450SLC Dragging rear brakes – part 1

For the last couple of years I have noticed a noise from the rear of the 450SLC while driving. At first I thought it might be a wheel bearing or some kind of bushing. I mentioned it to my mechanic and he took and look and it wasn’t any of those things.

Last time I took the car on a longer drive, the noise was getting worse, and I noticed after I returned the rear wheels were hot to the touch. Too hot to touch. I realized that my noise had been dragging rear brakes all along.

Both sides were […]

Sometimes new parts are not better

My E-Type has had ongoing problems with the brakes holding on. This has been on and off since I bought the car in 2010. Over that time, I have pretty much renewed the entire braking system. Turns out, that might be part of the problem. What I have learned, is that the reproduction E-Type Master Cylinder can be problematic. So much so, that rebuilt units are probably better.

The unit on my car was only around 18 months old, and it was clearly the problem here. When removed and bench tested, the piston was obviously sticking in the bore. The […]

E-Type brake overhaul

The brakes on the E-Type have been somewhat problematic since I got it. When the brakes got hot, they would not always release fully. Over the last 4 years I have tried a number of things to fix the problem but it has always come back to some extent.

When I still had the car in the USA, it was worse, the brakes would decide to lock on, and they would get to the point where the car was immobile for 5-6 minutes until they finally decided to release. I was stuck by the side of the road on quite […]