Rear brakes

[biketesting]

Getting started on my rear brakes. This is the only cylinder in the back that works. The other side? Nada.

[94touring]

Welcome to the forum.  What other details do you have on your car?  I drove around in my truck with one rear brake inoperative for the longest time. 

[biketesting]

You and the former owner of my car!

It is a 1966 Morris Cooper S. It has twin tanks one is an Innocenti tank. It has an Innocenti dash. The interior has been modified to mostly match Inno specs. I have two motors, both are 1300GT motors, one is an Inno motor, the other is missing the tags so it's the green motor of mystery right now. The rear boot is Inno. It has MK2 tail lights, but are clearly not original. It has a MK2 Grill also not original.

Right at the moment I am working on getting the brakes working. Once it has brakes I'll start working on the motor.

[biketesting]

I should have mentioned that only one side of of the cylinder was functioning. The other was not. Also there was fluid coming out of the cylinder onto my garage floor. When I was 18 this would not have stopped me, but I have another functioning car these days.

I also got the brake pad adjuster loose after many tries and lots of Silicroil.

I know too picky.

[94touring]

Sounds like it has an interesting past.  Aside from brakes and engine work, any body work issues?

[Mudhen]

I should have mentioned that only one side of of the cylinder was functioning. The other was not. Also there was fluid coming out of the cylinder onto my garage floor. When I was 18 this would not have stopped me, but I have another functioning car these days.

I also got the brake pad adjuster loose after many tries and lots of Silicroil.

I know too picky.

When I was 18 my dad would have beat me up - honing the wheel cylinder in the drill press and putting in new seals.  lol.  What are they new, $15?

Knowing that there IS a brake pad adjuster proves you are way ahead of the game...once that ridge builds up on the drum what a pain... 50.gif

[biketesting]

Body issues? Yep. The floor pans are mostly there. Some holes, like the drivers seat rest is poking through. Looks like the windshield leaked and the floor pans there are thin. Small holes in the front lower fenders. Somebody didn't use the jacking points and the front pans are all bent up, from changing the front sub frame I guess. Not bad for a 45 year old car though. Waiting for the Original documentation to find out original spec. To me it looks like the original paint color was Almond Green, English White top. I've been asking around town for info on the car and it sounds like it sat in a guys garage for ten years, was bought as a project. So sad to see a brand new head sitting so long it's covered with rust.

I have a lathe, so ridge be gone!

[biketesting]

Check out some more pictures. My car has the Inno door handles cut into the old style doors (super handy). Hole in the floor where the driver's seat hits the floor board (ouch).

I ordered all the stuff to replace the rear brakes, cylinders, shoes, brake lines adjusters etc. Just over 1 grand in parts. Man how time and inflation make these things more expensive. :-\

[94touring]

Where did you get brake parts?  I bought complete rear assemblies and don't recall it breaking the bank. 

[94touring]

Even on sale right now.. http://www.minisport-usa.com/mini-spare-parts/info_MS2690.html

[biketesting]

I bought some stuff locally, the
1. brake booster
2. 2 cylinders (rear)
3.. new brake hoses (stainless)

then I ordered the rest of the stuff from Minimania:
1. Two sets of brake rotors (race) and Kevlar pads
2. Two sets of shoes
3. two sets of steel brake lines for rear brakes
4. two sets of adjusters
5. two sets of springs
6. a new windshield gasket
7. rebuild kit master
8. rebuild kit front calipers

The booster and front brake pads/ rotors were the pricey items.

Not too bad for all that stuff. I like the parts you showed me, but that would add to the tab even more. My backing plates are finely rusted... perfect patina. How can i get rid of them?

[MPlayle]

Mini Mania (MM) tends to have the highest prices on most of their parts.  They are great for using the online version of their old paper catalog for determining part numbers.  Then shop around several suppliers for the best price and availability.

Seven Enterprises usually has slightly better prices than MM.  I also compare at GBCarParts and a few others (Mini Spares, Mini Sport).

Usually leads to significant savings.

[biketesting]

More Internet shopping, oh joy! 71.gif

Who has the best parts? Are most of the suppliers equal?

[Mudhen]

Good question...since Minisport is showing $121 for a pair and MiniMania would be $360!  :-\

Shipping from MM would probably be cheaper since it's in the US already...but is the, 'from AP unlike others' worth all that extra money?

