Morris Minor Owners Club

What sort of money are we talking for a set of wolseley 9inch brakes theses days. Not something I have purchased in the past so looking for a 'fair price type comment'.

PM sent....... and no - I'm not offering a set for sale!

My Wolseley front brakes cost me £72 last September in Berkshire complete with hubs and suspension legs. Just needed dismantling, cleaning, new seals. shoes look as if replaced not long before Wolseley scrapped. Photo taken before restoration.
Mike[frame][/frame]

I think a MUCH better idea than fitting disc brakes. Although I have never had a major problem with the standard Minor 8" drums.

It's certainly a much more cost-effective brake upgrade - especially at that price ! Some sets have sold for much more recently. Then it becomes a judgment of condition/rebuilding cost against the asking price. I have never managed to fade mine - and of course they bolt straight on with absolutely no master cylinder mods required..

Now that I have managed to purchase a pair of wolseley front brakes can anyone direct me to a link on how to fit, I am reading that they are a bolt on upgrade and much less complicated than a disc conversion. However I cannont find a step by step guide on how to do the job, have a good idea on what needs to be done but always like to do a bit of homework first.

Remove the old brake drum and the hub (just pulls off after undoing the nut, or apply two tyre levers if a bit tight) - then undo 4 bolts securing the backplate - slacken the flexi brake hose where it fixes to the existing cylinder. Make sure you have the correct sided 9" backplate to hand - unscrew the old backplate from the flexi and immediately screw on the 9" backplate. Fluid loss will be minimal. Fit the 4 bolts, and the hub and the 9" drum. Adjust up the brakes - and bleed through - keeping an eye on the fluid levels - have a cup of tea while they bleed. Then on to the other side. Two hours MAX allowed for the whole job - but you can probably do it in an hour if you don't hang about too much.

You have a choice of using the Wolseley or Morris brake cylinders.
Wolseley, advantage they fit straight on, disadvantage replacements may be more difficult to find and more expensive.
Morris advantage cheaper to replace, disadvantage, need slight modificaton to the back plate slots, need slightly longer connecting pipes as they fit at a different angle

I wonder how much it'd cost to get a pair of Wolseley brakes to America...Mog has the early 7" drums, and I'd reeeeaaaally like an upgrade sometime soon. One could of course do discs, but (for reasons highlighted above) I'd rather not. The trouble is -- though I'm willing to pay a premium for shipping -- all those for sale on eBay are in Britain, and local pick-up only!

Thank you.
One more question, are the king pins and hubs form the Wolseley and Minor interchangable?

Hubs yes, kingpins - depends if they have been drilled through for the Minor steering arm... Otherwise - sell them to a Wolseley/Riley owner!

The last set of 8in brakes I sent to Canada cost £80 postage

At last after 3 years I have got round to fitting the Wolseley brakes at the front. I had been waiting until I had a new MOT. I finished the job yesterday and went to a classic car show today. The difference in stopping distance is amazing and it is a worthwhile upgrade. Less pedal pressure needed too.
Cheers,
Mike

Of course...and a much easier conversion that disc brakes.....with inevitable need for servo and remote reservoir....and master cylinder modifications of course ....

Managed to buy a set of new shoes for the 9 in brakes, just have to fit them whilst the Traveller is off the road
I only have two Wolseley springs for the brake shoes so I have fitted them at the front of each drum using the holes farthest apart and used a pair of shorter Minor springs at the rear using the holes closest together