My mechanic has suggested getting discs which will require a new servo (I think I've got that right but don't quote me on it)
and the cost of parts including fitting will be close to £1000.

Has anyone used a braking system from another car that would be compatible with a moggy?

Any suggestions would be appreciated......

If you find them 'shocking' I would suggest a thorough investigation as to why they are not 'as new' ....

8inch drums fitted to later type minors are more than adequet if adjusted properly,wolseley fronts are better,just get them looked at and adjusted properly,no need to go to discs unless you intend uprating the engine,absolute waste of money in my opinion others will no doubt disagree but Iv'e been driving minors for about 45 years and never had any doubts about the 8 inch system,mind the earlier 7 inch were a very diferent expirience

I'm still on 7" drums on the front however I might consider an upgrade to 8" ones when I fit the 1275

As above -unless you are thinking of Racing your Minor - stick with the drum brakes - just get them in good-as-new condition. They are fine when working as they should. And the good news is - all the parts to do the job are cheap as chips.
And as hinted above - there is a very good upgrade if you wish by fitting the 9" front drum brakes from a Wolseley 1500. This is a straight simple bolt-on conversion (no daft servo etc required!) - the problem is finding a set! But really - if you have the 8" front drums - your car should stop on a sixpence.

Drum brakes discourage you from tailgating the car in front.
Unlike disc brakes they require checking and adjusting and some cars seem to be prone to getting a bit of air into the system which can be tricky getting that last air bubble out. Check each wheel in turn to make sure both wheel cylinders are working before adjusting the brakes. When you remove and replace the brake drum the two cross head set srews are for retaining the drums, not tightening them, use a couple of wheel nuts for that.

Back in the '70s I had my first Minor..it was a '57 4 door...it had Riley 1.5 brakes fitted (are they the same as the Wolseley 1500?).
The braking capability was truly astonishing.

The Riley brakes are also 9" diameter - but with wider shoes. They are 'said' to make the pedal pressure unacceptably high. Spares are also difficult (= expensive) to source.

PSL184 wrote:I'm still on 7" drums on the front however I might consider an upgrade to 8" ones when I fit the 1275

I would suggest that for a 1275 you should fit larger than 8 in fronts. Your insurance company might agree.

thanks for all the advice

I have passed it on to my mechanic who is still not convinced!!

We are going to overhaul the original brakes first and I'll see how I get on.

good plan IF they are the larger 8" front drums. Don't bother if 7" drums - get a set of 8" or 9". My original 9" Wolseley drums cost me £60 in perfect working order - bolted on in an hour. Ok - due to 'publicity' over the last few years the cost has risen to ~ £120 for a set - but still FAR short of that £1000 !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! And every bit as good.
Better than some disc kits which seem to come complete with bearing location problems.........

If you are in doubt about the effectiveness of standard brakes then I am sure that someone in your area would be prepared to demonstrate. Contact the MMOC Hampshire branch.

Your machanic is right FIT DISC BRAKES, even if you've got a 1100 to 2l engine in you're Morris having discs on it give you a bit more confidence knowing that the car is going to stop. The discs on my Morris are ford fiesta, I made the kit myself front and rear disc kit for around £100. But I think you should drive a Morris which has a disc brake conversion and the make up your own mind which is better
steven

I can not believe i am going to say this as I do like disc brakes and both my moggys have disc brakes... standard drums which are well set up and maintained are fine for driving around the south east where the brake fade you can suffer due to braking going down long hills is not going to happen..

Steven, please correct me if i am wrong but as i understand things, the fiesta set up will not fit under standard moggy steel wheels or am i getting it confused with a different set up?

Hi I've got Revolution Alloys on my car, BUT I've just been out to the garage and tryed a Morris wheel on and it fits without rubbing. I used minor hubs then machined the hub so it fitted over the disc. Then redrilled the disc to minor stud patteren, then made brackets to carry the fiesta calipier
steven

I like the idea of discs brakes for £100, especially with the Fiesta caliper - which I fitted to my Mini with great success - let's have the details Steven!
But - for any sane normal motoring - the 8" front drums are MORE than adequate. Overhaul them and try them for yourself.

sorry steven it came to me later it is the polo setup that does not allow you to fit the standard steel wheel.. that is also under 100 which is what i was thinking of earlier..

but i do not know that this will help missmarple out as I will be surprised if a garage go with a solution which is not off the shelf.. insurance and all that..

I agree with roy.. post some pics and more details

Alright, I'll take some pics and post them up next week and it'll let you see how easy it is
steven

Which model of Fester caliper did you use - and are they for plain or vented discs ?