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MG Midget and Sprite Technical - Rear brake overhaul

My midget is in need of a brake overhaul. Braking is bad, so jacked it op and stripped one rear down - I can see leaking fluid, so overhaul is certainly required.

so, this leads onto several questions;

1.Has anyone used these (or this company?)

http://shop.instant-shop.com/JRT-Automotive/product130649catno100649.html

2.Nearside rear drum has been bodged by the previous owner and the 2 screws holding the drum in place has been scored. Any ideas on how to remove the screws?

3. It is worthwhile overhauling the front brakes at the same time?

4. What brake fluid should be used on a Mk4 (1500) midget? I've read somewhere that some fluids can break things such as reversing light switch (although unsure if this will affect the Mk4).
M Andrews

1. yes Terry at JRT is very helpful and keen on price.
2. chisel, drill or easy-out
3. yes if braking is bad because the back does very little IIRC the split is 80-20 in favour of the front
4. for normal road use I'd go for Lockheed DOT4 (and you meant the brake switch, the reverse switch is in the gearbox).
David Smith

David,

Thanks the for info. I've had a mad 5 minutes and so ordered the front and rear overhaul kits. I consider the braking to be bad enough - and that is one area I always want to work 100%!! The price seems very good too!

Thanks for the other info too. I'll be cursing at the two screws lots by tomorrow evening lol..

Cheers
Mat

M Andrews

Hey M,

when you install the rear wheel cly. with the E clips.....its going to be bad most of us use circlip that require the special little pliers with the little pointers

dont turn the drums or the front rotors, the pads need all the metal it can make contact with.

prop
Prop

David is right about the rear brakes doing relatively little braking. But if there are faults at the back - leaking cylinder, out of adjustment - then the pressure will never build up enough for the fronts to work properly even if they are actually in good condition.
I would leave the fronts alone until you have sorted out problems at the back first.
Guy Weller

Guy, good point but it's a 1500 so I think it should have a split system...
David Smith

David, I don't think all of the 1500s had split systems. Mine certainly didn't.
Guy Weller

I'd expect those screws are posidrive rather than phillips or crosshead and it's the use of the wrong screwdriver that chews up even brand new ones.
Daniel Thirteen-Twelve

Drums are not expensive so may be worth going for those too so you have a totally new braking system at the back.

Either way you should be able to drill out the screw heads then once the drums are off (release the adjusters all the way) turn the screws out with some good quality pliers or mole grips.
Jeremy Cogman

<reaches for Horler>
ah yes Guy, the USA export 1500s had the split system from the start but it wasn't on home market cars until May 1978.
David Smith

I am doing the same job at the moment, and I have come across a couple of things you might want to bear in mind.

I filled the system with silicone brake fluid which is supposed to never need replacing and does not absorb any moisture. The trouble is it has much lighter viscosity than conventional fluid. Whilst the old seals were alright for nice old thick fluid, they leaked with the new thin stuff so I've ended up haveing to replace the seals as well. As you are doing a seal change anyway it wouldn't matter, so you might want to consider silicone fluid. Anyone planning to just upgrade their fluid, be warned you might end up with a lot of unexpected extra work.

As you are doing all this other work, why not change the flexy hoses at the same time, possibly with braided ones.

If your 1500 has a big plastic brake fluid pot mounted remotely from the cylinder it is a single line system.

As everything else is in bits, I'm taking the opportunity to remove the pedal box and treat the rust on the inner wing caused by 30 years of fluid spills stripping the paint work - another good reason to use silicone fluid.

I pretty much decided that bleeding the system was such a drag I might as well do as many jobs as possible at the same time.

Good luck with your job. Hopefully we'll get both our cars back on the road in time to enjoy the indian summer that we keep getting promised. No sign of it yet up here though.
Ben Whiteley

Ben,

Many thanks for all the advice. I don't fancy bleeding the brakes too often, so I want to get all the jobs done at once. Rust, inner wing - you better believe it! I am hoping to remove the engine/gearbox over winter to really give the engine bay a spruce up, it badly needs it.

The car has had lots of work done to it my the previous owners, including a bodged reconditioned engine and a bad respray (I don't think they believed in masking). Still mechanically she is mostly fine now, after a new head gasket, ignition system, some electical fixes and now the brakes. Next week she'll glide straight though the MOT (cough - with the aid of Mr Floor Welder) and I can enjoy the autumn summer. Once the winter is here hopefully it will be cosmetic changes and going from Inca yellow to Carmine Red! Oh and the learning to weld training I want to do.

And yes it is a single line system (must be one of the last as registered in '78 on a S plate).

As for the summer - for me its been kinda nice its been raining - car is SORN'ed and a work in progress and me boat engine is cream crackered! Just feel sorry for the rest of you's.

Cheers
Mat
M Andrews

Silicone brake fluid indeed does not absorb moisture. The moisture remains as free water vapour in the system.
Daniel Thirteen-Twelve

Mat,

if you're going the whole hog you might as well use silicone as it's a better all rounder than conventional fluid.

Jeremy
Jeremy 3

This thread was discussed between 26/08/2008 and 27/08/2008

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