Master Brake Cylinder and Pedal Box Rebuild

 The master brake cylinder and and pedal box was in a right state!

Years of grime and rust needed to be cleaned and prepared. Which as always starts with the disassembly!

Start by removing the springs. Please note they should be the same! Need to order some new ones I think.

Then remove the wire clips that hold the clevis pins in place.

Remove the clevis pins themselves

Turn the pedal box over and undo the nut holding the pedals in place.

You might be able to see the remains of the draft excluder in the bottom of the slots. Need a new one of those whilst I'm at it!

These need a good once over with the wire brush wheel and new pedal rubbers to add to the shopping basket. 

Then remove the two bolts holding in the master cylinder to the pedal box.

Master cylinder should come out without too much fuss.

Needs some serious attention, but nothing I haven't tackled before and no welding required!

The cylinder itself all seems in once piece. It is a very solid part.

Best to remove the adjustment screws for cleaning.

The pedal box looked solid so gave it a good going over with the wire brush wheels.

Came up really well under all that grime and rust.

A little bit of surface pitting from the rust, but not enough to worry about.

I gave it a couple of coats of rust converter and left it ready for black chassis paint.

Time to take the master cylinder apart for inspection.

Not much of the gasket left!

What did remain needed to be carefully removed so I used a flat razor blade.

Then on to the chambers

Have to unscrew both these bolts to remove the chamber cover and gasket. Which also was perished.

The pistons themselves were stuck in there so I used the push rod to wiggle them around and eventually they did come out.

That is some dirty sludge! I'll need to buy a new set of seals and shims before I can put this back together.

This is the order they go in. You'll notice the white spacer which goes against the brake side. I guess it helps make sure the brake goes back quickly after you remove you foot from the peddle.

Time to inspect the chamber and I suppose unsurprisingly the surface was damaged. 

I have read that some people have used a honing tool to skim the surface to remove these holes. For me I didn't like the idea of that so sent mine away to Past Parts who did an amazing job! 

I only asked them to re-bore the cylinders with new stainless steel liners but they cleaned and oiled it as well for me. Highly recommended.

So then I just had to finish cleaning the pedals and paint.

Time to put it all back together! After cleaning I repainted these to protect them from further rust.

Cap could do with a clean.

New draft excluder in place.

Definitely needed a new pedal bolt!

Don't forget the spacer between the pedals.

Make sure you use the short bolt on the underside to hold the master cylinder to the pedal box. The other one is too long and it won't fit in the chassis.

Still waiting for new springs....

New foam surround.

Very pleased how this has come out and looks so good with the pedal rubbers.

Rear Axle and Suspension Rebuild

Pushing on with the rebuild has finally brought me to a very exciting point. Attaching the restored rear suspension to the axle and then to the chassis for the first time in over 8 years!

It will be another milestone in getting the MG Midget back on its wheels before we go to the paint shop!

I had to finish off the handbrake mechanism and the rear brake pipes first.

I wasn't sure of the condition of the brake pipes and brass fittings and was thinking they all needed to be replaced. 

But with some cleaning with wire brush and wire wool they showed no signs of corrosion at all. 

The pipes were like new underneath the grime. I think there was so much grease and oil on them that they were protected. Which made it very easy to reconnect them as the bends were already done.

I then moved on to the handbrake rods and lever balance. The rods just needed a few sessions on the wire wheel brush and then coats of rust converter, primer and then black chassis paint and they came up really well. As did the lever balance.

There are a few felt washers on the handbrake mechanism that need to be fitted. 

New grease nipple as mine was missing.

Once done you can then put it all together which initially seemed easy, but is actually quite fiddly! There are more felt washers and some normal washers and split pins to hold it all into place. Important to make sure the grease nipple is pointing the right way so you can get to it as the manual suggested injecting new grease every 3 months or 3,000 miles.

Getting the lever balance to be in the right place is important and you have to tighten it to the carrier support enough so that it is tight but also so the arm that connects to the brake cable is in the right place as shown.

Then just had to fit the straps to secure the brake pipes. Looking good!

After that time to rebuild the rear suspension!

I decided to buy a set of SuperPro bushes from Moss which deliver a better performance than standard rubber bushes. I had to buy some other new parts like the U bolts and axle shims, the front mounting brackets and all the shapers and washers. As I had everything ready I started the rebuild.

First up was to fit the new eye bush into the spring.

With a little grease and the use of the vice it went in very well, not loose at all and didn't have to apply too much pressure.

Then on to the other end that connects to the rear mounting bracket.

The bushes kit comes with grease so applied that and these bushes slotted in very well.

All the bushes are the same in this area so can't really go wrong.

The only part you have to really think about is making sure that the spring you are working is being built with the side of the car you're going to fit it. The mounts need to point outwards. Also important to make sure you can access the nuts so they need to be on the outside as well.

These are the new plastic washers and with a little grease stay in place whilst you attached the metal spacers and fit the front mounting bracket.

When I tightened the bolt it all seemed quite loose initially but the more you tighten it the gaps to close up. You have to tighten this before you fit it to the chassis as you cannot access the bolt as it will be in the spring hanger.

Time to fit the springs to the axle. This requires these two bushes first. Applying the grease as well.

Then the top and lower plates.

Then place the shim on the axle.

Then place the U bolts over the shim.

Best to raise the axle so you can get the springs underneath and start by putting the top plate on the U bolts. If you can get some help it would make this easier. I used blocks of wood to keep everything in place.

Then get the lower plate and the damper bracket in place.

With one hand lifting holding the damper bracket up you should be able to use the other hand to get one of the nuts on top the U bolt. Not that easy on your own. But got there in the end.

Last was to fit the rubber check strap and new tube.

And we're good to go for attaching it to the chassis!!