Morris Minor Owners Club

Hi - I think this may have been touched on before but unable to find the thread.

Is there a special technique in fitting a rear brake cylinder? It took ages to wriggle the old one out through the backplate (finally resorted to a hammer) and now the new (pattern) one refuses to go in - looks to be generally a tad too big for slot and there is not much room around hub flange. Is it safe to enlarge the slot in the backplate slightly?(vertical dimension, side to side seems OK).

Also, when I eased the cross head screw on the halfshaft flange I got a dribble of oil (no sign of previous leakage in brake area). Is this normal or do I now need new O ring, gasket etc? Car is 1969.

Chris.

What you describe is a common problem with "pattern" cylinders (it's not much better with "genuine" ones either). You'll find it easier to slightly reduce the dimensions of the new cylinder - the metal is softer! Also, the hole in the backplate is the right size, so if next time you buy the "genuine" cylinder, it will fit rather than being loose. When filing the cylinder, ensure that the plug is in the pipe hole and that the actuator (the bit that falls out) is held in place in ordere to avoid getting swarf inside the unit. Clean thoruoghly once finished.

yes, the oil is normal if you loosen the halfshaft screws - you will need to check / replace the gasket if the halfshaft cam far enough out to damage the gasket.
As for the hammer - I thought that was the way they were meant to work! ;-)
I agree with Simmitc - don't screw up the backplate just because of one lot of shoddy parts.

if the new ones don't fit then send them back to the supplier and as for ones that are fit for purpose! (personally I would just file them to fit but.... UK consumer law states that goods must be fit for purpose, therefore suppliers should get a lot more ear-ache about the shameful amount of shoddy parts we get nowadays )