MOT passed this afternoon with no advisories so that's four for four, hooray!
Having said that, there was a bit of an issue that's been dogging the car since I finished it back in 2013. When I restored the chassis I used all new brake components including new calipers, discs, pads, shoes, hoses and rear wheel cylinders.
The brakes have always been really good, but there was a feeling that they were dragging for a second or so after releasing the pedal. That issue was never a real problem but it never went away. The handbrake was always a marginal pass too - as it's on single circuit hydraulic brakes it has to achieve 25% efficiency and it's only just managed that each time.
So, today, the car decided it was time to reveal what the problem had been all along. The moment it rolled over the inspection pit one of the rear wheels seized solid and wouldn't budge no matter what.
With the wheel and drum removed it soon became apparent that both the mechanism that allows the cylinder to 'float', effectively resetting the shoes each time you release the brakes, and the cylinder itself were seized despite still being in 'as new' condition. It was clear that they'd been partially sticking since I built the car, hence the brakes dragging after release, but the knock on effect was that it had made adjusting the handbrake cables impossible because the shoes weren't resetting properly after each operation, altering the adjustment every time you pressed the brake pedal or pulled on the handbrake.
So, after a bit of jiggery pokery, I now have brakes that don't drag when you release them and a handbrake that managed 27% efficiency on the test.
Hooray, car is now better than ever and is ready for the Brass Monkey's run on 27th December. See you there?
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