Riley 1.5 brakes
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Re: Riley 1.5 brakes
Thanks for the heads-up Phil; I've successfully bid on them so I now need to know if there's anything untoward about fitting them to the car or if it really is as straightforward as the listing suggests. Also I'll probably need to refurbish the cylinders before fitting so I'll be looking to source a suitable kit - are these universal items or is it specific to the Riley 1.5?
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Re: Riley 1.5 brakes
Well done
Fitting the Riley brakes is absolutely straight forward and will give a vast improvement to braking efficiency.
I had them on my Minor for a long time before fitting the Marina disc brake set up.
The only problem I had with the Riley brakes is that the snail cam adjusters can come loose in the back plate but that is not a problem because there are plenty of repair kits available on 'e' bay.
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/CLASSIC-CAR- ... SwFe1f0oL0
It may be prudent to get a set whilst they are available.
You may have to change the nut on both front brake pipes where they fit into the flex hose but that is easily overcome.

Fitting the Riley brakes is absolutely straight forward and will give a vast improvement to braking efficiency.
I had them on my Minor for a long time before fitting the Marina disc brake set up.
The only problem I had with the Riley brakes is that the snail cam adjusters can come loose in the back plate but that is not a problem because there are plenty of repair kits available on 'e' bay.
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/CLASSIC-CAR- ... SwFe1f0oL0
It may be prudent to get a set whilst they are available.
You may have to change the nut on both front brake pipes where they fit into the flex hose but that is easily overcome.
Re: Riley 1.5 brakes
I had difficulty with the brake pipes and eventually fitted MGA ones. I bought all the bits: adjusters, cylinders etc from a supplier in the Midlands.
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Re: Riley 1.5 brakes
Thanks Phil for the reassuring confirmation about fitting them and also the tip about the snail cam adjusters etc. Thanks too, Arjay, for the note of your own experience in the matter; it's all helpful, confidence-building stuff and very welcome.
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Re: Riley 1.5 brakes
Let us know how you get on fitting the Riley 1.5 brakes. Pictures of the conversion would be appreciated.
Brake cylinders are available on 'e' bay.
Phil
Brake cylinders are available on 'e' bay.
Phil
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Re: Riley 1.5 brakes
OK Phil, will do, but fitting is unlikely to take place for a little while owing to the unappealing nature of having to do the job outdoors in the cold, wet, windy etc conditions that characterise this time of year!
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Re: Riley 1.5 brakes
Guilty, as charged! 

Re: Riley 1.5 brakes
I fitted the Riley front brakes some years ago. This picture may help with the plumbing.
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Re: Riley 1.5 brakes
Thanks mobylette, that's a great photo and will certainly be a help when I set about the conversion.
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Re: Riley 1.5 brakes
Close up of cylinder end of flexible pipe. That is a drop of water on the copper pipe, not brake fluid!
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Re: Riley 1.5 brakes
I've now collected them; big old things aren't they! Unsurprisingly, they need new linings - where's the best place to get that job done? Any suggestions?
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Re: Riley 1.5 brakes
I would go for something like this:-
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/RILEY-1-5-Sa ... Sw7hRegJ74
Whilst I do not know of the brand the seller has good positive feedback so worth a punt.
Here is a link to the brand:- http://www.mevspares.co.uk/
Those front brakes are big and they are efficient - a vast improvement over the Minor 7" drum set up.
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/RILEY-1-5-Sa ... Sw7hRegJ74
Whilst I do not know of the brand the seller has good positive feedback so worth a punt.
Here is a link to the brand:- http://www.mevspares.co.uk/
Those front brakes are big and they are efficient - a vast improvement over the Minor 7" drum set up.
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Re: Riley 1.5 brakes
Thanks for the advice Phil; I'm now inclined to go with the replacement shoes you pointed me to on eBay rather than send my existing shoes off to https://villiersservices.co.uk/index.ph ... cts_id=146 which had more or less been my intention.
Re: Riley 1.5 brakes
If you need new brake cylinders you will find them very difficult to source however they can be machined and sleeved and made better than new by these people:
http://www.pastparts.co.uk/index.php?ro ... ation_id=8
http://www.pastparts.co.uk/index.php?ro ... ation_id=8
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Re: Riley 1.5 brakes
Many thanks for that link mobylette, it may well prove to be a life-saver when I get to inspecting the cylinders; I'll let you know.
Re: Riley 1.5 brakes
I have just looked back through my records and identified that I bought brake shoes, wheel cylinders, springs, brake pipes and adjusters from what was then Earlpart, in Heanor, Derbyshire in 2010. They now appear to be trading as longbridgemotorspares.co.uk although if you put in Earlpart it will come up, too.
In their former guise they were excellent. They might be worth a try.
In their former guise they were excellent. They might be worth a try.
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Re: Riley 1.5 brakes
Many thanks for that excellent link arjay; I've just had a look at their site and if they still carry that sort of stock (the site listing is dated Jan 2016) then they're clearly able to provide everything I could possibly need for the job. Again, thanks for the tip.
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