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MG MGA - HELP, need an old part

I have a 60 MGA,I posted a pix of it. My problem is the front r pads are grinding on the rotor. Heres the problem, I drive it on back roads mostly,I dont want to put new in because I am afraid if I push the piston all the way in for new pads,it will leak. I am not ready for a total brake rebuild at the moment. I need a pair of almost worn out pads,just a little meat left,so I can just slightly push the piston in without disturbing the seal with the rust on the piston. Just to get me thru the summer. Whos looking to sell such an item? Thx.
WYATT WOLCOTT

I suggest you bite the bullet and buy new seals and pistons!

Secondhand pads!!! What is that all about??

CP
Colin Parkinson

Easy fix and easy rebuild and does not cost that much. When I buy a car it is always, stop first, go second, make it look nice. Worth the small amount of money. We don't need another MGA in the grave yard.
Randy
RAP Palsgrove

Thanks for the good advice,they work just fine right now.No leaks,no pull no shudders.One set of pads is grinding,hence new pads. But I dont want new pads,I have a box of new pads. I just want to push the pistons in as little as possible to avoid any potential problems at the monent. If the system is sound as it is, a new used pad is not going to endanger anything,other than the miles left on the pad. Agreed,new brakes are the best overall choice,but I am sure others on this forum are driving on used brake pads.
WYATT WOLCOTT

You're probably right about the seals leaking if you don't rebuild them. I guess you could buy new for very little money and have them milled to thin. But even then, you may have leaks. And you'd have to buy new pads again.

It is possible that your pistons are not rusty, or can be cleaned up. The only way to know is to take it all apart and look. I don't think anyone here will want to be involved in a half assed repair. Driving an old car is a bit more risky even when you do your best repairs.
Tom

Wyatt,

I sympathise with your dilema. Given the time and cost to rebuild (100s of $), I hope that someone from that side of the pond can support you with some pads to get through the summer.

One thing to be very careful of though, if the pads and rotor become too worn it is possible to have a piston leak past the rear seal. It happened to my brother in his MGB some years ago and he suddenly had no brakes at all!

I checked and I have some part worn pads but you would probably have to grind down a little more. If you can't find any closer drop me a mail.

Neil
Neil McGurk

Take your box of new pads and grind one set down on a belt sander. When they are at the desired thickness you can install them and achieve the results you want.This way you have not involved anybody from this BBS in your crazy idea.

THEN PRAY. The life of yourself/passenger and anyone else nearby (if and when the brakes fail) is in your hands. Seems to me that The USA is the world kingdom of lawsuits and you are one of the prime reasons for it. THINK MAN. 2-3hrs of work to rebuild the caliper,add new pads and bleed the system, thereby making things right.

THIS IS THE MOST LAME BRAIN REQUEST I HAVE EVER SEEN ON THIS BBS.

Gordon

Gordon Harrison

I am not prone to be rude on this forum,..so I wont.

Gordon,I am sure you are a fine mechanic.I have read your comments and generaly agree.But until you're here to asses the situation first hand, with the required visuals,you might want to re-asses your comments...Might I ask you,when your pads get worn,do you rebuild your entire braking system,along with new wheels/tires,suspension rebuild,engine overhaul.....and new paint plus interior kit.

In all probability,the new pads will go in fine, no problems,I was just hopeing to put the odds in my favor.The car gets used VERY little,rust DOES form on the pistons. I have zero leakage now and excellent pedal,was hoping to keep it that way.

The over all comments here are good,but there are occcasional times when I am correct also.

PS,Gordon, thanks for the kind words about my country
WYATT WOLCOTT

The USA *is* the world kingdom of crazy lawsuits, and as an American who has an ancestor who signed the Declaration of Independence I can say that without fear of being declared a disgruntled foreigner. That said, Wyatt's inquiry does seem a little unusual, and if he's worried about the condition of his brakes he could, unfortunately, be literally whistling past the graveyard in trying to not disturb them too much. As someone who occasionally gets accused of making my case too forcefully here I'll just say that even if they are not concerned about the safety of themselves, everyone here should be concerned greatly with the safety of their MGs.
David Breneman

Hi Wyatt. Brakes are the cheapest thing you can put on a car, no matter what they cost! The thought of hitting a child or totalling your car because of potentially bad brakes is appalling. I had an MGB that lost brakes at speed, and I cant begin to tell you the feeling of panic that situation causes the driver!!! I drove into a snowbank to avoid hitting another vehicle, and was extremely lucky that no one was killed or injured! I understand your dilemma, and do see how you might be tempted to get away with installing thinner pads, and hoping that the hydraulics dont leak. PLEASE Dont do it! There are lots of places to skimp on repairs, but in my humble opinion, brakes are one place you cannot afford to skimp. Just my 2 cents worth.
Glenn

OK....OK...I surrender,I still think I am correct,but you guys's logic is admittedly more sound.

