Guys
I was just about to change out my rear brake cylinders for my new 5/8" ones but the thread on the brake pipe is rusty and I have just rounded off the pipe fitting
I can't find these brake pipes as a spare part on any web site.
Any ideas where I can get them. They were pretty rusty looking anyway so I don't mind changing them.

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Ring John at Minikingdom
he has new brake pipes

Try John at Mini Kingdom Online. He has them made to the original factory specification.

viewtopic.php?f=41&t=83593

Ooops. Been beaten to it.

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ex-NSW Police 1970 MK II Cooper S
VMCI #43

Thanks, I'll ring John on Monday

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why not buy a double flaring tool and some steel tube and make your own?

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It's easy once you know how.

Not trying to be a smartar$e Phil , but were you using a pipe spanner on the nut when trying to undo it ?, the metal
is fairly soft .

The flare nuts deform very easily. Open end spanners stuff them up.
Ideally use a slotted 6 point 7/16" flare nut spanner, in a pinch you can slot a regular ring spanner.

I'd not bother making them, John's pipes are pretty cheap, I bought one a year ago when I replaced my rear hoses.

Note there are 2 pipe types- dry and hydro.

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DrMini- 1970 wasaMatic 1360, Mk1S crank, 86.6HP (ATW) =~125 @ crank, 45 Dellorto (38 chokes), RE282 sprint cam, 1.5 rockers, 11.0:1 C/R.

Yes, I have gone to the trouble of buying the correct flare nut spanner (shinny Sidchrome one) but the nut was partly rounded by a previous owner so I probably didn't stand much chance of undoing it successfully.

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I had brake unions that were so rusted in place they were rounded by the correct brake nut spanner. Best thing to do is to use vise grips in this case.

I make my own pipes now after I paid a lot of money for some, and the flares were so bad they just leaked. I cut them off, bought the tool and re-did them myself.

I have often used a 6 inch vice grip plier on brake pipe nuts when they were too tight for a spanner. Works well with minimal damage to the nut.
Just male sure it's clamped very tight

I have a tool called a onehander that will bite onto rounded nuts. It looks like one of these...



Another thing that is worth mentioning is that if you try to tighten the nut a little first and then undo it they will often break free easier.

I think I would rather pay $25 for pipe that is already bent to fit
than $33 for a pipe you have to bend yourself

Got my brake pipes from John on Friday.
Decided to fit all the parts up. What could go wrong eh !
Worked on the left hand one as I have better access on that side of the car in the garage.
Fitted the slave cylinder and retaining clip. Installed the brake pipe and nipped it up with the correct spanner.
I installed my new handbrake lever first, then fitted the bottom spring to the two shoes and slipped them into place on the handbrake lever but not onto the slave cylinder.
Fitted the top spring and then pulled the shoes into place on the slave cylinder first and then onto the adjuster at the top. All done, easy peasy.
Admiring my work I realised I had the rear shoe un upside down
Pulled it apart and reassembled and all was good.
Slipped the drum on and found out that one shoe was rubbing.
Off with the drum and the rear shoe was rubbing at the top of the lining. I couldn't move the shoe down as the handbrake pushrod was sitting hard on the top of the cylinder. Bugger, wrong one on the wrong side. You have to fit the one that has the lever under the push rod to allow the brake shoe to sit a bit lower. All reassembled again but there was still a slight scraping sound.
Off with the brake drum again and found out that the bottom spring was rubbing on the body of the hub. Dismantled it all AGAIN !
All reassembled and this time with the straight part of the spring between the two coiled ends at the bottom and all was OK.
Having made every mistake you can I threw the other side together in seconds.
I adjusted the adjusters up all the way to centralise the shoes and then bled the brakes (one man kit).
Loosened off the adjusters until the drum rotated smoothly.
Loosened off the handbrake cables at the handle in the car until the clevis lined up with the hole in the lever on the backing plate and fitted the pin, washer and split pin.
3 clicks and the wheels can be rotated by hand, 4 clicks and they are Locked solid.

There only simple but you still have to get it all round the right way.

Learnt a lot and happy with the End result.

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Did they fit OK?

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ex-NSW Police 1970 MK II Cooper S
VMCI #43

Not perfect, but very close. I just had to bend the pipe a little more where it enters the slave cylinder.
An easy tweak.
I was very pleased with them and it saved a lot of time chasing up fittings, flaring tool and tube bender.

Phil

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Find a job you love and you will never have to go to work !