Nsr brake binding

[Ivor Hawkins]

Morris, have you checked to see that the rear brake lever releases properly when the cable is removed?

If that’s okay it sounds like rear brakes aren’t quite balanced correctly and it’s pulling up the nsr brake slightly with the car under load.

[David Stepney]

Morrisminor, you don’t say what your car is, but I am assuming that it has coupled brakes. Normally, adjusting the front brake cable will not affect the rear cable adjustment. Indeed, on coupledbrake cars, it is required that the front cable is tighter than the rears to ensure that the front brakes come on first and that there is greater braking effort on the front.

I had a similar problem on my RP when I first had it and found that the brake cam pivot was partially seized in its bush. Getting the cam out is a bit of a pain, as the hub has to come off, and, at that time, I didn’t have a hub puller. So I poured. Copious quantities of penetrating oil to the rear of the cam and the lever, disconnected the cable and turned the cam to and fro until it became perfectly free. I always run some oil down the back of the rear cam levers when I do a service as there is no other way of lubricating the bushes. (Yes, I know that the bushes should be ‘oilite’ but I don’t trust anything that is supposed to be self-lubricating on a vintage car.)

[Colin Reed]

HI,
For all you Imperialists out there you have a 45.767 Cubic inch ENGINE

COLIN
NZ  

[Colin Cooke]

Hi Morris,

I remember travelling in convoy with Dad, and hearing a loud bang from his chummy. It was a brake shoe spring breaking. I know you looked inside, so this may not be your problem, although it does tick all the boxes.

Regards,
Colin

[Parazine]

Sorry,  don't know what 5mm is in inches !!!
Any ideas about the brake though ?

For adjusting a brake cable 5mm is near enough to 3/16".

Quite correct. 1" = 25.4mm, therefore 1mm = 1/25.4 = 0.039" or very nearly 40 thou. 

5mm = 5 x 0.039" = .195"

3/16" = 0.1875"

4.75mm = 4.75 x 0.039" = 0.1825", so 3/16" is very nearly 4.75mm.

Enough arithmetic!

[Bob Culver]

The 1 inch is 2.54 cm is accurate to very many places so with a calculator can flit from micrometer readings of one to the other with ease and only having to remember 2.54.  Old imperial micrometers and verniers often avilable very cheaply.

[David Stepney]

I seem to recall that an inch is defined as precisely 25.4 mm.