Girling mechanical. Girling pistol type handbrake operates on the rear wheels only. Girling rear brake expander dust covers were part #SP1202 (also listed as part #GB2501?).
Lubricate front brake cables every 3,000 miles with a good quality brake grease (eg. NLG1 boat grease from a ship's Chandler or Caltex 904 grease).
If storing the car for long periods, leave the handbrake OFF, to avoid the brake linings corroding against the drums.
Check the condition of the rear brake expander dust covers and replace if necessary.
Girling Brake Maintenance Manual (Thanks to Peter Riches)
Screws holding the brake drum in place can seize and be particularly difficult to remove.
Accumulation of dust and/or grease inside the brake drum may lead to premature or uneven wear.
Rear brake expander gaiters are often badly corroded or missing - check the inside surface of the rear brake backplate, where the brake actuating rod enters it. There should be a convoluted rubber gaiter through which the brake rod passes and it should be a tight fit over the boss that protrudes through the backplate and is part of the expander.
There are two nuts which are 7/8" long by 1/4" BSF, one of which is situated at the outer end of each of the two rods which connect the rear axle compensator to the rear brake expanders.
Only one locknut is usually fitted to each of the long nuts, which locks the long nut to one rod, so although the other rod cannot unscrew it can move slightly. Wear, fretting and corrosion then occur and the worn thread can then strip under severe braking.
To prevent this wear from occuring a second locknut should be fitted to the rod at the other end of the long nut (ie. in addition to the locknut already fitted). Further thread wear cannot then occur (see diagram). This problem could also occur on many handbrake linkages.
The diagram to the right shows the extent and makeup of the front brake cable between the wheel and the compensator.
To remove handbrake:
1) release handbrake and pull back grommet (in engine bay)
2) remove securing bolt under grommet and 2 bolts (and spacers) for handbrake inside car
3) handbrake cable has a cylinder on the end, which fits in a receptacle on the handbrake, pull this out
4) the handbrake may now be removed and can be further dismantled by removing the small screw in the handle
To remove brake shoes:
1) remove hub cap and wheel to expose 2x 5/16" setscrews holding brake drum
2) remove setscrews and lift off brake drum to expose brake shoes
3) prise shoe from expander tappet with screwdriver, then lift out both shoes + attached springs
4) prior to fitting new shoes, turn adjuster wedge fully counter-clockwise (or the brake drum won't fit over the new shoes)
Rear brake linings for the LD10 (Both axle types) are F.M.S. part no. GG 56 or GG 56/1 (The F.M.S. no. is used by most lining manufacturers and suppliers, including Ferrodo, Mintex, and Raybesdos).
GG 56/1 linings are used on the transmission handbrakes of the earlier Land Rover (eg. 86" wheelbase Landrover 1948 to 1956, 107" wheelbase Landrover 1954 to 1956) and are therefore commonly available.
Front brake linings for the LD10 are F.M.S. part no. GG 36 or GG 36/1.
GG 36/1 linings were used on all four wheels of the Ford Consul and the Mk. 1 Zephyr and are therefore commonly available.
Note that the material used as original equipment on the Mk. 1 Zephyr was DON 202 whereas later Zephyrs had disc front brakes and used linings made from DON 242 on the rear. The F.M.S. lining reference number (GG 36/1) must therefore be checked, do not rely on Ford or Land Rover references.
If fitting the handbrake grommet available from Meteor Spares, extra spacers may be needed between the bulkhead mounting bracket and the bulkhead.
The brake and gear change pedal rubbers are shown with a diamond pattern in the handbook and the spare parts catalog shows a horizontal grooved pattern.
Vitamol Precision Ltd (DARE) manufactured a replacement pedal rubber, part number PS41, which may also have fitted the Ford Anglia (1953-1959), Ford Prefect (1953 on), the Lanchester 10, 15 and 20 (1946-1952) and Rover (1955-1958), suggesting pedal rubbers from these cars may also be interchangeable.
Cliff Walk Sales and Service may be able to provide replacement brake gaiters (part number #931) and pedal rubbers (part number #9702).
The Triumph Heard Vitesse pedal rubbers appear similar and may be interchangeable.
Tily Rubbercraft Rubber part #R268 may be a suitable replacement.
The 'umbrella' handle for the handbrake may be interchangeable with that from the Lanchester Leda.
The inner cable of the front brake cable may be replaced by one from a Ford Transit handbrake. Note that new bullets would need to be made and crimped to the ends and that the Lanchester cable is 0.159"Ø as opposed to 0.138"Ø for the Transit cable.
