NYE 751L - 1972 1850 auto

[Toledo Man]

Here it is after the paint.

Definitely an improvement and a nicer place to be. I've already got most of my stuff in there so I'm ready for the next spannering session. Talking of which I've been hearing a grinding sound from the rear. I jacked up the passenger side and fearing the worst I removed the drum and found that the shoes have worn right down. I've got a new set on order from my local motor factor but I found out that Brown has the self adjusting wheel cylinders. Are these hard to come by? The reason the shoes had worn down was because the handbrake linkage was sticking. Hopefully, once everything is cleaned and greased I'm hoping it'll cure the problem. I didn't bother looking at the driver's side but it doesn't matter because I'll be fitting new shoes regardless and that side will get cleaned & greased also.

[JPB]

All 1500s & 1850s have those cylinders, but it's not the cylinder that self adjusts, it's the little barrel that plugs into the blank end of the cylinder and those are kept and transferred across to the new cylinders. They're handed so don't make the mistake of putting them side by side on the floor and forgetting to check the thread direction when reassembling.

The cylinders themselves are very easy to find, I bought a spare pair recently, not old stock but completely split-new, for only £10 [for both], Unipart brand from a Reliant specialist. (They also fit MK2 Cortina 1600, Capri, Marina, Reliant Scimitar 5 and 5A), loads of uses so availability is great. Just make sure that the sliding face of each is well lubricated with HMP, waterproof grease and that the clips are locked together correctly and their rubber boots fitted flush with the backplates. Lack of grease in there is usually what finishes off the shoes on one side prematurely.

[straylight]

good work Toledo Man, the pics from Harewood House look great and the dolly looks right at home. Nice little garage, good find

stu

[Blazerfrazer]

I just found a video of your car when i used to own it!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WEyyomqzJA4

[JPB]

The vinyl roof suits the car IMHO.

[Toledo Man]

I replaced the rear shoes and bled the brakes over the weekend. The driver's side shoes weren't worn right down. I found out what the cause was. The passenger side handbrake cable was sticking which is also the cause of the handbrake not working so I've ordered 2 from Fitchett's. I might as well replace both for complete peace of mind.

I've taken a look at the YouTube vid. Brown is wearing it's original Sienna paint. There's now at least 3 previous owners of Brown that are on this forum according to my reckoning.

[Toledo Man]

I've got the handbrake cables but I've only fitted the passenger side so far. The wheel cylinder on the same side is leaking so I've ordered a replacement from my trusty local motor factor. Brown started running like a bag of spanners on Monday so I spent the whole day (when I wasn't sleeping) sorting that out which was due to the points gap closing up. The next day the throttle cable let go immobilizing me. Brown has been parked in the garage since then. I've ordered a replacment throttle cable from the same motor factor and I'll be picking it up today along with the wheel cylinder so I've got my work cut out for me today. I've managed to borrow a Ford Fiesta from Anita's oldest daughter so I can now get about.

All good fun...

[Toledo Man]

I fitted the throttle cable so Brown is back in use. I tried to fit the new wheel cylinder the the union nut is rounding off so it looks like I'll have to renew the brake pipe that goes across the rear axle (if I can undo the union at the other end without rounding it off) The NS bottom balljoint is on it's way out. I'd already replaced both sides with ones I had in my stash of spares. It looks like I'm going to have to bite the bullet and get some decent replacements and with the MoT due on the 14th I might have to take Brown off the road when it runs out but Brown is the only car I've got that's road legal so I shall have to either get another car or put my blue Acclaim back on the road. (just needs the haed gasket doing and an MoT)

On a (slightly) more positive note, I've already started to refurbish the spare front suspension. The lower wishbones and tie bars have already been cleaned and painted. I'm still cleaning the rest of the components. I'm hoping to fit new balljoints, bushes and nuts & bolts. If Brown's gonna be off the road I can do that at my lesiure.

[Jon Tilson]

Saw the pipe off flush with the top of the union at the back of the cylinder.
You will then find with the cylinder on the bench in a vice you can file it down and get a decent socket on it and it should come out. The seize is usulally between pipe and union rather that union and threads...
Then you can reflare the pipe with a flaring tool and it should all go back. There is usually enough slack in the pipe to give you the ectra inch or so.
Failing that a new axle pipe can be made up easy enough...

Ive benn known to change seals without removing the cylinder in desperate tiimes as well..its doable with shoes off and clips off the backplate.

