Wolseley Front Brakes - Piping

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Monty-4
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Wolseley Front Brakes - Piping

Post by Monty-4 »

Hi,

I'm just finishing up refurbing a pair of Wolseley front brakes ready to replace my standard 8" drums with worn out shoes and (I suspect) cylinders - good timing! I know this is a well covered topic, but some details remain a mystery to me. I've taken the Wolseley cylinder route to avoid having to file bits off the backplate/cylinders and to ward off any potential front-rear balance issues.

With the cylinders fitted (which I think I've done correctly) the front cylinders face down, with two threaded holes for the joining pipe and the flexi. Does this mean I ditch the banjo, and does it matter that this means the flexi will come off the back-plate straight or facing down about 30°, rather than tilted upwards?

LH back-plate pictured.
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Thanks. :oops:
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Re: Wolseley Front Brakes - Piping

Post by philthehill »

You cannot just fit the brake pipe into either hole - you do need to check and confirm which is the flexible pipe hole.
The flexible pipe and the metal brake pipe seating (bottom of the hole in the cylinder will be different).
Here is a picture of an 1500 brake installation:-
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Last edited by philthehill on Thu Jan 18, 2018 3:09 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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Monty-4
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Re: Wolseley Front Brakes - Piping

Post by Monty-4 »

Right. That looks like the flexi comes off flat on the front cylinder. The bleed nipple arrived screwed into the rear cylinder so I'm guessing that's already correct, and it needs to angle upwards to aid bleeding.
Last edited by Monty-4 on Thu Jan 18, 2018 3:21 pm, edited 2 times in total.
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Re: Wolseley Front Brakes - Piping

Post by philthehill »

Check that the seat in the brake cylinder and the end of the metal brake pipe match.
When I fitted the 1500 rear brakes to my Minor the required nipples on the ends of the pipes were different to those of the Minor.

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Re: Wolseley Front Brakes - Piping

Post by Monty-4 »

They are Wolseley/Riley spec from Earlpart so hopefully I'm in the clear!
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Re: Wolseley Front Brakes - Piping

Post by philthehill »

You should be alright then.
Do not forget to fit a copper washer between the flexible brake pipe threaded (cylinder) end and the wheel cylinder.
Phil

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Re: Wolseley Front Brakes - Piping

Post by Monty-4 »

These slipped on really easily on Sunday - bearings didn't fly off the hubs or anything irriating like that and only one side required the hub puller.

I'm having issues getting the join from the flexi to copper pipe to seal correctly after cutting the copper pipe and re-flaring it - they're definitely going to be UNF? If so I think mine are knackered (rounded & corroded) and I'm going to have to replace the lines from the 3-way union to each side.
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Re: Wolseley Front Brakes - Piping

Post by philthehill »

The pipe connections to the flexible should be BSF not UNF.
Check the thread type again before re-forming the nipple.

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Re: Wolseley Front Brakes - Piping

Post by Monty-4 »

So BSF both ends of the front copper pipes? I read elsewhere it was UNF front and BSF rear! :-?
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Re: Wolseley Front Brakes - Piping

Post by philthehill »

The brake pipe nipple nut thread will depend upon what has been replaced in the past.
You can get BSF and UNF three way unions for the front.
All I am saying that the thread in the end of the flexible hose needs to be confirmed before fitting the nipple nut and forming the nipple.
You also need to confirm the shape of the nipple as dependent upon the hose/thread - it could be concave (double forming operation) or convex (single forming operation).
If the bottom of the thread in the hose has a raised centre pimple you will need a concave end to the metal pipe.
If the bottom of the thread in the hose has a concave/hollow centre you will need a convex end to the metal pipe.
The shape of the nipple on the end of the metal brake pipe will have a considerable bearing on its sealing ability.
Phil

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Re: Wolseley Front Brakes - Piping

Post by Monty-4 »

New pipes went straight on as-is, and bloomin' eck what a difference in braking!
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Re: Wolseley Front Brakes - Piping

Post by philthehill »

Well done.

All you need now is a set of larger Wolseley rear brakes to balance it all up. :wink:

Phil

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Re: Wolseley Front Brakes - Piping

Post by Monty-4 »

They certainly showed up my rears being in need of adjustment! I've had an eBay alert setup for the Wolseley rears for some time now, they're thin on the ground.
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Re: Wolseley Front Brakes - Piping

Post by ManyMinors »

I don't suppose many Wolseley 1500s are being broken for spares nowadays. There were plenty of rusty ones for parts at one time. I fitted Wolseley front brakes and a complete rear axle to one of my Minors and then just the front brakes to a later one. As you've found, they make a big difference. A worthwhile modification. I wouldn't personally say that fiting the Wolseley rear brakes would be SO important in normal road use.
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Re: Wolseley Front Brakes - Piping

Post by Monty-4 »

I've tracked some Wolseley 1500 rear brakes down!

To dissassemble them I've had to grind the bleed nipples off to get the cylnders out so I think they're shot(!), plus the shoes are contaminated with brake fluid and other grime. The backplates had some patches of surface rust so I've attacked those with a converter and coated them in a hardy paint. I'm unsure about the drums as they look quite worn to me too. Opinions?
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Once I get the expensive process of fitting new cylinders, shoes and maybe drums out the way - it's just a straight swap?
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Re: Wolseley Front Brakes - Piping

Post by RobThomas »

Aren't the 8 inch W rear drums the same part number as the Minor 8 inch fronts you've just taken off?
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Re: Wolseley Front Brakes - Piping

Post by Monty-4 »

That would make sense, although I think they were worn as I had little adjustment left even with new shoes.
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Re: Wolseley Front Brakes - Piping

Post by philthehill »

The Minor front 8" drums are the same as the 8" rear drums as fitted to the Wolseley 1500.
I have the 8" Wolseley rear brakes on the rear of my Minor and have a spare pair of 8" brakes drums removed from the front of a late Minor.

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