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MG TD TF 1500 - Diameter of Brake Drums

I am having problems adjusting the brakes on my TF. Three are fine but if I tighten up one of the adjusters on one of the front brakes I can lock the drum with a screwdriver but can't get the click to hold. It appears the snail cam is at the extent of its travel. The other adjuster works properly. Since one shoe locks and holds I suspect it is something to do with the snail cam and will have to go to the bother of pulling the drum and bearing. However just to be sure does someone know what the maximum internal diameter of a drum is? The shoes are brand new, high quality items.

Cheers

Jan T
J Targosz

jAN,
Sorry but I cant help with the dia, but you could shim the wheel cylinder "mask" with a penny and get the adjustment back onto usable notches in the snail adjuster. Yes, you will still have to pull the drum and bearing

Steve

SPW Wincze

New was a 9" drum.

Tom Lange
MGT Repair
t lange

It is just that you are between adjustment stages, run it round the block to bed the brakes in, then re-adjust.
You will have to do this a few time.

Ray TF 2884
Ray Lee

I should also have said that when you reach the end of snail cam travel you get a big bang as the shoe falls off the cam and slams into slave cylinder.
You need extremely worn shoes and drums to get to this stage. I was luck as a friend was swapping to wire wheels and gave me some good drums.
Ray
Ray Lee

I think there is a John Twist You Tube video on how to weld on a shim to the brake adjustment mask to compensate for larger drums or thinner linings.
John Quilter

When I recently had some brake issues with my TD, I visited a local salvage yard and picked up a used 9" drum. I think it was from a late 90's Ford Ranger. Then we cut the face plate off leaving a 9" ring about 2" wide. I can now pull a drum and replace it with the ring and see all the workings without risk of a wheel cylinder blowing out. My helper would apply the foot brake or pull the emergency and I can see if all is working well or not. The drum measures right at 9" and it fits on over new shoes. Adjustment has to be re-done when the MG drum goes back on, but at least I know that all is working OK before reinstalling the real drums.
John Masters

I am ashamed to admit the problem was totally my fault. I had hooked the return springs in the front brakes into the wrong holes in the shoes and there was insufficient tension to fully retract them. Figure M.6. in the manual shows the two holes in the shoe and which one should be used. In my defence the spring looked straighter in the lower hole and the shoe was easier to lift into position with the reduced spring tension. Figure M.8. doesn't show the spring in the rears as clearly, it is hidden by the half shaft, but you can make out it goes into the lower hole.


Jan T
J Targosz

This thread was discussed between 08/02/2017 and 13/02/2017

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