Jonners

[Toledo Man]

When I finished work this morning I was horrified to find that I had no brakes! Luckily, I was in the Sainsbury's car park just after the store had opened so it was pretty much empty. All the fluid had drained out. My leaking wheel cylinder had got worse. When I got back the first thing I tried was to fit the new piston to the old wheel cylinder but the pistons were different diameters so that option was out. Next I tried undoing the pipe at the other side and I was able to extract the old wheel cylinder with the pipe still attached. I ended up destroying the old wheel cylinder in order to liberate the brake pipe. I went to a local garage who said the pipe was on it's way out and got a new copper one made up for a fiver. The place is classic friendly. They do Land Rovers and the boss has a late Series 2 Rover SD1. After fitting the new pipe I filled up with fluid and on bleeding the brakes fluid started p*ssing out of the unions. The reason for this is that the new unions were too short therefore it wasn't sealing so if anybody is having new pipes made up make sure the unions are long enough otherwise it won't seal. I removed the pipe (I'd rounded off one of the unions trying to tighten it up so it now has the new wheel cylinder still attached to it) went back to the garage but the place was locked up so I went back to the car and by this time I was feeling really hacked off so I packed up, got a shower, and went to bed for some sleep. (I work nights and I'd been spannering since I got back form work) I'll try again in the morning now I'm in a better frame of mind. I've had to work outside as well because the garage is occupied by my blue Acclaim which is minus it's cylinder head at the moment so I've got 2 cars both in bits. (The other Acclaim is parked on my parents' drive)

Brown is defintely going to come off the road when the MoT expires and I'll have to bite the bullet and sort out the problems properly. For example: I really need to fit a complete brand new exhaust and the front suspension will be repainted and rebushed along with new balljoints to name but two. I've already made a start having already cleaned and painted the lower wishbones and tie bars.

[JPB]

Is the piston you tried for size larger than the original? That'll be a Sprint cylinder you have there, they're bigger than 1500/1850 ones, which are the same as each other, so to use a Sprint one you'd need [ideally] both cylinders replacing, and a pressure limiter fitting to the car (as Sprints have). Rear brake imbalance isn't an MOT fail like front brake imbalance is, but matching pairs of cylinders across an axle are the way to go.

[Toledo Man]

Yeah the new one was a bit bigger. I had to replace the rear pipe that goes across the axle as the old one was squashed in a couple of places and was corroded so it would've failed the MoT. The problem was with wrong size unions but once they were replaced I put it all back together and it is now leak free. The replacment left front bottom balljoint also has some play but I'll live with it until I take Brown off the road. My refurbed suspension will have new balljoints when I get it done.

[Toledo Man]

Because Brown is coming off the road when the MoT expires I'll be able to sort out what needs doing properly at my own leisure. This is my plan of action.

Clean, repaint and rebush the front suspension. New nuts and bolts will be used.
Replace the bottom balljoints
Fit new front springs
Fit new brake discs
Fit new front hub bearings
Fit a brand new stainless steel exhaust (sod this messing about with used mismatched sections)
Refurb the Sprint alloys as per the "Mad Mart" method
Replace tyres as necessary
Replace the rear brake shoes (again! the left hand side ones got contaminated with brake fluid from when the wheel cylinder leaked)
Repair the damage to the front passenger side floorpan (I'll be doing that on Friday. I've got somebody lined up to do that job before Brown comes off the road)

Once that little lot is done I can put Brown in for the MoT. We shall see...

[Toledo Man]

Some more progress:

I got the floorpan welded up costing me £45 at a local garage. I really must try to improve my own welding skills. I've got a MIG in the garage just doing nothing. After pricing the parts I'm gonna need on Rimmer's website (done as a worst case scenario) I then hit eBay to see if I could source anything cheaper. First up was a nut and bolt set for the front suspension from the eBay user "ang-triumph" who do quite a few other brand new Dolly bits that are a bit cheaper then Rimmer Bros. I might get the front wheel bearings from them as well. I've also managed to get a brand new driver's side bottom balljoint for £20. (a Quniton Hazell one) I really need the passenger side but I might as well replace both sides for complete peace of mind and at that price it was too good to miss. The suspension refurb is still going on. All the top wishbones have been cleaned and I've extracted all but one of the bushes. I'm not sure about which way to go with new bushes. New rubber ones are out. I've heard not so good things about Rimmer's poly bushes so it is down to the Polybushes or Superflex. I'm only needing upper and lower wishbone bushes so it won't be too costly.

[rolf]

I've also managed to get a brand new driver's side bottom balljoint for £20. (a Quniton Hazell one) I really need the passenger side but I might as well replace both sides for complete peace of mind and at that price it was too good to miss.

You've got mail.

Rolf