Brakes

MGAs were equipped with a variety of brake systems:

• The 1500 ( 1955-1959) had drum brakes front and rear
• The Twin Cam ( 1958-1960), 1600 De-luxe & 1600 Mk II De-luxe (1960-1962) were equipped with the added stopping power of disc brakes front and rear.
  
• The 1600 (1959-1961) used disc brakes front and drum brakes rear.

Brake and clutch master cylinders share the same housing and the same fluid reservoir, so it's important that both systems be maintained properly. The Twin Cam & 1600 De-luxe are the exceptions as they both have separate brake and clutch master cylinder reservoirs. The1600 uses an expanded top, to allow more fluid that is required for disc brakes. The 1500s have a flat top

I managed to get my master cylinder apart, after a struggle using a grease gun to applying pressure to the cylinders. I've honed the cylinder walls and installed new seals. Since the cylinder walls did not come out perfect and I don't want to take a chance with this part, I will be sending the unit out to be re-sleeved with stainless steel liners. This will bring the unit back up to original specs, improve longevity and lessen the need for regular brake fluid changes.

The rear brake cylinders ( on the drum brake cars) are unique in that they have one piston instead of two. The cylinder "floats" on the on the brake plate so when the piston extends the cylinder moves so both brake pads extend evenly. Although this system seams quite outdated, it is more then adequate to stop the car.

The brake lights are activated from a pressure switch which is at a junction point on the brake lines. The pressure of brake fluid closes the contacts of the switch, cool. This is the one that came with the car, I hope it works. The coiled up portion here goes to the Master cylinder.

My 1500 was equipped with drum brakes front and rear but I have upgraded to 1600 disc brakes on the front. I am also using the more readily available MGB calipers, with the use of a special adapter. Factory MGAs used steel brake lines (pipes), I've upgraded to copper/nickel for longevity, I'm also using stainless steal brake hoses, theory is that they have less give then rubber and therefore provide a more responsive brake pedal.. Because of the difference between MGA & MGB calipers, the 1600 brake hoses do not work for the MGB calipers, but surprise.... the 1500 brake hoses do the trick.

The hand brake design is somewhat unique, the hand brake cable employs the same piston as the hydraulic system does. With no secondary braking system, it only makes sense to maintain these brake properly.

The handbrake lever can be a little tricky to the inexperienced operator. This built-in "security system" could be handy for spoiling would-be thieves. My lever has been freshly chromed and new bits installed.

I had the MC sleeved in brass and I'm very happy with the results. The unit came back looking brand new complete with new screws copper washers and gaskets. The MCs were left natural from the factory, soon to take on the normal rust colour the are usually in. I painted mine black.

Edit:added May 1 2012     Replicating metal Master Cylinder Cap

The look of the plastic cap on the newly rebuilt MC just didn't look right,  The original steel caps are not available anywhere I looked, so I attempted to fabricate one.
I started with a steel cap from an old resin can. (this may be the toughest part of this job since the newer containers have a larger opening)

 Then I used a screw of appropriate diameter and cut a large slot in the top using a angle grinder  ( Since I don't have an original for reference I guessed at the slot size)

I ground down the edges of a square nut to match the slot in the screw head, and placed this inside a 3/4 inch nut.

Then set the whole setup in a vise.I marked the cap and nut with felt marker so I could lineup the slot. Heating and applying GENTLE pressure..............

and the results are quite good.

Looks even better on the car