Morris Minor Owners Club

Hello!

I bought a lovely '54 series 2 a couple of months ago and in one week's time it will be taking my sister to her wedding! I have set aside a couple of days next week to prepare the car but I'd appreciate advice in two areas...

Firstly, getting the car looking good - The paint is a bit dull and has a few water drop marks. Also some of the chrome is in need of attention. What would be best to use?

Secondly, the front N/S wheel keeps getting really hot - even after quite short journeys. I presume it's something to do with the brakes - any thoughts?

Many thanks.

Did a wedding with my Traveller recently and removed the passenger seat beforehand. It makes it much easier for the Bride to get in (and Dad / the Groom) and the photographer will be well pleased as he can get an unimpeded view. Only 4 bolts to remove!
Good Luck.
John

I was going to give the same advice as John: remove the front passenger seat to help bridal access. Also, wipe off any grease or oil that might be on the door catches, and wash the whole of the passenger door frame.

I also second the T-cut and Autoglym; but am more concerned about the front wheel getting hot. with only a week to go, that needs sorting PDQ. We need to know the symptoms as asked above.

Thank you all!

I bought some T cut and polish so I'll do that, and good thinking about the front seat & cleaning the passenger doorframe!

As for the front wheel, here's the story so far...

I took her for a longish drive (about 40mins) and when I arrived, noticed a black liquid trickling out from the hub cap. This turned out to be grease from the hub leaking out because of heat. I thought it was just the old brakes being old brakes. No further problems until the next longish drive - the wheel again got very hot and this time the front N/S brake seemed to seize so I pulled over and called the AA. They towed me home and said it could be a brake cylinder. I took the drum off to have a look but the cylinders seemed fine. The shoes needed replacing though (I think the heat had taken it's toll) so I changed both sets of front shoes. It seemed better for a while but I haven't gone on any long journeys, however recently it has started making a loud rattling noise after about 5 mins of driving and the wheel does still seem to get hot. And yes, it does pull slightly to the left when braking.

If the drum is heating up that may suggest a binding brake due to a partly siezed wheel cylinder. The cure is new cylinders. You are much better off with genuine lockheed cylinders as I've seen problems with the pattern parts.

As said above needs to be sorted for safety reasons, other than that, use G3 paste to get the shine back and a good Carnauba wax to protect the finish.

Thanks for that, much appreciated.
Is there a way I can test whether it's the cylinders? Could it be anything else?

I just want to minimise any unnecessary work by process of elimination before I order parts etc!

Also, if it is the cylinder, is there a specific type for the series 2 or are they the same for all models? I know the drum size is different so wondered if that would make a difference.

Many thanks!

Only way is to clamp one cylinder and then observe the other while someone presses the brake pedal. Same cylinder for all, but Left and Right versions of course. Pulling to the left would normally suggest a lack of braking on the right... Would be worth taking the car to an MOT garage and asking them to run the brakes on the test rollers to see exactly what is/is not working..