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#1 Blue ass fly

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Posted 20 March 2018 - 08:21 AM

Are the standard minifin drums still available anywhere
All i see is the superfin with the built in spacer but i dont want to widen the track
Thanks

Edited by Blue ass fly, 20 March 2018 - 08:21 AM.


#2 nicklouse

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Posted 20 March 2018 - 08:30 AM

cant see any any where. cant see an issue with getting the superfins machined down to the size you want.



#3 GraemeC

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Posted 20 March 2018 - 09:12 AM

No one makes them now.
And you cant machine down Superfins as the cast in spacer isnt solid - there are voids behind the face.

Just have to keep an eye on eBay etc but be careful theyre not worn out, out of round etc....

#4 DeadSquare

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Posted 20 March 2018 - 11:46 AM

TUPPENCEWORTH:

 

 

Minifins were believed to reduce brake fade on the front wheels, but there were reports of a few distorting.

 

Fitting the narrow 3 1/2" J, Cooper S rims would bring the track in again.



#5 absx2

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Posted 20 March 2018 - 06:39 PM

As above i have four pairs of original minifin unspaced drums and can confirm that every one of them is out of round.

This is mainly due to being used on the rear of the cars with the handbrake yanked up for months/years on end and obviously the age.

I had a friend clock up a pair on a mill and we deduced that it only took a couple of thou to give judder when used on the front.

On the rear there is not a lot of brake pressure so you can get away with it.

Also worth a mention is that the stud holes are larger than in the cast iron drums so both the countersunk screws need to be fitted and correctly tightened and later model drum braked cars only had one drilling for the screws so its game over before you start.



#6 Blue ass fly

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Posted 20 March 2018 - 06:58 PM

Thanks for the replies
Superfins with S wheels is an option ide not thought of

Edited by Blue ass fly, 20 March 2018 - 07:00 PM.


#7 Spider

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Posted 20 March 2018 - 07:27 PM

As above i have four pairs of original minifin unspaced drums and can confirm that every one of them is out of round.

This is mainly due to being used on the rear of the cars with the handbrake yanked up for months/years on end and obviously the age.

I had a friend clock up a pair on a mill and we deduced that it only took a couple of thou to give judder when used on the front.

On the rear there is not a lot of brake pressure so you can get away with it.

Also worth a mention is that the stud holes are larger than in the cast iron drums so both the countersunk screws need to be fitted and correctly tightened and later model drum braked cars only had one drilling for the screws so its game over before you start.

 

I'm not sure that the over-size stud holes and a single retaining screw would be an issue here. The drums should locate over the flange on the Drive flange on the front or the hob on the rears, mind you, I've been supplied with cast iron drums that were way over size here and so were little more than junk.

 

This is where they should locate to centre the drum

 

x5lDpM7.jpg

 

FpzyWOI.jpg



#8 Cooperman

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Posted 20 March 2018 - 07:52 PM

They are not really worth bothering with on a road car. The idea was that the alloy drums would be a better heat-sink and would reduce the un-sprung weight for competition.

However, if used on the front for racing they did get too hot and that tended to distort the aluminium. They were really only used on the front on the 850 which was not allowed disc brakes for racing in Group 2. 

On the back the brakes do very little work so heat was not an issue, just un-sprung weight saving. In fact, on some racing Minis the rear brake pressure was turned right down so that the rears did virtually nothing. 

Better to fit 10" 'S' brakes if brake heat is an issue on the fronts, or even 7" Cooper 998 discs and callipers.



#9 absx2

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Posted 20 March 2018 - 08:02 PM

I know what you are saying Moke Spider and on the daily drive that has an old pair of minifins fitted the drums were refaced and attached to the clocked up drive flanges with two extra locating dowels to remedy this situation.

There was a huge gap of where you have shown maybe due to the age, wear etc but I picked the best of the bunch. All because I like my reverse rims too much :)

 

Good advise Cooperman as the brakes still get cooked quite easily so there is very little gain for the trouble.



#10 Spider

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Posted 20 March 2018 - 08:20 PM

I know what you are saying Moke Spider and on the daily drive that has an old pair of minifins fitted the drums were refaced and attached to the clocked up drive flanges with two extra locating dowels to remedy this situation.

There was a huge gap of where you have shown maybe due to the age, wear etc but I picked the best of the bunch. All because I like my reverse rims too much :)

 

Good advise Cooperman as the brakes still get cooked quite easily so there is very little gain for the trouble.

 

Bit of a shame that they are so out of shape. Can be reclaimed, but cost a bit.  Maybe have a chat to a Mag Wheel Restorer?



#11 mab01uk

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Posted 20 March 2018 - 08:35 PM

1970's Minifin ad leaflet below I found in my collection

 

jPFgyFq.jpg

 

Ui60fXe.jpg



#12 cradley-heathen

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Posted 20 March 2018 - 09:29 PM

I had a set of spaced minifins on the rear of a mk1 metro I had a couple of years back. as the standard rear spacer on the metro was narrower than the 1" one on mini, so I had the faces machined off. it did indeed break through (as already stated) as the spacer isn't solid, (I was already aware of that) and used them for several years without problem.

 

I did the same on the rear of a track day mini I had too and even under really harsh conditions I didn't have a fault with them.

 

I had considered machining more off the spacer and then tig welding a narrow solid spacer back on after, but as it lasted fine without I never bothered.






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