Tyres

Does this mean that everybody who has replaced the steel wheels and 80 profile tyres with alloys and 70 profile tyres could fall foul of a Jobsworth quoting the Construction and Use regs?

Jim

Jim Warren gurgled happily, sounding much like they were saying:

No, not necessarily. He said "can", not "will".

OTOH, if you take high-spec tyres off a quick, heavy car and put something that's absolutely not up to the job on, then - yes, probably.

Speed and load ratings are likely to be the key.

Gentlemen,

Does anybody in the Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire, Herts. or Bucks area have a wind back tool for the rear brakes on a Rover P6 I can borrow as I wish to make one.

Thanks,

To be perfectly honest I had one and it was a waste of time. Easier to do with your fingers. Use builder's gloves. If you can't turn it with your fingers it's seized so sort that out first.

To make one which actually worked easily would need a conventional ratchet mechanism.

Dave,

Thanks for the info, taking both of the rears off anyway to repair leak so will do it on bench. Just thinking of future, as to making one I have the necessary machines so it would be no problem.

I used a G clamp.

As I said it should turn with the fingers. Not easily - but far less hassle than trying to get any tool in there. If it doesn't it's partially seized, and accounts for the reputation of these handbrakes not working well. When in good condition they are the best handbrake I've had on any car.

On a P6? Isn't this a design where the handbrake mech means you can't simply push them back, but have to screw them in

S'wot I thought, too.

I have the special tool for that, cost me around a tenner and is worth it's weight in gold.

FFS...It does screw them in. You do it so the screwthreaded bit of the g-clamp is acting on the bit you need to rotate and the solid bit is on the other side of the caliper the side the piston is on. When the g clamp is tight enough and you continue to tighten it bites into the piston and rotates that as well.

Yes. The piston which operates the pads is mechanical and linked to the internal hydraulic piston and handbrake mechanism. When the pads are worn out it requires several turns to re-set it and I don't see how a g-clamp would be much help.

On a P6? The calipers are so awkward to get at you spend more time trying to keep it in place than anything else. The same tool works ok on a Ford Mk IV which has the same units but outboard.

I've tried using a G-clamp on them, it doesn't work. You need the proper piston winding tool - they're not very expensive now and very useful.

I spent about 3 hours trying to wind in the rear pistons on a new shape Alfa GTV a couple of years ago, tried every trick and nothing would shift 'em. Went out and bought a Sykes Pickavant piston windy tool and it took me less than 5 minutes to sort it. Took 10 mins to do the caliper on the other side (from wheel removal to replacement) - and that one was a lot less free. Brilliant things. You can also buy a little square multi-sided tool for doing the odd one, costs about £5 from most semi-decent motor factors. If you're doing a lot of them, buy a proper job - looks like a G-clamp, but works a lot better.

If I'd known about the proper tool when I had my P6, I'd have probably had a decent handbrake.

Are you saying the tool you have works on the same principle as the proper P6 one? I'm saying that was a poor design.

However the proper tool doesn't effect the handbrake on the P6 - you have to wind back the piston to fit new pads by whatever method. It's seizure of the mechanism (and wrong cable adjustment) that stops it working properly. The levers on the calipers *must* come back to their backstops with the handbrake off for the self adjustment to work. And in perfect condition this allows more handbrake travel than some MOT testers allow. So people tighten the cable and f**k up the handbrake. I had to lay the law down on more than one occasion at MOT time...

So it's just Doctor Drivel talking about hacksaws again.

Ouch. You know how to wound. Conor's not in the same class as dribble - fortunately.

But having read his explanation of how he used it I'm still not convinced.

I did mine a few months back with advice from this group and it wasn't as difficult as I'd expected. I screwed them out a bit, cleaned them off with a cloth and then screwed them right back in with my fingers. Where they were a bit stiff to begin turning, I found it possible to push the top with a screwdriver - it didn't need enough pressure to cause any damage.

Yup. A pair of those thin but strong building gloves can save the pain. ;-)

Do you find the handbrake now extremely effective? Long travel and spongey feeling but very powerful? Usually impresses the MOT guys on the rolling road.

G Clamp? Is that an asian version of a G cramp?