Girling rear brake expander dust covers were also fitted to the Austin A40, A70, A90, Jowett Javelin, Rover 75 P4, Singer 9HP and Lanchester Leda.
Owners often fabricate new gear change and brake gaiters from steering rack gaiters, cut to size and turned inside-out with the original brass bush re-fitted. Mafco made a C93 Universal Steering Rack Gaiter Kit which may be suitable for this purpose.
The LD10 brakes can be very good. The old MoT standard was 25% G on the handbrake and 50% G on the footbrake. When properly adjusted it is possible to achieve 37% G on the handbrake and 80% G on the footbrake, in dynamic tests, using a Tapley meter.
Simple brake testing -
The following method can be used to check if the brakes are likely to pass (or fail) the MOT.
1) Obtain a standard, good quality (sharp edged) house brick
2) Ensure that the floor of the passenger footwell is level (ie. horizontal)
3) Find a safe place to conduct brake tests that does not have an incline
4) Stand the brick on end in the footwell, then test the brakes.
The car should not veer to one side, nor need to be steered to correct a direction change.
When the handbrake is being tested, the brick should fall over when the narrow axis of the brick is across the car.
When the footbrake is being tested, the brick should fall over when the wide axis of the brick is across the car.
These equate to the original brake tests - the handbrake had to achieve 25% of the acceleration due to gravity (32' per second per second * 0.25 = 8' per second per second), the footbrake had to achieve 50% of the acceleration due to gravity (16' per second per second).
All images are scanned from originals, wherever possible, at 100dpi (unless otherwise noted) and must be scaled when printed to preserve the original size (eg. scale up by 3 times for a 300dpi printer).
Note, however, that due to slight scaling inaccuracies during both the scanning and inevitably the printing, these images should be taken as an approximation for reference only.
In addition, drawings, measurements and notes of materials used are intended as a guide and aid to the restorer, and not necessarily a definitive, or even guaranteed correct, reference.
The gear change and brake pedal pads are made of a fairly thick rubber, and slip over the pedals (they have recessed edges on the underside).
The pad is flat (as shown in the image) but has a square grid etched into it for extra grip.
Front brake shoe (shown without the liner).
Early shoes had the fittings screwed to them, so that they could be transferred from shoe to shoe. Later shoes had the fittings rivetted to them so removal is not recommended.
Rear brake shoe (shown without the liner).
Early shoes had the fittings screwed to them, so that they could be transferred from shoe to shoe. Later shoes had the fittings rivetted to them so removal is not recommended.
Remains of the gas pedal gaiter, showing the thin, flexible rubber held captive under the metal securing ring by 4 screws. The fragment is part of the first (and only) convolution.
A reconstruction of the 'ideal' gas pedal gaiter is shown (at approx 72dpi), with no pressure applied to the pedal (left) and maximum pressure applied (right). Estimated dimensions are 3" maximum vertical diameter, narrowing to 7/8" and terminating in 3/8" diameter. Total length is 1/4" (left) and 1.1/2" (right). The hole in the bulkhead is approx. 2.1/2" diameter.
It is not currently known if the gaiter was intended to be relaxed and expanded, or compressed and relaxed.
Although the original was made of rubber, an 'ideal' gaiter might be silicone, on account of the degree of flexibility required.
It is possible to use the top 3 (largest) convolutions of an MGB steering rack gaiter (GSV1155), slipping the retaining metal ring inside the last convolution. The neck is slightly oversize and should be fastened with a cable tie. Although not ideal, this solution is readily available at a reasonable cost. Unfortunately, most of the stress is placed on the neck convolution - this uneven distribution of stress may cause early rubber fatigue.
The gear change and brake pedal rubber gaiters consist of 4 convolutions, approx. 2.3/4" diameter, terminating in 3/4" diameter. The hole in the bulkhead is approx. 2" diameter. Unlike the gas pedal gaiter, these were probably made of a stiffer rubber, but were less tolerant of the heat from the engine bay and could become semi-liquid, as seen from the gloss appearance of these remains.
Note that replacement gaiters would ideally be less than 2" in length, since neither pedal then travels far enough to place the rubber in compression (and hence the gaiters will last longest).
Rear brake expander dust cover.
A sketch of the brake pedal, showing critical dimensions.
Note the gear change pedal has identical dimensions but the flat plate is welded to the left of the shaft rather than to the right, as shown.
None yet.