Brake Cylinder Question

[Poppy1969]

Hello. I should get a patent on "another day another question". Question on brake cylinders for my 1969 2A project. I bought Britpart kits DA6043 rear kit and DA6042 front kit.

For the rear wheel cylinders they are both setup to have the brake line connection facing to the rear of the truck which makes sense. For the front kit I expected the same but they are one towards the front and one towards the back. I have looked at pictures of this kit at various websites and it does seem that is how the kit comes. Not a Britpart mistake. So on passenger side should it face back or front? Opposite on driver side then. Does it matter? I will be redoing all my brake lines anyhow so maybe it does not matter. I have been searching 2A picture archives on BAT and have not found any good references. My Haynes manual does not specify either. Thanks for help in advance.

Cheers, Tom

[roverp480]

Hello. I should get a patent on "another day another question". Question on brake cylinders for my 1969 2A project. I bought Britpart kits DA6043 rear kit and DA6042 front kit.

For the rear wheel cylinders they are both setup to have the brake line connection facing to the rear of the truck which makes sense. For the front kit I expected the same but they are one towards the front and one towards the back. I have looked at pictures of this kit at various websites and it does seem that is how the kit comes. Not a Britpart mistake. So on passenger side should it face back or front? Opposite on driver side then. Does it matter? I will be redoing all my brake lines anyhow so maybe it does not matter. I have been searching 2A picture archives on BAT and have not found any good references. My Haynes manual does not specify either. Thanks for help in advance.

Cheers, Tom

Sorry to say I have seen a number of threads on various Land Rover forums in the UK where kits from Britpart have been supplied with the wrong parts included and have had to be returned, and I suggest you check that the cylinder diameters are correct for the application as well as whether they are the correct hand. If you look at the LR parts list you will see the cylinders have different part numbers for LH and RH. and so are handed , on both front and rear . brakes .

[vlad_d]

There's a couple versions here...depending if it's an 88 or 109, and if the Drums are 11" or 10"(?). Basically, the 109 got the bigger brakes, because they assumed you'd be hauling more.

On the 109, the front drums have two wheel cylinders...one on top and one on bottom.(See pic). They are sided( RH and LH), but the top and bottom are interchangeable. You need two RH and two LH. The piston pushes the leading edge of the shoe against the drum, and the trailing edge pivots on the back of the other cylinder. It has a radial symetry...looks the same if you flip your head. The annoying bit here is the bit of pipe that connects the two. The cylinders both have 2 holes. One for the in/out pipe and one for the bleeder nipple. Some flip these all around to get air bubbles "to rise" and make bleeding easier, but the OE flow is:
1) In pipe from the bracket to the rear-top cylinder.
2) Out pipe connecting the two cylinders on the front holes of both cylinders.
3) Bleeder nipple on the back-bottom hole.

This setup works with pre-bent connector pipes as the fit is pretty tight around the steering components. Also, hydraulic pressure compounds to like 1500lbs per square inch. so those air bubbles move...it's not like a fish bowl where you wait for a bubble of air to rise.

For the rears, and I think this is this way for both the front & rear on am 88" and the 10" brakes:

You only have one wheel cylinder per wheel. It goes at the top, and pushes both directions. There is a built-in pivot in the backer plate at the bottom...so both shoes pivot from the bottom, out. It's a little simpler, and no extra pipe connections.

Also Note: The wheel cylinders come with bleeder nipples installed. You can replace, move these. Don't be confused with how they put it in there. That's just because they are interchangeable per side...they have no idea if you'll use it for top or bottom. It's just a pass-thru. The built up pressure does the work. So unscrew the bleeder nipples and put them in the holes that make sense when on the car. Don't let them turn your head around. They're just there because someone loosely put them in at the factory. Your final install will dictate their correct orientation. Actually, now is a good time to throw those out and put in some one-way bleeder helper nipples or better ones with a tiny bit more hex surface so your wrench doesn't slip. I got a 10 pack of nicer bleeder screws for like $8 and now is the time to do that upgrade, when everything is dry and out of the car. Will make future brake jobs so much easier!

Hope this helps!

[Poppy1969]

Thanks for the feedback roverp480. I have contacted BritPart. If there is a issue I hope they will fix it. Just to clarify your post is the connection direction that makes it left or right or is it actual wheel cylinder diameter that also is different from left or right?

vlad_d I have a 88" with 10" drums. I forgot to add that to the post. So much of your info does not apply. I will look into the bleeder suggestion. I do not quite follow when trying to visualize your suggestion. Would it apply to the 88" setup?

[roverp480]

Thanks for the feedback roverp480. I have contacted BritPart. If there is a issue I hope they will fix it. Just to clarify your post is the connection direction that makes it left or right or is it actual wheel cylinder diameter that also is different from left or right?

The wheel cylinders are handed Left & right so that the hose/ pipes always face the same direction when connected . The rear cylinders have smaller bore diameter than the front., but are the same either side. Most braking takes place on the front wheels.

[vlad_d]

@Rover480 has it right.

10" brakes on the 88 are single wheel cylinder per drum, I think. So disregard what I said. With the single wheel cylinder there's less pipes overall.