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MG MGA - Front Calipers/pads

Hi to All,
Allmost at the end of a rebuild and I have just tried fitting the front calipers and pads.I just about managed to fit the pads on the left side but the r/h side is a problem.The disc (rotor) is almost touching the caliper slot on the right hand side of the disc and the pad will not go in.There is approx 1mm clearance on one side and approx 4-5mm on the other.I have removed the hub and checked that everything has been assembled correctly and that the bearings are fully seated.On refitting and tightening the centre nut with a very long breaker bar,it's exactlty the same. I can't get the hub on any further to make the disc central.I had thought of removing 2-3mm from the friction surface of the right hand pad but thought better of it.
Suggestions please.
Steve A.
S Ash

Are both sides the same (Drivers side and passenger side)?
Bob Turbo Midget England

BoB,
To get the pads in the passenger side I had to take the calliper off.Drivers side the same but then I cannot turn the wheel at all.
Steve.
S Ash

As Bob suggests are both sides of the car the same?

If they are, then are you sure they are MGA calipers?

A popular modification used to be fitting the Austin Princess calipers which needed a small spacer between the caliper and the mounting bracket to centre them up.

Regards...John
J Bray

Hi All,
Have taken some pics to help with diagnosis of problem.
Steve.

S Ash

Another pic

S Ash

Last one

S Ash

John,
If I put any spacers between the caliper lugs and the mounting plates it will move the caliper to the left and I am trying to move it to the right(or move the disc to the left)
Steve.
S Ash

Steve,

To check the disc placement measure from spindle back plate to disc surface on both sides to see if the problem is inside the hub or with the caliper mount placement.

Parts manual show separate part numbers for left and right for caliper mounting brackets. Is it possible that you have 2 of one side, are the casting numbers the same? Your photo looks like the one on Barneys site whick probably eliminates having the bracket upside down but that could be the reason the discs aren't centered in the claipers.....


Many thanks for organizing the Carb Sub stacks, looking forward to seeing them.
Good luck
Tony
A M Leyva

Obviously something is different from one side to the other. I can't tell anything from the pictures, so you need to do come measurements. Remove caliper both sides with disc installed. Measure distance from caliper mounting surface on the bracket to the disc. If this is different on the "bad" side, then you need to figure out why. It could be something in the way the bearings fit on the spindle. If backspace of disc from bracket is same on both sides, then the calipers must be different (not mirror image). Check casting numbers on the calipers. Measure distance on the calipers from mounting surface to slot.
Barney Gaylord

Steve, I have compared a photo (too large to attach) of my right hand caliper bracket installation to your 2nd photo. It appears that my caliper bracket is much closer (almost flush) to the spindal shoulder while your caliper bracket is significantly inset toward the engine relative to the spindal shoulder. I recall that there were 4 metal spacers that needed to be installed during this installation, but cannot locate my WSM to verify exactly where they go, but I beleive that they went between the caliper bracket and the disc dust shield. Hope that this helps.
Don Carlberg
Don Carlberg

Steve,
I was able to shrink the file size to show the caliper bracket position relative to the spindle. Compare it to your second photograph. The metal spacers that I mentioned in my last post fit next to the dust shield. Hope that this photo helps.
Don Carlberg

Don Carlberg

Steve, it's me again. This has been bugging me all day. Your caliper bracket looks slightly different from mine. Is it possible that you have the right bracket on the left side and the left bracket on the right side (or worse, you got two lefts)? From looking at your your first photo it appears that if the bracket was reversed (swap the left and right), it would move the inside mounting face to the right (thereby moving the caliper to the right) when viewed from the vantage point shown in your photo number 1. It is hard to tell in the photo, but is that a right hand thread on the spindle? Can you post a photo of the left side mounting bracket?

Good luck! Keep us posted!
Don Carlberg
Don Carlberg

Hi All,
Upon measuring the caliper mounting surface to disc,left side top 18.82mm, bottom 21.7mm.When I removed the hub and disc, the mounting plate was slightly bent.I have ordered a pair of "as new" old stock ones from Bob West so will see what happens when I fit them.
I presume it makes no difference which way
the bearings face when fitted.Does the long bearing spacer fit with the conical end facing out (away from the disc),and is it supposed to be very slightly loose once both bearings are pressed fully home?
Steve A
S Ash

The long spacer between bearings only fits one way, with small end against the smaller bearing. The spacer is exactly the same length as distance between shoulders in the rotating hub, and ball bearings have a small internal clearance. As such, the spacer will be loose in between the bearings until you tighten the spindle nut.
Barney Gaylord

This thread was discussed between 24/02/2012 and 28/02/2012

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