Well, it took twice as long as I thought it would and about twice as much money, but the brakes on the MG are finally done! I think the thing that took so long was all the cleaning that needed to take place. The entire front axle was covered in a thick layer of grease and grime that was very stubborn. One interesting thing about that layer of goop, it protected the rubber on the suspension and kept it nice and soft. That's one less thing to replace right now. When I eventually dive into a full on restoration I'll replace all the bushings and rubber bits then.
So, here's what I did to the brakes:
rebuilt the master cylinder - cleaning it inside and out, then rust-proofing the outside
new wheel cylinders on the front, new shoes on the front
cleaned the brake backing plates front and back really well
rebuilt the rear wheel cylinders
replaced the emergency brake cables
I had to replace one of the front brake hard lines as it twisted and kinked in removal.
cleaned the brake drums really well
re-greased the bearings
So, what have I learned?
1. The MG will teach me patience. Frustration leads to stripped bolts and since all the bolts are whitworth I have to be very careful in removal of things. There's no running up to the hardware store for replacements.
2. PB Blaster is my friend. I soak everything the night before I am going to work on it and so far I have been able to remove everything with minimal fuss.
3. Whitworth tools are really expensive! So I went up to Harbor Freight and bought a cheap set of box wrenches and took my disc grinder to 'em. It's working pretty well for the open end stuff.
Next step, the fuel delivery system!
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