Talk Morgan Forums Morgan Sports Cars Classic Morgans (pre-CX) brake pedal

could someone send me a picture of the footbrake pedal particularly of the connection with the master cylinder pushrod, and I would like to know the thickness of the aluminium spacer between the master cylinder and the bulkhead also the number on the tie wrap that's fixed to the master cylinder.
I am going to change back to non servo brakes, but I can't find my old parts that I took off many years ago and a house move.

I seem to remember I changed the foot pedal for a reason to do with the pushrod.

Is the clutch bulkhead spacer the same thickness as the brake m/cylinder?

Thanks. DB

forgot to state its a 1985 +8 inj.

PS anybody got a brake pedal for sale because I may require one before I do the change back to non servo.

DB

Why ?

Why.. because I changed to servo brakes when I broke my leg years ago and I thought I would like to go back to non servo. I might regret it when I do..

DB

Thanks, lets hope you don't regret it.

Just clamp off the vacuum pipe and test it on a run out over familiar roads and braking points ?

I can help. My 1985 +8 inj, was destroyed in 2002. As new Morgans could not be imported into Canada then, a gang of influential friends of the Works prevailed on them to recreate my car as a "repair"...which was accepted by the Canadian government.

It started off as a project to precisely copy the original car. But when we came to the brake hydraulics, they wanted me to accept the later boosted brakes used after June 1993. I balked. The Service Manager, Mark Baldwin, called me up and explained to a grumpy me why I should reject the advice of the old f*rts advising then me. I agreed to try it out expecting to switch back to the Girling. Instead, I promptly switched my other Morgans to boosted brakes. One set was fit by CAPARO in Leamington Spa, working on the phone with Peter Mulberry.

Baldwin was right. Morgan boosted brakes are better..even if you did not get their 4 pot rather 2 pot calipers when your leg was broken. And clamping the vacuum hose is an inadequate test in this case. Read on.

It is not better braking that is needed. Morgans are so light little braking is needed at all. But they are improved with BALANCED braking. With cars having front discs and rear drums, the back to front ratio should be 40-60. The engineers at CAPARO, informed me that the GIRLING ratio provides a 50-50 ratio..which is why the Girling cars have a sad tendency to have their rear swing out in fast deep turns into the nearest hedge, which is no fun. Proper hydraulic balance has the low center-of-gravity handle corners like it is on a railway track. You have gotten used to that.

I advise my UK racers to change their brakes accordingly, often using a brake balance.. Makes them winners.

Lorne
R9459

P.S. BTW, the Works and I then abandoned the originality fetish and merely picked whatever was best from the parts list over the 36-37 years of Plus 8s..even stuff on their drawing board.

Thank you for the reply Lorne, my serial No is not far from yours. R9471.
You are correct about the ratio split that is a plus point for the servo, I suppose one of the reasons for going back to non servo was that it moves the master cylinder nearer the bulkhead. It was a bit close to the exhaust manifold although it hasn't caused any problems because it's got a decent heat shield around it and the manifold is wrapped ,also. heat rises.
I have 4 pot calipers and rear discs and I have never locked out the rear end.

I have what I think is the last original master cylinder in my parts cache and I was (maybe not now) going to do it as a winter project, oh well

DB

Yes. Your car and my first iteration were stable mates For a number of reasons, they are a splendid wine from a great vintage. Interestingly you opted for the best combination. CAPARO fronts and GIRLING rears. Bill Beck, the Morgan designer that rid the cars of the imbalance, explained that production under Morris got the installation of the rears wrong and they rarely self-adjust. https://www.gomog.com/allmorgan/APBRAKES.html#SAFETY Mulberry confirmed.

I used to have a mandate from Morgan racers in the UK to find them the rare GIRLING component, the back plate, They wisely prefer manually adjusting the rears..You have it all..except, I imagine, PORTEFIELD R4-s at the four corners. But if you choose to buy them, contact me first and I will tell you how they can be ordered and arrive proper to fit and be less expensive.

Be well.

Lorne