[94touring]

Shipping from MM a lot of times is no better.  Minisport is also in the USA.  Best parts really depends if its a knockoff or not a lot of times.  I'm usually more concerned with panel quality than most other parts. 

[Mudhen]

I question how much inventory Minisport keeps here, though...haven't used them other than the one time and my stuff came from the UK.  They didn't even have a US phone number for me to call.

[biketesting]

I got notice from MM that some parts are in stock and some are "on order". Its a pet peev of mine but if you have an online ordering system, shouldn't it be available? 8.gif

[MPlayle]

For years folks have been trying to ask MM to modernize their system to reflect currently available parts/inventory.  Still no results.

Seven Enterprises (7ent.com) does pretty well at keeping their stuff up to date.  If it is on their site, they either have it or it has already been re-ordered and is pending shipment to them.

GBCarParts.com is small, but they do have their inventory on their order site - it lists how many they have or if out-of-stock.  They even have the option for an automatic email when it is back in stock.

MiniSport USA is just a US rep for MiniSport UK.  Mike Guido is that rep.  He does keep some small parts inventory in the US, but usually has orders drop-shipped from MiniSport UK.

[biketesting]

My car is certified! Not sure why I did this... 8.gif

[Mudhen]

Cool!

I have one for my '65 as well...looks like it could be a sister car to yours - almond green, fresh air heater, etc.  Maybe they don't really look anything up...  22.gif

A friend of my families used to run the Heritage Trust...he probably wouldn't like me saying that! :D

[biketesting]

Should I ask them to change it to "Morris" cooper instead of "Austin"? I think the sn# clearly says Morris. 11.gif

Bah whatever. Someday I will get my fancy brake parts and install them.

Been looking through the Forum at peoples experiences with the bodies, and well I am guessing my car is going to need a ton of sheet metal. I might have been saved a bit by the previous owner's use of naval jelly or clear goop that has seam sealed many areas on the car. We'll see. For now I just want to get it on the road. Once rolling I can spend some time doing the body etc.

I did notice that the body number is missing on my car. It should be near the hood latch right? It looks like it might have been there at one time but removed during one of the "paint jobs". Looks to have been painted at least twice since the original. It looks like the VIN tag is correct though. What are the two odd holes in the back shelf? Maybe 1.5" in diameter and about 4 inches c-c.

[94touring]

You can buy new vin tags, stamped or stamp them youself.  Check the inner wings for vin numbers stamped on the wing itself first though.  The holes you speak of may be for swapping the stearing configuration around, such as the placement of master cylinders.  Shop around good for body panels!  Lots of money to be saved and quality panels to be bought to do it right. 

[biketesting]

I'll get you a picture in a week or so of the holes on the back shelf. Headed out to Colorado for a conference. I'll keep looking for body numbers etc. There is an FE1017439 number which I was told is correct but not a number the BMIHT track actively. I have no reason to believe the car is not tagged correctly. It has all of the S stuff on it. Metal brackets etc. The mods are all very old, maybe 1975-1980 range? There are no "new" parts on it, pretty much a time capsule, and from what I have heard about the car's history that makes sense. It has sat for long periods of time. It sat here in town for 10-15 years in a guy's garage. Not sure how long it sat in Tacoma but I am guessing for quite a while. The guy here that I bought it from, got it as a project. I am probably lucky that there is a floor in it at all. My guess is once the head came back from the machine shop someone lost interest. The only new items I see were added very recently in a last ditch effort to "get it going". A new windshield, a gasket set, new wheels, and a 1300GT motor, all from the local Mini guys. It did come with some period stuff as well, a set of South African minilites buckets of parts, 4 starters. Lots of Innocenti parts, all the original brake fittings. Looking at the interior and paint it looks pretty old, the last real hoorah for this car. Everything since has been a beating. More pictures, the Inno dash, the rust under it all, and of course the Almond green peeking through. The top was Old English White. The date code on the Glass is 2nd qtr 1966 the rear latch is 23 week 1966, it has the second tank and breather tube blah blah blah.

The more I think about all the original stuff I am thinking I like the Innocenti Dash and Italian boot lid. The 1300GT motor is a plus for sure. I would love to put the Green interior and Green paint on it with white lid. I'll have to see from my Inno friends about the interior, it might have all the Inno interior in it. Red center panels and all black everwhere else.

[biketesting]

What are these holes on the back shelf for? 8.gif

[biketesting]

More pictures of the car.