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MG TD TF 1500 - Thank You Dave Braun!

Dave,
Thanks for your reply to the thread "issue on brakes". I completely rebuilt my TF's braking system this spring, but I was never happy with results. Occasionally I would find that the car would pull to the left on braking, and usually just didn't really feel like there was enough braking power there. After reading your reply to that post, and upon seeing the picture you posted, I got curious. So yesterday I pulled the front drums, and found that my passenger side wheel cylinders were indeed upside down. Well I corrected the problem today and just got back from a short jaunt around the neighbourhood. The braking has been transformed on my LBC and I couldn't be happier. Thanks so much for sharing your insight. I'm sure that many others have taken note as well. Its what makes this forum so great.
Gene
Gene Burgess

Heck, Gene. Your kindness in thanking me is very much appreciated. I'm glad I could be of some help.

warmly,
dave
Dave Braun

Hi Gene and Dave: I find that my 1953 TD brakes are not working properly, they do not seem to stop the car as they should. For this reason I found your thread about brakes interersting, specially Gene's remark that he had installed the brake cylinders "upside down". What do you guys mean by this? Any pictures/drawings? Thank you very much.
Stuart J. Ramos

Hi Stuart,

The thread Gene refered to is still on the page, just scroll down and find the "issues on Brakes..." thread. For a more complete set of pictures go to my website http://www.dbraun99.com/mgtd15470/ and look at the brake section. Basically, if you install the wheel cylinders upside down, they push the trailing portion of the shoe against the drum instead of pushing the leading portion of the shoe against the drum. Left and right hand brake shoe sets are shown on my website. Just compare the mounting position of the wheel cylinders with what you find on your car when you pull the front drums.

good luck,
dave
Dave Braun

Stuart,

The rule of thumb for the front brakes is that both front
cylinders should push downwards. You can check them without removing the drums, just lift the front wheels, remove the hubcaps, then through the adjuster access hole verify the the adusting screw is below the front cylinder.

John
John Scragg

John,

I don't believe that is correct. The front cylinder on each front wheel should face downwards (adjuster screw down), but the rear cylinder on each front wheel should face upwards. Otherwise you will have on leading shoe, and one trailing shoe.

Figure M.6 in the maintenance manual is of the right hand front wheel. The cylinder closest to you in the figure is the rear cylinder. It has its adjuster facing up.

warmly,
dave
Dave Braun

John, I appologize. You probably were saying the same thing I am, except that I may have misread it the first time through. Anyway, your way of putting it is a helpful way to determine if the cylinders are installed correctly, and I hope that by adding the notation regarding the cylinders on the rear of the front brake plates facing down, I clarified things.

warmly,
dave
Dave Braun

Sheesh... the front brakes' rear cylinders face up...

Darn nomenclature...
Dave Braun

Dave,

Not your fault.

After re reading my comment I see that it could lead to confusion. I should have wrote:

"The rule of thumb for the front brakes is that the forward most cylinder of each front wheel should push downwards, consequently the rear most cylinder of each front wheel, should push upwards"

I hope that this removes the ambiguity.

John
John Scragg

This thread was discussed between 24/07/2008 and 27/07/2008

MG TD TF 1500 index

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