Morris Minor Owners Club

hi , can anyone tell me if there is any brake shoe better than the other on the market ,my brakes are crap and wondering if its possible that my b/shoes are maybe to hard and dont have eneogh bite ?? is it worth changing the front brakes to marina discs as i hear a lot are doing
ronnie

Brake performance has been discussed at length. Provided they are well kept they should be capable of doing the job the were designed for, with two provisose, 1 you don't glue yourself to the back bumper of the car in front and 2 you press a bit harder on the brake pedal to get the car to stop

I certainly intend to get some with a recognisable brand name, might even do it before the ones I have are worn out.
Having renewed all the consumable brake components I'm underwhelmed with "no name" shoes even after they have had plenty of time to bed in.

Depending on how you drive (lots of downhill, etc.) and the lining material, the linings can become glazed -- and that reduces the efficiency. You might try pulling the drums and going over the linings with some sandpaper (don't get carried away) and cleaning up the drums. If that improves things you have part of the answer. Of course, if the glazing repeats itself you'll still be after a better material.

Size matters when it comes to the front drum brakes......

bmcecosse wrote:Size matters when it comes to the front drum brakes......

hi , its a 68 model wil this have the bigger drums ?? if not will changing them make a big diff , and whats your views on changing to marina hubs and discs ??

I have the Ford discs on mine and am very pleased with the stopping power. Some have problems with the hubs but mine are fine.
Regards
Declan

Since the ban on asbestos in brake linings, the stopping power has been affected with replacement linings.

If you find some very old stock (~1970's) shoes they will probably behave more like you would expect - although you don't want to wear them down to the rivets.

'ronnie' - your 8" drums should be fine if in good condition. My personal view is that the great expense of changing to discs is not justified for a sanely driven standard Minor..... Those who know me are aware that I have a set of the 9" Wolseley drums on my car - these are excellent. No servo required, no remote reservoir, no modified master cylinder. But - they are hard to find these days.

Declan_Burns wrote:I have the Ford discs on mine and am very pleased with the stopping power. Some have problems with the hubs but mine are fine.
Regards
Declan

HI , what ford are they from

bmcecosse wrote:'ronnie' - your 8" drums should be fine if in good condition. My personal view is that the great expense of changing to discs is not justified for a sanely driven standard Minor..... Those who know me are aware that I have a set of the 9" Wolseley drums on my car - these are excellent. No servo required, no remote reservoir, no modified master cylinder. But - they are hard to find these days.

its quite obvious you know the wee moggy inside out , wish i stayed closer to you and i would just give you the keys so do you reckon the chances are low to find wolsley drums .I imagine it would be drums back plate , adjusters etc and not just a set of drums .My drums are brand new and jsut very poor or maybe im just looking for to much out of the wee thing

ronnie

You just have to keep your eyes open for W brakes. But the 8" b rakes should easily lock the front wheels at 20/30 mph - which is all the stopping you need for sane driving. If they can't do that - then something is wrong..... Could b e nasty modern brake shoes - or sticking pistons in the cylinders. If they don't improve with a bit of use -I would try a set of shoes from a different supplier. You say they are 'new' - are they DEFINITELY fitted on the correct sides -so they are working twin-leading shoe -not twin trailing shoe!

bmcecosse wrote:You just have to keep your eyes open for W brakes. But the 8" b rakes should easily lock the front wheels at 20/30 mph - which is all the stopping you need for sane driving. If they can't do that - then something is wrong..... Could b e nasty modern brake shoes - or sticking pistons in the cylinders. If they don't improve with a bit of use -I would try a set of shoes from a different supplier. You say they are 'new' - are they DEFINITELY fitted on the correct sides -so they are working twin-leading shoe -not twin trailing shoe!

dont know what you mean by a twin trailing shoe ??? all my cylinders are free and working with no leaks and the adjustment is as neat as is possible without drag. I noticed the brake are really bad when reversing out the driveway , its actually better when i pull the handbrake manually rather than by hydraulic ,any ideas
ronnie

Well - if fitted wrong side they will be hopeless - sounds like yours are ok. However - it does sound like the rear cylinders are perhaps seized up on the hydraulic piston - but still working on the handbrake. New rear cylinders !! And that will make quite a difference to your overall braking effort.

bmcecosse wrote:Well - if fitted wrong side they will be hopeless - sounds like yours are ok. However - it does sound like the rear cylinders are perhaps seized up on the hydraulic piston - but still working on the handbrake. New rear cylinders !! And that will make quite a difference to your overall braking effort.

i aggree with you that sounds like the problem but im sure the brakes were operating on and off fine in the back but i will check them again
cheers