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MG TD TF 1500 - New brake shoes

Just installed new front brake shoes...after re-installing the drum, i turned the adjuster screws and still was out at the last one... Are the new shoes smaller diameter, or have I done something wrong (I changed them because I had no adjustment left!!!!!)
(When at the last click, I can feel the shoes just touching the drums...if i had gotten one more click, they wouldn't turn).With the old shoes, i couldn't feel them touching the drum at the last click.
gordon lawson - TD 27667

One possibility is that your drums nay have been turned in the past, increasing the inner diameter.
The manual doesn't give the drum dimension but the lining dimensions are 8.75 x 1.5 x .187 inches.
People used to use thicker linings to compensate for thinner drums, which was acceptable to a point.


Dallas
Dallas Congleton

Gordon,

Take your drums and shoes to a good axle and brake shop. They will re-arch your shoes to fit the diameter of your drums. They also can re-line brake shoes, which is the route I took when I redid my brakes. The cost was reasonable. Incidently, you will need to keep the shoes and the drums as sets until you reassemble. I marked mine with a black magic marker, LF, RF, LR, RR.

warmly,
dave
Dave Braun

Thank you all... just took it out and even with just the fronts it actually stops now... ok, so where is the turn for 'the tail of the dragon' now?

An aside:

After doing the fronts in my driveway this morning (took about 15 minutes a wheel instead of the two days when I did the bearings/brakes 2 years ago)...I loosened the rear lug nuts, jacked the car up... discovered I didn't have a large enough wrench, let it down off the jack, put on the hub caps and drove off to a friends to borrow a wrench....Ok...what did I leave out in the last sentence????? Yup...started hearing this weird noise from the left rear on my way (at 50 mph) down a country road...quickly ran through my mind what I might have done wrong, and pulled over. Popped the wheel covers and ..... yep... all the lugs nuts were close to falling off....arrrghhhhh... just when I get proud of my mechanical abilities.
gordon lawson - TD 27667

Dave, thanks for the link...every time I get on your website i just 'groan' with envy. What a great job you are/have done (not to mention the photos)..... When I walk back out to my car, it looks at me with those big chrome headlights as if to say "So....when am I going to look like DAVE'S car, eh???huh... sure, say you love me, but do you ever prove it???? !!!!!!

<http://travelaire.photosite.com/MGTDRebuild/brakes/freshly_turned_brake_drums_and_arched_linings.html>http://travelaire.photosite.com/MGTDRebuild/brakes/freshly_turned_brake_drums_and_arched_linings.html
gordon lawson - TD 27667

Gordon - Is it just the back wheels that you can't get enough adjustment on the shoes? If it is all four wheels, then you either have excessively turned drums or thin linings, if it is the rears only, that is somewhat normal. You only get half the adjustment range witht he rear wheels because the adjuster is acting on both shoes at the same time, whereas the front shoes each have their own adjuster. The fix for the rears is to put a 1/8" shim under the mask plate of the adjusters, or you can order mask plates from O'Connor Classic Autos http://www.oconnorclassics.com/index.html with a shim welded in place. This is a good idea regardles, because the rear brakes run out of adjustment long before the lining on the shoes are near point of needing replacement. Cheers - Dave
David DuBois

Have only done the fronts... the rears tomorrow morning... Thought when i did them two years ago (rebuilt as there was still lots of lining) i was able to adjust them out and back off a click...with these I can't. Will check the mask plates as I won't be able to adjust them in a few months as they wear!
gordon lawson - TD 27667

Thank you Gordon,

I'm sure your car more than appreciates your efforts. After all, it has been 15 months since my car has been out of the garage, your's has been to Gatlinburg!

I can so relate to stupid owner tricks through which our cars must suffer. I need 10 screws for my glove box door to fascia hinges. For some reason today I bought six.

sigh

dave
Dave Braun

Saved a cat... out for an evening drive, cat runs out in front of me....car actually panic stopped...(yesterday that would have been an ex-cat).
gordon lawson - TD 27667

Just did the rears this morning... they adjusted about 3/4 way but was able to lock and back off one click... will re-adjust in a day or so and see if the fronts are any different? Have one rear cylinder with a tiny leak...bit gooey in there.
Sent an email to O'connor's asking about the little shim/adjuster plates?
gordon lawson - TD 27667

Good heavens...don't think I have ever had it stop that well...the rears must have been glazed since I got it on the road...The thing squats right down on all fours now... pretty amazing difference!
gordon lawson - TD 27667

Gord, just incase you should find it neccessary I have four good used brake drums left over from my Alfin switch over. Call me if you need them.
Keith McKenzie

Gordon,
For 6 cents it can be fixed,,, by fitting a penny on each mask. Two edges must be ground down to fit. Beside the drums getting warn out, the mounting points on the shoes also get warn over the many years of refitting and cleaning to refit new surface...
We have been using pennys for many miles with out a problem.

SPW
Steve Wincze

So the penny goes below/above the cylinder piston?
gordon lawson - TD 27667

This thread was discussed between 08/07/2006 and 09/07/2006

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