Vintage Minor Register

From new member Mick Bennie in Victoria, Australia:



"I recently took the front brakes off M3953 and have taken them to a reputable brake man for machining of the drums and re-shoeing and profiling of the shoes. The drums are 8 inch or 203 mm. I also found that the rear brakes are not identical to the diagram in a booklet that I have acquired. The booklet states that there was a cable from the central brake axle to each rear side drum. There is supposed to be a lever on each drum, identical to the drums on the front wheels. The set up on my vehicle has a single cable going back to an arm which rotates and then pulls a cable each side. There is a cone shaped actuator between the top and bottom shoe, instead of the rotating oval shaped cam which is on the front drums. These two cones are pulled towards the centre of the vehicle, spreading the shoes and applying the brakes. There appears to be provision for the original cable on both sides on the central brake axle. (This is the axle which the foot and hand brakes rotate to pull the cables to operate the front and back brakes.)

Can anyone identify these brakes? And can anyone supply a set of rear brakes so that the car can be returned to original spec.?"

Can you get Mick to provide more pictures of the rear brakes with the drums removed and from both sides of the back plates and of the back axle casing. The more pictures the better. Have you noticed that the back wheels are the later type.

Re those later type wheels, and recent discussion of wheels on another thread, I was contacted by Tony Margel (the Spokesman) yesterday, who tells me that he is contemplating having a batch of them made - to include single-piece hubs a la Wolseley. They won't be cheap - chiefly because of the hubs, but he would appreciate feedback as to interest - please post here and I will forward any thoughts to him. As always, the more orders, the better the price.