Confucius say:
“No good deed goes unpunished.”

Hey oldbuzz….sounds like a great reason for a road trip.Load up your tools and go TD to TD doing brake jobs!

It’s getting a re-manufactured master cylinder, new brake lines, including one steel covered line that was getting rubbed due to the routing it has underneath running to the rear.New pistons, new shoes, new pads, new rotors, infact everything that can be replaced, I think, is being replaced.I just got a call 35 minutes ago. The car is still at the…[Read more]

It’s getting a re-manufactured master cylinder, new brake lines, including one steel covered line that was getting rubbed due to the routing it has underneath running to the rear.New pistons, new shoes, new pads, new rotors, infact everything that can be replaced, I think, is being replaced.I just got a call 35 minutes ago. The car is still at the…[Read more]

God gave us all a purpose Ed. It’s just that most of us never listen.Apparently you have!

Good luck Todd.Let us know how this turns out!If it works…you will officially become the expert and will handle all future “tearing” questions.

PMOSSBERG40830.8813425926

I think you guys should move to Wisconsin,I do Brake work.Complete brake sytem for my 55 to include all new parts front and rear and all lines hard and soft was under $300 and a new master and booster.
If you would pay my gas and time I could still do it for less.
Sorry didn’t mean to be rude but your brake job prices are just nuts

Thanks fellas!

Yes, I had no confidence in the brakes when I received this car.  In addition to getting that system up to snuff, the wheels were not balanced, either.  I’m told there is no way to align the front end, either and that both arms(?) are different from each other.
It should feel a whole lot better once these fixes are in place.

 
Tops tend to tear at stress points as they shrink with age. A goop repair may seal the hole, but it doesn’t relieve the stress that caused the tear in the first place. It will only grow larger. What’s wrong with a sewn patch in the same color as the top? Sew one on the other side and call it a design feature.
Start budgeting for a new top to…[Read more]

Here’s a good illustration (complete with illustrations) of that phenom.Remember, stuff I do is mostly a warning on how not to do things.

Just dropped $900 on a basic brake job on my Nissan truck. Money well spent, I think, considering the alternative scenarios..Carpets are easy. Whole roll of marine carpet–enough for three or four TDs–is like $120. Paint chips, dash holes, that’s all fun stuff.

You might try a vinyl repair kit if the top is vinyl, with some duct tape or something underneath until it sets, or a patch glued on underneath the repair. If it’s canvas, a patch can be glued or sewn on, again maybe underneath to hide it. In a pinch, if the top is canvas, you could try one of those iron-on patches for jeans, put on underneath.…[Read more]

I always think “boat owners” when I see questions like this.
A friend has used “VLP” to repair small cuts in his boat top.
http://www.scalisemarine.com/adhesive.htm 
(scroll down to the VLP adhesive and VynaBond patch kit).
He uses it to adhere a patch to the underside of the cut. Doesn’t look that great from uner the top. But the repaired cut…[Read more]

Only one wheel braking could be bad brake lines too.

The VW TD is no longer available. It was sold about a month ago.

 
The good news is that you now have complete confidence in your brqakes. Which is probably a good idea considering the motor under the bonnet.
You have discovered why most of us do our own work.
 

My co-worker could be interested if this VW one is still available.  We’re in the Phoenix, AZ market.

If I had known how much the complete brake overhaul and replacement job was going to cost, I would not have bid as high as I did.  The total brake job and front shock replacement is coming in at around $1,800.00.  That doesn’t count the carpeting issue, the non-working speakers in the rear, or the left over holes in the dash from some previous u…[Read more]

Mbenson,
Let me know if you decide to go for this.  I have a coworker who is considering an  MG TD replica.