Generation Cyb

The last couple of months have seen much activity on the MG project scene. The last report back in November ended with the rear brakes having been completed and the corroded pipe having been replaced, but since then I ran into a couple of problems I hadn’t anticipated at the time of writing the report.

One bad mistake I made in my haste to refit the offside drum was attempting to force it over the shoes as I was under the impression that the small rim that had formed around the edge would slip into place having gone over the shoes. As you would expect this did not work and the drum was jammed in place leaving me feeling a little stupid for resorting to such a sloppy approach to the problem in the first place! However, all was not lost as I was fortunate enough to have access to a (very) heavy duty puller which was used to pull the drum from the position it had lodged itself in. Of course in the process the brake shoe retaining clips were ripped out of there positions, but replacing these was a small expense and no other damage was done. The problem with fitting the drum appeared to be due to the brake shoes not being aligned correctly, so after getting them into exactly the right position the drum went on without further difficulties. One important thing to remember at this stage in refitting a rear drum is to always tighten the hub nut to the correct torque (50 lb/ft) and to use a new split pin.

Before fitting the drum I decided to replace the whole wheel bearing that I had previously managed to knock out (I had previously decided to reuse the old oil seal, the only part that was damaged). The procedure for this is outlined in the pictures and is pretty much as you would expect.

The next task to persue was the replacement of the rear brake hoses. There were no obvious defects in the hoses but I had noticed a small trace of brake fluid on the exterior of one. The procedure for replacing the brake hoses is not difficult, but I found parts of it became somewhat tedious. One such part is attempting to refit the retainers to the ends of the hoses which can prove more than a little difficult without a special tool as the end of the hose has a tendancy to move while one is struggling to get the retainer over it. I found alot of patience and using a self-locking wrench to push on the retaining clip was the best solution.

Just as I was about to complete repairs on the braking system by bleeding it, I noticed an obvious leak from the nearside front brake hose which I certainly wouldn’t be very satisfied with as an MoT inspector, and needless to say neither will the real inspector! Another trip to the local motor factor and I had a new hose, so this was fitted as with the rear hoses, but to make getting the hose twisted more difficult the caliper end is attatched first. The system could then be bled. One system must be bled at a time, and it’s probably easiest to buy a one man bleeding kit for the job, otherwise help from the kitchen is required!

With the major problem of the braking system now out of the way, I will be getting on with some of the other things on the list because I still feel its too long given the time I’ve had the car. I’m giving priority to getting some alloys to replace the boring steel wheels and at the same time get something done about those illegal rear tyres.