David,Hello, its nice to meet a fellow traveler, check my name, now re-read the signers of that precious document.
We had already been here for appx 150 years.

WYATT WOLCOTT

Gordon / Glenn well done!!


These yanks have some half assed ideas!!

CP

Colin Parkinson

Gentleman, If I may, I would like to invite you down to flame wars. Every thing has its place...and there is a place for everything.

Should you decide to venture down, I will be the one posting with his REAL name.

Hopefully,I am not mistaken,..that all these forums,save one, are for civility.
WYATT WOLCOTT

Hi, Wyatt - I just have your health and the health of your car in mind. My ancestor was Whipple. Too bad about the whole Charmin thing. Not that you gain any virtue or dishonor from your ancestors, as we can't pick them and they can't pick us. I understand I also had an ancestor who was an Imperial Gizzard of the KKK, may he burn in hell...
David Breneman

I believe that Wyatt asked a reasonable question and does not deserve the excessive criticism he received.
I would have no problem fitting part worn disc brake pads provided that:
(a) The remaining pad thickness was still within the limits specified in the Workshop Manual.
(b) They are checked for flatness, giving them a surface grinding if necessary.

These pads would then be no worse than any other car driving about with the pads still within limits. He merely wishes to postpone a brake overhaul, not to substitute for such an overhaul.
Please keep the website civil and non-personal.

A question for MGA 1600 owners. Is there a design feature on the Lockheed brakes to prevent the steel backing plate of the pad from touching the rotor, the braking becoming rapidly less effective when the pads go UNDER specification?
The Dunlop brakes on the Twin Cam have such a feature.
See image attached.

Mick


Mick Anderson

Mick,

No such feature; as I mentioned, on the MGB at least, if the rotor and pads are worn enough the piston can pop out. Not sure that would happen on the MGA as there is a central location pin, but the piston could travel past the rear seal causing a potentially catastrophic leak.

The minimum permissible pad thickness according to the workshop manual is 1/16 inch or 1.59 mm.

The (calculated) minimum rotor thickness is 8.38 mm.

Taken for granted that it is not good engineering practice to switch worn brake pads (the pad will perform less well and wear much faster as it initially wears in), I agree that some of the criticism was over the top.

Neil
Neil McGurk

I don't think that the criticism was over the top at all. Everyone was trying very emphatically to ensure that Wyatt did not go down this crazy route and it seems at least that this has worked. Another factor is that he says he has a firm pedal and is reluctant to open the system. How long is it since he has changed the brake fluid, if it's more than 2 years then the boiling point of the fluid could be significantly reduced and the use of thin pads would dramatically increase the risk of heat transfer back to the fluid causing it to boil thereby risking brake fade. Take the sensible route and fit new pads and change the fluid as well if it is more than two years old.
Iain MacKintosh

Wyatt
If you read my remarks carefully, you will see that I offerred you a mechanism to obtain the brake pads you want. You have the pads,pull out your belt sander and pick the thickness you need. It's really quite simple.

As for my remarks about the logistics of this repair, I stand by what I said. The most important parts of your car are the brakes. Your health and the health of everyone in or around your moving car are at risk when the brakes are suspect.

Could you imagine what would happen if there was an accident and a lawyer saw your written request on this BBS. My God many, they would take you to the cleaners and back.

Minimum is minimum. It is the least amount required to do the least amount of work.

In reference to THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA I have the highest proper respect for your country. You as well as any other Americains knows very well that the ambulance chasing lawyers are just sitting there waiting for something like this to come along so that they may pounce on the dead and injured and get rich. Your USA laws created these lawyers not us.

On my side , no hard feeling as the purpose of this BBS is to help others and I hope ALL of the comments helped you make the proper decision.
Gordon


Gordon Harrison

This thread was discussed between 25/05/2007 and 04/06/2007

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