Rear brakes back plate

[seajayare]

Just started striping down my donor and the rear brake drum backing plate on one side is totally shot and the other side isn't brilliant. I have had a look on the Internet and can't see anyone selling new plates for rears (can find new plates for the fronts). Can you get new plates from anywhere?

An alternative is to swap to rear discs but that looks pretty expensive but maybe not so bad if I had to end up replacing the whole back plate/slave/drum anyway only to find the brakes are a bit rubbish. Anyone got any experience of the rear disc conversion (frontline Developments) and is it actually worth the money time and effort? I am thinking that with the reduced weight of the X1 the original setup is going to work better than on a midget in any event.

Also any handy tips for getting the bearing retaining nut off when you don't have a 1 7/8 spanner/socket?

Cheers

[beng4]

I dont think that disks on the rear are really necessary on such a light car, but im sure others will have their opinion. If you cant find new backplates, there are several people who sell decent secondhand spares that you could try. I have always found Andy Jennings is very helpful, has a good range of spares at very good prices- i have bought a lot of bits and pieces from him, might be worth a try:

http://www.mgcars.org.uk/andyjennings/

Cheers

Ben

[adamwilkinson]

We have converted our 11 to discs on the rear but didnt use a kit. I believe that the discs are from either a Capri or Cortina, with new bolt PCD to suit the midget half shafts, and MX5 calipers. We are looking at swapping the calipers out to Wilwoods.

Whether it's worth the extra cost on a road going car is soley with the owner but fro a racing car it's useful knowing that you'll be able to hit the brakes at the same point lap after lap not worrying about fading rear brakes (as Charles has found).

[Westfield 129]

I believe that Mini Mania in the US now has NEW backing plates, complete with the wheel cylinder, springs and shoes. Since this is so, you might check with the spares/restoration providers in the UK, as I am sure that is where Mini Mania (AKA Sprite Mania) gets them.

Also, with abrasive blasting and some good primer and paint, you can save some very bad looking backing plates, though I have to admit that it is easier to find them in Dry Southern California than in the wet UK.

[jonclancy]

Last I saw, it was cheaper for someone i was acquainted with to buy a full axle just for the backing plates. A pair of plates themselved from eBay were silly money!

Agree, a decent blast clean and some Eastwood prep could make some 'orrible examples rather nice.

[seajayare]

Thanks for the clue in mini plates. I found a UK source here

http://www.minispares.com/product/Class ... 0to%20shop

They look the same except they have three mounting holes instead of the four on my midget. Do you reckon it's ok to just drill new holes? Apart from the holes are the mini ones the same size etc?

Jon, are there any places round here (south west UK) for getting small parts blasted that you'd recommend ?

The only way I could get the bearing retaining nut off was with a cold chisel and hammer ( now need two new retaining nuts) but one of the bearings came off the axle unaided and the other was on tight and need proper assistance. Any ideas if this means that my rear axle casing is excessively worn? It doesn't look too bad by eye

Cheers all

[Westfield 129]

Quick bit about the 1 7/8" nuts on the rear axle housing. They are reversed threaded on one side. It pays to have the big 3/4" drive 1 7/8" socket, and the 1/2" converter. I also use a IR 2131 impact gun. This makes quick work of the nuts, and I never have to resort to a chisel. I also made a better puller for the hubs, with a threaded attachment to my slide hammer. This is a necessary part if you are using double bearing hubs, as they are MUCH harder to remove. It really pays to have a powerful compressor, and a good impact gun. Nothing like having 600 lb.ft at your disposal to knock stuff loose when you are dismantling a rusty donor, or a recalcitrant axle nut.

If your plates are not perforated (they are thick metal), you can abrasive blast them to clean them up, and re paint them. The threaded adjuster and the blocks are also available as separate pieces, or you can use a penetrating oil to loosen the adjuster, and then chase the threads with the appropriate tap. This is what I did with the plates on my car as the donor was a flood recovery. They were a mess, but cleaned up quite nicely. There are pictures on my site of the parts before and after. Good as new.

I have found that Eastwood rust remover works great to remove any rust from small parts, to a large part such as a backing plate if you can submerge the parts in a bucket of the stuff. It really works. I was able to save the brake adjusters, springs and blocks.

[jonclancy]

Hi Chris,

WRT blasting and finishing, I know there is a powder coating firm in Wooty B. However, I recall Gary telling me that he uses a different firm in the same locale for blasting and painting. I'll get the details and email you. I was going to try them out on my replacement sump, but time is running short before the track day on the 19th. The JB Weld seems to have bonded well to my dented and pin-holed sump. Oil capacity is still sufficient, so I'll probably just give the area a couple of coats of hammerite to seal the repair until I have time to do the job properly. I have all the parts, bar time!

[Westfield 129]

I have found an alternative to powder coating and abrasive blasting for many parts.

Eastwood has excellent chassis paints and primers. I strip using an aircraft paint stripper, TAL STRIP, that works quite well. Rust is removes using Eastwood's rust remover.

Eastwood now has a catalyzed paint that automatically mixes and shoots in the can.

To accelerate the work, I often will heat the parts prior to shooting the primer.

The main advantage here is time, and the Eastwood paints shoot beautifully, giving an excellent coating, without runs or drips. The coatings have an appearance that is as good as powder coating, and excellent wear characteristics. They are also easily repaired if chipped.

My last W11 project had only the header and intake ceramic chromed, the rest of the finish work, from the alloy casings done in "Alumablast" to the suspension parts, were all finished using Eastwood products, saving me several hundred $$ in costs, and speeding up the project. I also didn't need to drive around to the coating shop.

I painted my oil pan in wrinkle paint. It has been holding up well.

While JB Weld is also an excellent product, it doesn't really replace real welding, especially in high vibration areas such as an oil pan.

[jonclancy]

Update:

The blasting/finishing firm is actually in Calne. I'll have the details on Friday.