Folks,
I just spent a very frustrating Saturday
replacing the two rear wheel cylinders on my Tiger II.
Problem # 1. Even after using PB Blaster
on the line fittings and using a special brake line
hose tool, I rounded off one fitting. It finally
came loose with the assistance of a Mapp Gas tourch.
Problem # 2. I decided to replace both lines.
I had purchased some British lines with the "bulb"
ends. The original long line was 57 inches with
several bends in it. I had a 60 inch new line that
I finally got bent so it would line up.
Problem # 3. I checked the threaded holes
in the new wheel cylinders and noted that one hole
had a downward seat that would mate with the bulb
end or a bleeder screw. The other hole had a
cone facing upward which obviously would not
mate with a bulb end line. Both wheel cylinders were
identical, and after 15 minutes of cussing, assuming
that I had the wrong cylinders, I examined the old
cylinders and found that they were identical to the new
cylinders. Only then did I examine both ends of the
old brake lines. The left end of the 57" line
has an inverted V end like American cars, and the
right side end has the British bulb. The short line
that goes to the flexable hose has the V end on both
ends. There is a Female connector that mates with
the flexable hose. I therefore had to use the
original lines as I do not have a tool to form
the ends on the new lines.
Unresolved Problem # 4. The wheel cylinder
retaining "things" consisted of a large oval flat
steel spring that has 4 small tabs that mate with
a pair of horse shoe shaped clips that have dents
on each leg of the "horseshoe" At the top of the
horseshoe is a tab roughly 1/2" square that is offset.
The oval spring is curved and apparently the two horseshoe
pieces should interlace with the oval spring.
Unfortunialy I had removed the Oval springs
when I removed the brake lines and failed to notice
which way the curve was orginally.
I looked at all reference material I
had and nowhere did I find the assembly Instructions
for the Oval and the two clips. This included the
factory manual and parts lists for Sunbeam and the Tiger
( but not the Tiger II). The line drawing of the
parts in the factory manual show the oval completely
flat and the offset of the horseshoe facing away from
the wheel cylinder while the dents in each side of the
horse shoe are closest to the wheel cylinder. All
other line drawings I found, apparently were copies
of the factory manual drawing.
Well guys and girls, the horse shoe tab offset
is to the same side as the dents and the oval springs
have a curve to them. So much for line drawings!
I tried for 4 hours to assemble
the clips with the dents in the horseshoes facing the
wheel cylinder. I was unable to do it. The assembly
was just to tight and I could not get the second
horseshoe installed.
I finally flipped the horeshoe clips over
and then wired the clips to the oval. This is sort
of sloppy, but the new rubber boot may keep the parts
from being lost when the wire breaks.
Does anyone have clear instructions on
the assembly of the oval and the two clips.
Which way should the curve of the oval spring
be relative to the backing plate and how should the
horseshoe clips be interleaved with the oval
spring? What magic tools are used?
By the way, I was holding the new wheel
cylinder tight to the inner surface of the backing
plate by slipping two large rubber band around the
rubber boot retaining flange, tieing knots in the
rubber band and looping the end of the bands over the
hub with the new cylinder under the rubber bands.
I also found that clips for an Alpine 5 wheel
cylinder can not be used due to inteference with
the Tiger II rubber boot retaining flange.
James Barrett Tiger II 351C and others
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