Uprating Series brakes

Pedal box will bolt in - but you will need to do some panel modifications to fit the M/C. Same with the late S3 servo M/C. You will need to modify the panel between the mudguard and the bulkhead. On the S2 it is straight, but the S3 has it cranked to provide clearance - and on the Defender it does not exist - has inner guards instead. JD

I fitted a S3 servo to my 2A. I also had to chop away/bend a bit of the wing at the top as it fouled the servo (later wings with headlights in) have a cutout already. I also had to enlarge the hole in the top of the footwell that the pedal goes through. the original 2A pedal only uses half the available height. the servo pedal uses the full height. easy to chop out with a hacksaw.

Having a servo improved the brakes slightly, but putting LWB hubs on the front made them even better!

On or around Fri, 26 Nov 2004 21:31:28 GMT, "SteveG enlightened us thusly:

You can also get a disc front brake conversion... :-)

.... but putting LWB hubs on the front made them even better!

Even without a servo the LWB brake option would be my preferred choice. It works well and is a guaranteed way to more brake torque.

The 'hub' is common, of course, only the brake parts are needed. I found that I also needed to use the LWB master cylinder.

A nice Idea, Austin, but a bit too expensive for my liking.

Regards Steve G

Aust>On or around Fri, 26 Nov 2004 21:31:28 GMT, "SteveG

Cheers JD. I don't mind a bit of metal bashing to make things fit.

Regards Steve G

JD wrote:

Tom,

Thanks for the input. I've got the wings with lights in so hopefully there won't be too much modification to do. I've already got LWB brakes on the front and they do make a difference - I'm just looking to reduce the amount of effort needed to anchor up in a hurry.

As an aside, does anyone know how to improve the braking when the vehicle is moving backwards? You really have to stand on the pedal in mine even at walking pace.

Regards Steve G

Tom Woods wrote:

I've already put the LWB brakes on the front and it did make a difference ... just want to reduce the effort needed to stop :-)

Regards Steve G

Dougal wrote:

On or around Sat, 27 Nov 2004 13:04:47 GMT, "SteveG enlightened us thusly:

you could, of course, with a bit of effort, adapt a pair of 90 axles to leaf springs.

i fitted a remote servo on my ser2a .

a lot of people allways used to use rover 3.5 v8 P5B remote servos but whether youd find a good one now i dont know .

there was a place selling remote servo kits but i dont remember who .

not sure if any modern cars use remote servos now or not so you could try and use one off of another car .

i fitted my servo next to radiator on drivers side of engine bay .

fitting a series 3 servo unit would be best option if you have the time to do it , but if you can find a remote servo that would save you removing youre existing brake cylinder etc .

Mine seems alright. See how yours is after the servo is on and check everything is adjusted properly.

You'd have to fit them wheel arch extension thingys then too as the 90 axles are wider and the wheels will stick out.

The brakes on my landy (LWB fronts+ servo) are better than the ones on my car (20year old saab 900 with disks all round with new pads) when they are adjusted properly.

Disks would be nicer as theyre easier to maintain (you can clean them off easily, and it isnt lots of hassle to adjust/maintain them), but for effective brakes for normal on-road driving, the right set-up with drums seems good enough - and is a lot cheaper!

My dad fitted a remote servo kit to his morris minor a couple of years ago. It came from a morris specialist. You might find a classic car specialist is a good place to find a remote servo kit.

An obvious time for me to leap in to to suggest that you buy some stainless braid hoses from me as part of the upgrade!! These will both improve the feel of the pedal and give sharper braking efficiency. And they are only £11 per hose.....

David LLAMa 4x4

On or around Sat, 27 Nov 2004 14:39:34 +0000, Tom Woods enlightened us thusly:

are we talking Series SWB brakes, here? There are various points to consider. Early ones are 10" SLS (Single leading shoe) front and rear, and should give the same brake performance forwards or backwards. From about

1980 (I think) they went over to 11" front brakes, the same as the LWB, and presumably sometime acquired a servo as standard. The LWB brakes, although bigger, are TLS, which gives better performance forwards and worse backwards.

I spose I could explain leading shoes... a leading shoe has it's leading edge (i.e. the first part of the lining that a point on the rotating drum reaches) moving and it's trailing edge stationary (pivoting on the adjuster, normally). A trailing shoe is the opposite, the pivot is at the leading edge and the movement at the trailing edge. A leading shoe has more "bite", and thus a TLS brake works better forwards, but of course when in reverse it's a twin trailing shoe.

TLS brakes are more expensive, since they have 2 cylinders per wheel.

so, a later SWB or a LWB has more braking forwards and less backwards.

'bout the only thing you can do to increase the braking available (apart from making sure that it's all in good working order) is what you're already doing, fit a servo.

On or around 27 Nov 2004 14:36:54 GMT, snipped-for-privacy@aol.com (M0bcg) enlightened us thusly:

try a rally supplies place - they have 'em for fitting to old, non-servo rally cars. I got one from such a place, when the rover P6 (early P6s had remote servos too) one failed on me.

Cheers Austin. The vehicle is a 1970 LWB with 11" twin leading shoe front brakes, hence the poor performance in reverse. I thought this would be improved by the fitting of a servo.

Regards SteveG

Aust>On or around Sat, 27 Nov 2004 14:39:34 +0000, Tom Woods

But what would I do with the spare Salisbury axle sat in the garage?

No, on second thoughts, don't answer that :-)

Regards SteveG

Aust>On or around Sat, 27 Nov 2004 13:04:47 GMT, "SteveG

David you are a wag ... they were already on my list of necessary bits :-)

Regards SteveG

David_LLAMA4x4 wrote: