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MG MGA - Brake Adjustment Verification

I thought I might share my recent observation and my unending quest for interesting tools. I recently purchased an infrared thermometer from Harbor Freight.

http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/displayitem.taf?Itemnumber=93983

I got it on sale for $10.00. It is a nice little tool that will measure the temperature of an item by looking at the infrared heat radiating from it. Not exactly a lab grade piece of equipment but still a tool that would be fun to try. And for only 10.00, who can turn it down? So how does this relate to MGA's you might ask?

I recently adjusted the rear brakes on my MGA. Thought I had done it properly. I have done it before. But after a ride, as I was getting out of the car, I smelled a very slight bit of overheated brake shoe. I had not felt any performance degradation. So I grabed my latest new tool and shot a few measurements. I found that the left wheel was about 20 degrees warmer than the right side indicating a slight drag. The temps were relatively low, around 160 and 180 degrees F. But it indicated that I had slightly over tightened one side during the adjustment.

I haven't yet tried to verify the temp gauge with it. Some use this TYPE of tool to verify the proper tire pressure during autocross racing by measuring across the tread width and looking for a consistent measurement. Although I have not done this, as I do not race. There must be a myriad of other MGA related uses for such a tool? Any sugestions?

I would recommend this tool for those of us who just feel the need to add to our toolboxes.

Chuck
Chuck Schaefer

This thread was discussed on 01/08/2007

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