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MG parts spares and accessories are available for MG T Series (TA, MG TB, MG TC, MG TD, MG TF), Magnette, MGA, Twin cam, MGB, MGBGT, MGC, MGC GT, MG Midget, Sprite and other MG models from British car spares company LBCarCo.

MG TD TF 1500 - Slave brake cylinders for 53 TD

Yesterday I changed the brake master cylinder. I'd been pushing the pedal to the floor for a couple of weeks before I got any braking (the problem had come on suddenly) and no amount of bleeding helped, so I read-up on the BBS and decided it had to be the MC. It was, and I've now got a good firm pedal and travel within tolerance.

Trouble is, I don't have too much braking and, although I've not had the drums off yet, I've decided I must have some seized slave cylinders, so I intend to replace them all and (probably) fit new shoes. The brake pipes are fine. The PO said that the car hadn't really been out in the wet since he first acquired and overhauled it in 1978 and, judging by its condition, I believe him.

6 new cylinders and the shoes are going to strain the budget, so I've been looking around. I want reputable components but the usual UK MG suppliers are (IMHO) very dear.

The Morris Minor website at http://www.morrisminorspares.net/ has much more reasonably priced spares which look as though they're of good quality. Can anyone tell me if the brake cylinders are interchangeable or if any of the other classic cars' braking systems might be?

Alternatively, does anyone have the Lockheed code for the cylinders I'm going to need? It looks as if the Morris Minor front cylinder offered, for example, is coded LW15001.

Thanks again.

- Tom.



Tom Bennett - 53TD 24232

Hi Tom

I looked into this when refurbishing my braking system. The front cylinders appear to be almost unique to the TD/TF cars, which probably explains the high prices. The lockheed code is 30284 (Brown & Gammons often uses the original manufacturer's codes). I was unable to find the cylinders at a reasonable price anywhere and ended up honing my existing ones. I have driven the car about 150 miles since doing the brakes and am proposing to remove the drums shortly to check that the cylinders are not leaking. If they are, I will have to replace them. There is a supplier on ebay offering sets of four cylinders for about £100; I have no idea what the quality is like.

I think there is more scope with the rear cylinders (Lockheed GWC1114), which are similar to those in several cars, including the early Triumph TRs. I think the Morris Minor had smaller brake drums, which may affect the suitability of the cylinders. In any case, the rear cylinders are much less expensive than the fronts and there are only two to replace rather than four.

Good luck, Matt
Matt Davis

Try Matt's solution before spending money on new brake cylinders...hone them slightly to remove the pitting. You can find brake hones at any automotive supply store (here in the US we have AutoZone, O'Reilly, etc.). If that doesn't help then new cylinders are your best bet.

Gene Gillam

Why not resleeve your old ones? Surely in the UK there must be some machine shops that do such work.
Tom Maine (TD8105)

Thanks for your comments, everyone - in answer to Tom, yes that seems the sensible course, I agree, but until recently I've had the car off the road for quite a while and I was hoping for a quicker fix, to do some motoring before the autumn sets in.

I'll have a close look at the weekend to see exactly what needs doing before deciding what to do next.

BTW, following my distributor failure last March (It was a total loss and I eventually replaced it with a new one from Brown & Gammons), I'd been on the lookout for a replacement original to have by me. It was only tonight that I managed to get one off UK e-Bay. It was 180696038984, doesn't seem in bad nick and was a reasonable price too. I was quite surprised just how infrequently they seem to come up, which maybe suggests how rare they've become?

- Tom.
Tom Bennett - 53TD 24232

Tom - Before doing anything, drive the car on a gravel road at 10 - 15 mph and hit the brakes hard enough to lock them up. Get out and look at the skid marks. My guess is that two or more wheels are not locking up at all. Those wheels that aren't locking up have frozen cylinders. This is a very common situation on cars with the original DOT3/4 brake fluids due to the moisture that is absorbed in the system that causes a bit of rust on the pistons. You can probably get the frozen pistons out by first using a G clamp to push the frozen piston in just enough to break the rust seal, then push down on the brake pedal hard enough to push the piston out of the cylinder (if you are working on the front wheels, clamp the other cylinder so it doesn't come out until you get the first on free). Once the pistons are out, clean the up and sand the outer circumference with fine (400 grit sandpaper) to get all traces of the rust off, followed by honing the cylinder just enough to get rid of all traces of rust. I would suggest doing this on all the cylinders, then flush the system with fresh fluid, install new seals and reassemble the system. Bleed the system and try the brakes. Watch the fluid level for the first few hundred miles for any loss of fluid. If there is a loss of fluid, find the offending cylinder and either replace it or have it sleeved. I had to do this a couple of times on our TD prior to switching to silicon fluid and even with honing the cylinders twice, there was more than enough material that I have been running for the past 30 years with no problems. Cheers - Dave
David DuBois

This thread was discussed between 24/07/2011 and 25/07/2011

MG TD TF 1500 index

This thread is from the archive. The Live MG TD TF 1500 BBS is active now.