Ric,
I just did the same upgrade on my '62MKII Sprite and I had the same problem.
I fixed it by flexing or bending the backing plates gently back a bit with a
BIG hammer. If you are careful and do it evenly... you can't tell it was
ever done.
I look at it this way..."Some parts have to be hand fitted".
Good luck!
-Drew
-----Original Message-----
From: Ric Otte [SMTP:otte@cats.ucsc.edu]
Sent: Monday, February 15, 1999 8:48 PM
To: spridgets@autox.team.net
Subject: Rear brake conversion for 61 sprite
I have a 61 Mk2 sprite, and have been trying to upgrade to the later
double
acting piston brake system. I bought a used differential housing
from
about a 68 midget and took the brake backing plates off and
installed them
on my car, with the other brake hardware. When I put the drums on,
they
hit the backing plates. Around 1/16" was ground off the drums,
which
allows the car to go straight, but when I go around a corner the
drums
scrape the backing plates near the bottom 1/4 of the backing plates.
The
drums are deep enough to be contacting the backing plate on corners.
I
checked the backing plates with some others, and they seem to be
identical;
there is nothing bent or defective. I then measured the
differential
housing on my car (quarter eliptic) with the one I took the brakes
from.
It turns out that my car allows the bearing and hub to slide in
about 1/8"
further than the newer differential housing. The part that stops
the hub
from going all the way in to the center is about 1/8" longer on the
new
car. The old original backing plates were curved towards the center
of the
car, so the drums would not contact them. But the newer backing
plates are
not curved as much, and so the drums hit the backing plate. I've
thought
about simply putting a spacer between the drums and the axle, but
would
prefer to do things right and figure out what went wrong. I know
several
people have done this conversion without trouble. I did take the
backing
plates off of a wire wheel car, but I thought all of the later
backing
plates were the same. I'm using my original hubs, and also put new
wheel
bearing in. I'd sure appreciate any help on this; I've spent a LOT
of time
trying to figure out what went wrong.
Ric Otte
otte@cats.ucsc.edu
end
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Richard Otte
Department of Philosophy
University of California, Santa Cruz
Santa Cruz, CA 95064
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