Quick post today on installing the rear brakes after getting the axle and suspension fitted in the last update. After considering the various alternative options – such as the off-the-shelf disc conversions available, or adapting discs and calipers from other cars – I opted to go for a completely standard drum setup (for now at least). Much of the stopping power is provided by the front brakes, and I have plans to improve the front brakes significantly to help tame the car’s new power, so – uncharacteristically perhaps – I didn’t feel it necessary to diverge from standard on the rear.
MGB Hive very conveniently happen to sell a complete rear brake kit including all the necessary parts for this job, at a very reasonable price. I’m naturally suspicious of the quality of parts in budget kits like these, but on unpacking it everything seemed to be in order, at least as good as equivalent parts I’ve fitted before.
It’s a pretty simple job to fit the brakes, following the trusty Haynes manual for guidance where needed, and very satisfying to build them onto freshly painted backplates. The only tricky bit was getting the notorious C-clips onto the wheel cylinders to secure them (apparently there’s a special tool for these… which I don’t have š )
With the shoes and mechanisms fitted it was just a matter of screwing the drums into place to complete the job. I’ll adjust them properly later on once I’ve fitted all the hydraulics, the handbrake, and bled the system. I reused the old drums as they were straight and in pretty good condition, but I gave them an external coat of the same epoxy paint that I used on the axle – nobody wants rusty brake drums peeking through their wheel spokes.
