Classic cars forum & vehicle restoration.
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lowdrag
Joined: 10 Apr 2009 Posts: 1600 Location: Le Mans
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Posted: Sat Nov 07, 2015 2:21 pm Post subject: The stupid things you've seen people do |
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We were touring with the E-types, about 40 cars in all. One chap had great problems with brake squeal and being a university professor thought about it and worked out how to fix it. Luckily we caught him before he greased the discs. |
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baconsdozen

Joined: 03 Dec 2007 Posts: 1119 Location: Under the car.
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Posted: Sat Nov 07, 2015 2:37 pm Post subject: |
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I saw a guy clamping the flexi pipe going to the front brakes on his A60 with mole grips because it had a leak from a wheel cylinder. It was bad enough to have soaked the drum and inside edge of the tyre, He'd bought a can of fluid and was going to fill the system again after clamping the pipe and drive home. Trouble is he lived 100 miles away!. _________________ Thirty years selling imperial hand tools for old machinery(Now happily retired). |
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Keith D
Joined: 16 Oct 2008 Posts: 1165 Location: Upper Swan, Western Australia
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Posted: Sat Nov 07, 2015 3:01 pm Post subject: |
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When I first bought my '26 Chrysler, which has 4 wheel hydraulic brakes as standard, both front brakes had been disconnected by cutting the rubber hoses and screwing self tapping screws into the remaining half of the hoses!
Keith |
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mikeC

Joined: 31 Jul 2009 Posts: 1808 Location: Market Warsop, Nottinghamshire
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Posted: Sat Nov 07, 2015 3:01 pm Post subject: |
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baconsdozen wrote: | I saw a guy clamping the flexi pipe going to the front brakes on his A60 with mole grips because it had a leak from a wheel cylinder. It was bad enough to have soaked the drum and inside edge of the tyre, He'd bought a can of fluid and was going to fill the system again after clamping the pipe and drive home. Trouble is he lived 100 miles away!. |
Maybe stupid if you don't know what you're doing, but even in that condition his brakes were probably better than an Austin Seven in good condition. I've driven well over 100 miles home with no brakes at all (other than the handbrake) - admittedly many years ago when traffic was much lighter than today. Try driving without using your footbrake at all, and you'll be surprised how far you can get without problems even with today's short-stroke engines with little engine braking. |
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Penman
Joined: 23 Nov 2007 Posts: 4850 Location: Swindon, Wilts.
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Posted: Sat Nov 07, 2015 5:11 pm Post subject: |
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Hi Mikec
I took an 1100 back from Cheltenham to Chipping Sodbury without hydraulics in about '73, late at night. _________________ Bristols should always come in pairs.
Any 2 from:-
Straight 6
V8 V10 |
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peter scott

Joined: 18 Dec 2007 Posts: 7211 Location: Edinburgh
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Posted: Sat Nov 07, 2015 5:20 pm Post subject: |
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mikeC wrote: | Try driving without using your footbrake at all, and you'll be surprised how far you can get without problems even with today's short-stroke engines with little engine braking. |
...and you'll get far better fuel economy rather than having lose energy as heat due to failing to anticipate the need to slow down soon enough.
Peter  _________________ https://www.nostalgiatech.co.uk
1939 SS Jaguar 2 1/2 litre saloon |
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47Jag
Joined: 26 Jun 2008 Posts: 1480 Location: Bothwell, Scotland
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Posted: Sun Nov 08, 2015 3:22 pm Post subject: |
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I've told this story before: In preparation for the 1st MOT test then known as the 'ten year test' my 1948 Jaguar was pulling to the right. In my naivety I loosened the right side font brake rod and tightened the left. I convinced myself that it no longer pulled and set off to leave the car at the garage for testing the next day. On the way a various junction I would do 'emergency stops' to test the brakes. About 1/2 mile from the garage there was a twang and an immediate cessation of retardation. To get the car stopped I switched the ignition off in-gear and that did the trick. I'm now 3 miles from home with no brakes ( the handbrake was connected through the same rods). To get the car back home it was a case of downshifting on approach to a stop and switching off for the last few yards. I then had to learn how the system worked with the help of a co-incidentally published Practical Motorist who were overhauling a Jaguar at the time.
The advice in Practical Motorist on how to pass the ten year test was to use a common house brick. Placed on edge and apply the footbrake. If it toppled over you had the necessary 50% retardation to pass. Place it on it's side and apply the handbrake which only required 25% to pass.
Art |
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BigJohn
Joined: 01 Jan 2011 Posts: 954 Location: Wem, Shropshire
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Posted: Sun Nov 08, 2015 4:33 pm Post subject: |
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I was a Cop, I could fill pages of stupid modifications/repairs. I once followed an MG which seemed to have no suspension movement on left hand bends and some movement on right hand ones. Interested, I stopped it, to find the offside rear leaf spring mount had at some time rusted through the floor, so a block of oak had been placed on the axle, and then laced into place through a good bit of floor and round the axle with fencing wire. |
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Dipster
Joined: 06 Jan 2015 Posts: 408 Location: UK, France and Portugal - unless I am travelling....
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Posted: Sun Nov 08, 2015 10:18 pm Post subject: |
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BigJohn wrote: | I was a Cop, I could fill pages of stupid modifications/repairs. I once followed an MG which seemed to have no suspension movement on left hand bends and some movement on right hand ones. Interested, I stopped it, to find the offside rear leaf spring mount had at some time rusted through the floor, so a block of oak had been placed on the axle, and then laced into place through a good bit of floor and round the axle with fencing wire. |
But it was oak. Should be OK........... |
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