The Triumph 2000/2500/2.5 Register Forum

Hello there

I have just read the trolleybus post regarding brake adjusters and Johnnydog and others I think as always offered great advice but I too am struggling a bit.

My car came with no rear brakes at all so have built them up from photos, YouTube clips etc and was lucky enough to take an old set off a doner car. I have now fitted with new brakes and new brake cylinders and all looks good but I can’t get the drums on, I’m guessing this is to do with the brake adjusters.

Question. How do you adjust the brake adjusters? Is there a slot in the back plate that I can’t see that you put a screwdriver in to adjust for example?

Normally I would slacken the brakes right off, fit the drums, tighten the brakes until the drum stops turning and then slacken off a few turns but can’t see how to do this, any ideas?

Cheers Sal

Hello Sal,

you must have the Mk 2 brakes with automatic adjusters (which usually do not work very well).

The adjusters themselves are not accessible from outside the brake and if you look at the brake shoe you will see a little two piece mechnaism, which is a spring loaded ratchet. Now, its well over twenty years since I had a MK 2 so some details are hazy. I don't remember if you can use a small screwdriver to lever the two parts apart so that the ratchet returns to its minimum position with the shoes still in position or whether the shoes need to come off to do what I suggest, I suspect that the shoes will have to be removed?

My Mk1 is a hybrid with MK 2 brakes but I retained the manual adjusters having seen the inadequacies of the MK 2 system when I had Mk 2s.

Please let us know how that works out?

Alec

As Alec says. the Mk2 adjusters need to be retracted as far as they can go. A small pick or screwdriver to lift the ratchet whilst pulling the shoes together is the trick. They do not need to be removed. A photo posted of what you have assembled will of course let us see if you have everything in the correct places.

Sal wrote: ↑

Thu Feb 18, 2021 2:55 am

Question. How do you adjust the brake adjusters? Is there a slot in the back plate that I can’t see that you put a screwdriver in to adjust for example?

Normally I would slacken the brakes right off, fit the drums, tighten the brakes until the drum stops turning and then slacken off a few turns but can’t see how to do this, any ideas?

Retract the adjusters as per Charles' and Alec's advice until the drum will easily fit over the shoes. Automatic adjustment out (i.e. to establish proper running clearance) should occur when the footbrake is operated, but on many cars it seems that the handbrake cable needs to be temporarily disconnected from the operating levers on the brake backplates before doing this, otherwise residual tension in the system can make the ratchets reluctant to operate...

Incidentally, once the drum is on, you should be able to access the ratchets via a hole in the outer face of the drum, though I have come across at least one instance of a (supposed) Mk2 drum where this hole was not present...

Hi Sal,
Have you got an original parts manual for your age of Triumph? They can provide a wealth of info, not only for the correct parts / nos, but also an indication of their correct assembly.
There is a small cut out in the smaller half of the auto adjuster in which you can insert a flat bladed screw driver to seperate the teeth of the adjuster so as to retract the shoes. Are you certain the springs are correctly located?
Is the stubby end of the lever behind the shoes correctly located in the cut out of the brake shoe? If the springs or the operating lever are incorrectly positioned, then you will have difficulty in fitting the drum over new shoes.

Incidently, you can seperate the two halves of the adjuster with a very thin flat blade (a screwdriver or small knife) in order to move them clear of the teeth to slacken off the shoes.
Personally, I have had no problems with the auto adjusting mechanism as long as everything is clean and free (and assembled correctly!) You should hear the ratchet clicking up with the footbrake and also with the handbrake after initial fitment.

The problem is that the teeth on the adjusters wear and they are not available........

All good info thanks folks, I’ll take another look and have a play then report back thanks

Johnnydog: I don’t have a manual but maybe time to get one

Thanks
Sal

It is the official parts manual that I would suggest you get, rather than one of the various workshop manuals - don't confuse the two. The workshop manual describes the repair procedures etc, but the parts manual lists every single nut, bolt and washer used in the assembly of the cars with diagrams. The only problem is that the earlier prefacelift parts manual for the Mk2 are now becoming difficult to find. Very early Mk2 versions were loose leaf ring binders with a beige cover, and they then changed to soft backed fixed page versions - a white cover with a blue image of a saloon.
Incidentally, if you don't have the official workshop manual I would recommend getting one of those too!

You can pick up a parts CD from Rimmer Bros. fairly cheap.
Tony.