Morris Minor Owners Club

Can anyone tell me when the change was made to the larger brakes on the mog? Stupid question really - no doubt someone out there knows who fitted the first set of the uprated ones AND what they had in their flask for lunch...

After lots of book reading and searching, the best I can find is '62 ( http://www.minormania.com/html/mods_brakes.html ) or "with the introduction of the 6 and 8 CWT vehicles", if you're into LCVs

AFAIK, the change from 7" to 8" front brakes was made together with the change from 948 to 1098 engine.
However, if it is like most things BMC there may have been a few cars that got mixed up on the change over.

Yup, that's the way it seems, and it would certainly make sense

It's unlikely that BMC released any 1098cc cars with the 7 inch brakes. You can imagine the legal implications of an accident occuring to a car with this set-up. However it's certainly possible that a small number of 948cc engined vehicles in 1962 got the upgraded brake set-up.

With most other updates to the Minor it really does seem to have depended on when the parts bin was emptied of the superceded items!

It's unlikely that BMC released any 1098cc cars with the 7 inch brakes.

Surely you've heard the legend of the 'Friday afternoon Marina' with a drum brake on 1 side and a disk brake on the other side...
Often these things are myth but I've heard that one from many different places.

rayofleamington wrote:

It's unlikely that BMC released any 1098cc cars with the 7 inch brakes.

Surely you've heard the legend of the 'Friday afternoon Marina' with a drum brake on 1 side and a disk brake on the other side...
Often these things are myth but I've heard that one from many different places.

Cool!

I changed my Minor to the nice big 9" Wolseley 1500 front drums in June 2005 - if that helps ! I think I had cheese sandwiches half way through the job, but it only took an hour each side.

while on the subject of brakes, providing both the front and the rear are the same size, does it matter with the shoes eg is there a front set and a rear set. I know that you have a leading shoe on each wheel, when I got the car as a restore project it had no brakes on it, no pipes, cylinders or shoes but all the parts ( new ) were loose in a box along with other new spares.
Jimmy

You will only have identical brake shoes front and rear if it is the earlier car
with 7" fronts. The later cars have 8" fronts. Be aware that it is possible to fit the front brake backplates on the wrong side(they are marked Left and Right). If on the wrong side the fronts will be two trailing shoe instead of two
leading shoe and the brakes will be poor going forwards!( but marvellous in
reverse)! As a quick check the most forward of the front wheel cylinders
should have the piston pointing DOWNWARDS.

Hi Willie your reply put a smile on my face, my wife always says I do things a*** about face faster than the correct way around. I never touched the back plates so I presume they are on the correct sides and the brake drums all seem the same size. The MM is a 1960 2door 948cc, if that helps you any in your last reply.
Jimmy

That's correct for a 1960 car. You would improve matters if you kept an eye open for a set of the later 8" front drums which are a decided improvement over the 7s.

I can't help but wonder what the series MMs brakes are like. Sound s like a lot of fun.

The Series MM brakes are fine as are the Series II brakes and the 948 and 1098 standard brakes. You only really have to worry if you are driving like a loony and overheating them or there is a fault (which should be rectified).

Cam wrote: You only really have to worry if you are driving like a loony

But Onne DOES

a

I was about to say: no he doesn't, but no, you are perfectly right!

Who had problems keeping up with who around Bristol? I might be a loony, but I tend not to drive like one in my own cars.

But the MM brakes are just as good as the later small ones? They are 7" I think

They felt fine to me last time I drove an MM (website rally)

well, I am sure they'll be fine. At least I will never have to slow down from 70 mph

You might on a hill! 60 or 65 is doable generally. Trouble with the MM is that 4th is quite tall (long legged) but once you've got decent revs up and got into 4th they seem to love cruising at around 50. Aaaaaah sidevalve motoring!