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MG MGA - Tight disc pads

I have just fitted new “green stuff” front disc pads but although I’m sure that I had the pistons fully retracted were a very tight fit (by tight I mean that I had to push hard with my hands as opposed to tapping them in), the result is that although I can turn the wheel by hand they still bind quite a bit.
I’ve been out for a short run and the discs got very hot (you could smell them close up),
I’m wondering if anyone has had a similar experience and it there is anything that I can do about it or should I just keep doing little runs and hope that they bed in, I should also mention that I have mgb Lockheed callipers fitted, thank you in advance, Vin
Vin Rafter

Take them out and sand them down a little. They need to run with a small air gap (a few thousandths of an inch at least), and it might take a long time for them to wear that much.
Barney Gaylord

The pads in my car are green stuff too Vin, they were also really tight when I first ran the car and it pulled really badly to one side when I braked hard. I was going to sand them down like Barney suggested but because of other early running problems like fuel starvation ignition problems I never got around to it.
Well they have bedded in fine now but it took about 6 months of occasional driving, the car stops in a perfect straight line and they have real bite from cold and dont seem to fade when hot so I think they are perfect for fast road use. They mess up my ally wheels a bit with dust but I am loath to change them as they work so well. So if you you want them to bed in quicker than mine did, sand them down like barney suggested, but even if you dont, so long as you dont go racing with them, they will bed in eventually.
Colyn
Colyn Firth

While you can "run them in", the problem with this is that they can warp the rotor. You're better off doing as Barney says.
Mike Parker

This thread was discussed between 26/01/2010 and 28/01/2010

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