This is an update on the problems with my 87 4/4 brake problem:
I ordered two new wheel cylinders from Cantab Thursday and received them the
next day. Using the handbrake, I drove the car to a mechanic friend about 20
miles away for assistance. This man is retired from the Air Force, and was a
mechanic for the "Thunderbirds" stunt team. As soon as we got everything
apart, we realized that Cantab had sent the wrong cylinders. No problem,
they will most likely send the correct ones next week. The cylinders they
sent where twice as large, and this could be related to the car being
imported by Isis, converted, then re-titled. It may actually be a 1986 4/4.
Or maybe the cylinders were for a Plus Eight... they are almost twice as
large, with rubber covers on both ends, whereas mine only have a single dust
cover.
However, I could not leave the car in his garage more than one night. So
this morning he came up with an ingenious temporary solution - he simply
removed the brake line that connected the two rear wheels, took the bleeder
from the bad left wheel and used it to close the empty hole on the right
wheel cylinder (the right line still running to the master cylinder).
Result: three brakes that work, and better than when I got the car!
This guy is a tremendous mechanic. Last night, I watched him fix a woman's
mini-van in about ten minutes (he stopped working on my car to help her).
She asked how much he wanted, and he just said "bake me a cake". What a guy!
I should mention that this man never even saw a Morgan before last night. He
not only fixed (temporarily) my brakes, but he had me assist him, and he
gave me an education at each step of the way, explaining why each part did
what it did. An incredible guy! It should take less than an hour to finalize
the job when I get the correct cylinders.
To my embarrassment, he was definitely not impressed with the engineering or
quality of the Morgan, pointing out that screws and bolts on one side of the
car where not symmetrical with the opposite side, and the "running boards"
extended an inch more on the right than the left from the rear fenders. He
also felt the rear fenders, being plastic, where perhaps after-market. I
kept my mouth shut, since he was not into Morgans. The only problem I could
not argue with him on was a badly finished wing, which I would have never
noticed if he did not point it out. He thinks the Morgan is a terribly
engineered and built automobile. He pointed out several areas where smarter
engineering would have improved servicing, especially the design of the
parking brake lever (a notch would eliminate about 30 min. work). Also
pointed out the fact that when turning the front wheels too far, the tires
rub the frame. He even noticed the louvers on the bonnet where not
symmetrical on both sides! But he has not driven it yet, and I think he will
be a convert by next week.
Got a great education - he had me hold the springs, the shims (what I think
Fred S. calls the "Chinese Puzzle"), the pins, and had me put them all back
in myself. Showed me how to "sand" the shoe linings, and claimed it was a
myth that, once wet, they must be replaced. He was correct - the brakes
actually work better now with only three than the car did when I purchased
it in March.
BTW, once the left cylinder was off, the leaking source was obvious... the
cylinder had a huge crack in it. There was nothing wrong with the brake
line.
Thanks for all the assistance received from this group, and now I am
confident I can offer help to others with brake problems.
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