Morris Minor Owners Club

This may sound silly. My rear brakes are dragging so badly I cannot move the car without the engine suddenly. And then it's a real pain repeatedly jacking up the car and removing a wheel, trying to see the adjuster through the hole.
Please help me find it.. a photo with drum off would be best.
Thanks in advance!

You are missing a brake drum screw. Without both screws the drum can move when you are trying to adjust the brakes.

Stephen

Thank you Stephen. I doubt I will be able to remove the drum with the brakes dragging so badly, but I will try.
Is the left in your photo the rear of the car?

As Stephen says, the Drum will not turn 'true' unless held in position by both screws.

Simple answer, presuming you've lost it in the past, is jack the other side up too and borrow a screw from there.

As Stephen shows, the adjuster is under the cylinder, which is at the forward side of the rear brakes, so about 4 o'clock on the RH side and 8 o'clock on the LH side.
Are both sides dragging?
Have you got the Beehive springs fitted?
Are your beehives in good condition, I had to change Basil's as some of them were ridiculously loose.
Look at the differences in the ones he had fitted... Some people claim they're not needed, 'bully for them' as the saying goes, but if they weren't needed they wouldn't have fitted them.

Thank you, I know now where to expect it. I'm going to come back to this tomorrow and investigate the left side and the springs too, once I can move the car more easily.

Nothing to add to what Berni said but ensure the handbrake is fully off and the cable slack before adjusting the shoe adjuster.

Stephen

I’ve found a dab of bright paint, white or yellow on the adjuster head makes it easier to find without a flashlight (torch?).

59Elva wrote: ↑Wed Sep 09, 2026 5:32 pm I’ve found a dab of bright paint, white or yellow on the adjuster head makes it easier to find without a flashlight (torch?).

Excellent idea!

Stephen

Managed to shift the car and access the right-hand rear adjuster. It seemed to be turned clockwise as far as it would go. Don't know how that could have happened? I have adjusted them before to cure dragging.

Rear brake now turns. Here are some photos - can you see anything untoward? The lower shoe might be getting thin?

Are you sure your cylinder is sliding freely on the back plate as you have uneven shoe wear. The whole assembly would benefit from a clean and de-rust. Get rid of old lube and re-lube the contact points sparingly.

Is that brake drum screw snapped off in the hub or is that just muck? The half shaft screw is also butchered and I can see somebody has used loads of sealant on the gasket. Mr Bodger has been around. You can't adjust the brake shoes properly with the drum screw missing because the drum can move and it won't stay true. When the wheel is fitted the drum screws are irrelevant because the wheel studs/nuts hold the drum on firmly. I'd suggest you extract the broken screw and fit a new one. As a temporary workaround, clean up the components inside the drum, as Bill advises check the cylinder slides freely in the backplate, replace the drum and ensure it is fully home. Temporarily hold the drum on firmly with the wheel nuts whilst you adjust the shoes but remember, the handbrake must be off and the cable slack at the cylinder lever before adjusting the brakes. Sometimes the adjuster teeth wear and they slip but normally slip to more slack not tighter.

Stephen

Thanks Bill. It all looks pretty awful to me - I doubt anything is 'sliding freely as it should'. I guess I need to strip it all down etc.

Not really what I want to do at present. Will have a think and listen to advice from here. Thanks in advance.

PS thank you Stephen, I will get to your points.

Kevin,

There was a recent piece in Minor Matters magazine about bonded brake shoe friction linings detaching due to corrosion. Your shoes are significantly corroded and I can see bite out of the friction material too. If it were my car, I would strip everything down and replace the shoes. Check the drums are in good order on the rubbing surface, free of major scoring.

Stephen

I'm surprised anything is moving, let alone dragging.

As Bill has said, it needs a good de-rust and clean up and then appropriate lubrication of moving parts: the cylinder to backplate and the contact point where the mid section of the shoe rubs on the backplate just a little smear to prevent rusting.
Looks like you need new shoes.

Are the shoe surfaces smooth?
One of the clues I had to the beehives being poor was a ridge pattern on the new shoes I'd fitted.

svenedin wrote: ↑Thu Sep 10, 2026 12:39 pm Sometimes the adjuster teeth wear and they slip but normally slip to more slack not tighter.

Stephen

I would go so far as to say that slipping to tighten is against the laws of physics, something can drag to tighten, but not slip.

svenedin wrote: ↑Thu Sep 10, 2026 12:39 pm Is that brake drum screw snapped off in the hub or is that just muck? The half shaft screw is also butchered ...

Thanks Stephen. I tried both drum threads with my single screw and both were fine. So I'm just missing a screw. I also tried that other screwhead and despite the gob of grease, it started to undo as normal. I guess it's the half shaft screw?

Thanks geoberni too. The shoes are not great.

I agree it all needs to come apart and be rebuilt with new shoes. I may have to find someone to do that for me, as it's all down near the ground. I don't have access to a lift, of course.

KevinB wrote: ↑Thu Sep 10, 2026 4:51 pm
I agree it all needs to come apart and be rebuilt with new shoes. I may have to find someone to do that for me, as it's all down near the ground. I don't have access to a lift, of course.

Definitely, brakes need to be fully working and set up correctly.
Modern vehicles can stop suddenly much quicker than a moggy even when everything is 100%.
Find someone local with classic car experience to overhaul them for you. Not the quicksh#t fitters or any of those type of brake centres.

Thanks Bill. Good advice!

Are the wheel cylinders working? The piston maybe moving outward but doesn't return freely.

jaekl wrote: ↑Fri Sep 11, 2026 12:37 pm Are the wheel cylinders working? The piston maybe moving outward but doesn't return freely.

Thanks jaekl. have no idea unfortunately. Is there anyway I can find out without the full rebuild, as talked about?

I have an MOT booked for next week in High Brooms nearby. Planning to take it along very carefully, after adjusting the handbrake and see what happens. And I will ask if they know anyone to work on it.