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MG MGB Technical - Rear Brakes

Are there any reasons why I cannot put Salisbury rear brakes on a banjo axle?

CP
Colin Parkinson

What part of the braking system? According to the Parts Catalogue the wheel cylinders, handbrake levers, adjuster and steady pins, springs and caps are the same on both. The only difference with the shoes is that the same ones as for the banjo axle were used initially on the Salisbury, but then a modified shoe was used. However it looks like just the lining material changed. All that should mean they should swap right over, but there may be a gotcha with the handbrake levers. The manuals only show the banjo axle, and show the short lever *above* the long lever when fitted. The Parts Catalogue shows this, but it also shows the Salisbury and on that the short lever is *below* the long lever. Certainly getting the Salisbury upside-down significatly affects handbrake adjustment and operation, but I don't know whether those on banjo axles do have to be the other way round, or whether it is just an error in the manuals. The handbrake cables are different between axles, and different between wire wheel and steel wheel on each axle, as there are four different axles of different lengths, plus the cables for 77 and later were different to earlier ones. You *may* be able to get away with a banjo steel wheel cable on a Salisbury disc axle or vice-versa, as they are closest in length.
Paul Hunt

they all will fit i've just fitted a banjo from a tube axle wire wheel,go for it.
da wright

sorry forgot to say you will need banjo brake drums
da wright

Colin

Why are you changing them around?

is it to do with the drum been bigger?

As paul says the banjo handbrake levers are completely diff and they do need to be mounted the other way round to the tube ones or they will not work correctly(trust me i know)

Steve
Ste Brown

Steve, I know the drums are different, but I am sure they are the same size. The shoes have the same friction area.
Reason for looking at it - I have more Salisbury brakes than Banjo brakes!!

Handbrake nor really bothered about that. Race car!!


Mr Wright - why do I have to use Banjo drums? Maybe centre hole is different size. Must check that one!!

CP
Colin Parkinson

You will have to check if they will mount the same bolt pattern also there maybe an ofset issue otherwise they would not have retooled up if everything was the same

Steve
Ste Brown

Steve- you said that they do need to be mounted "the other way round" to the tube ones or they will not work correctly. That's kinda vague. Just exactly how do you go about doing that?
Frank Toomey

The handbrake levers (which are handed) have to be fitted to the opposite sides on a banjo axle to a Salisbury or the handbrake adjustment and operation is affected badly. On a banjo axle the short lever that goes through the backplate must be above the long lever that goes between the shoes. On a Salisbury it must be the other way round, i.e. the short lever must be *below* the long lever.

Why, I don't know, but that is how the Parts Catalogues show it, and certainly getting the Salisbury the same way up as the manuals show the banjo causes problems.
Paul Hunt

Frank

Paul is spot on with what he says about the levers

I was the same as paul and thought the book was a miss print so mounted them the same as the tube axle.

It passed its test for 2 years with new shoes and old drums but this year it failed and we had no adjustment at all left but could not figure it out until we checked the book again and tried them the other way round.

The levers were fouling on the back plates stopping the adjusters from pulling the shoes far enough on

All ok now with an excellent handbrake of 150 reading on the brake tester.

Steve
Ste Brown

Now I am confused! Are you talking about the hand brake mechanism inside the car, or the lever on the rear axle?
Frank Toomey

The levers inside the drums! They are the only things that can be swapped over between sides. These are the levers the ends of the cable attach to, with the end of the short lever sticking out through the back-plate, and the long lever running between the shoes.

The situation gets ever more complicated, as I've now noticed that the banjo had early and late levers, and so did the Salisbury axle, of the same part numbers. So now I don't know whether both types have to be different ways up between banjo and Salisbury, the early levers have to be the other way up to the later, and if so on both axles or just on the Salisbury, or whether the manual shows the banjo incorrectly and they should *all* be the same way up, i.e. short lever below the long lever!
Paul Hunt

Paul

the levers can *NOT* be swapped between axles as they are diff shapes and angles to each other and the handbrake cable arms are a diff length.

*AS I SAID IN AN EARLIER POST*-Due to them been competely different they are the opposite way round to each other as of the drawings which *ARE* correct.

Ste Brown

This thread was discussed between 13/09/2008 and 15/09/2008

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