Since I acquired my RP saloon way back in the early 1980s the brakes have always been somewhere between crap and adequate. Some time back I decided to try and get things to a stage where they were somewhere between adequate and not quite so crap.

The car is reasonably original but it has been fitted with a semi-girling front axle and matching radius arms at some time. Having pratted about for ages trying to get decent balance between front and rear, I was still having problems related to the amount of footbrake travel necessary to stop the thing because whatever I did to tension up the front end I couldn't get a decent hard pedal without the brakes dragging. Either that or the rears would come on first and lock up.

I scratched my head for ages trying to figure out what was wrong and then realised it was down to the fact that the semi-girling brakes have longer levers than the rears (original 1933 pre-girling axle) and no matter what I did I was never going to get equal braking force transmitted to the front & rear axles as the longer levers have to move further for the same angle of deflection.

I have removed the long brake levers and replaced them with the earlier ones.

All the levers are now the same length so the degree of movement is equal. I can now set the brakes up so that I can get sufficient tension on the front cable at rest without brake drag, and the pedal doesn't go all the way to the floor.

I still need to do a bit of tweaking because the rears are still coming on early, but that can be easily sorted.

I now have a hard pedal with sufficient reserve travel. I must tell Matron.

Location: Gard, France 30960

You don't get any better do you Bruce??

However, I agree absolutely with your conclusions about the brake levers. My trials Chummy has the same set up as your Saloon and, try as I might, I could never get a firm pedal and I did everything I could think of over quite a long time to improve things. I think changing to short levers on the front has been discussed on here before (by Ruairidh perhaps?) and that's what I did with the same result that you've achieved. Improved even more, recently, by changing the front brake linings to the soft 'Green Gripper' material.

Steve

Location: North Yorkshire

I've had a lot of success with the shorter levers in this situation - glad it is working for you as well Bruce!

Unfortunately with original rear axle in an RP it is difficult to fit longer levers. Some are to be seen fitted upside down, a truly rebarbitive set up!!

Even with levers all the same length, the early brakes operate as if levers are relatively short because the cam generally produces more lift per movement.

Location: Auckland, NZ

Steve,

Please could you give us some more information on your soft green gripper brake linings?

Location: Staffs

Yes please Steve.Which ones.
What's the opinion on bowdenex cables,any good or not.
I have bought a special with these cables on the front and linings laced with bronze? wire and cast iron drums,but the brakes are spongy and pretty poor even after some work setting them up.
Could it be the new linings (all round),Bowdenex cables or the front brake linings too hard?
Any ideas please.

Location: Farnham

They look very similar to the woven ones I bought from David Cochrane, apart from the colour. Mine are Khaki.

Location: Gard, France 30960

I think they are khaki, sort of Bruce. The photo exaggerates the colour perhaps? Woven type green/khaki material with interwoven wire strands. Quite soft and does wear faster than the grey material but that's of little relevance to most of us, I think, when what we are really after is good brakes. From what Bruce told me last night, I suspect the linings he has from David Cochrane are, probably, the same or similar stuff.

However, put 'Green Gripper Brake Linings' into Google and all the information's there. A common material that is known and available from most brake re-lining companies. I use Saftek because they are reasonably local but most places have somewhere similar nearby.

Not the best photo but a Girling shoe re-lined at Saftek on Monday with GG.



Steve

Location: North Yorkshire

Regarding Austin-I-t-s problem with bowdenex brakes,one cause I found is flexing where the rectangular steel bits hang down from the chassis crossmember to receive the outer ends of the cable.These need to be really robust and well fixed to the chassis.

Location: The Pits,Leicester