Austin 1300 Restoration - Rear Brake Rebuild & bleed Eps. 18 ADO16 

Well you’ve been so meticulous restoring everything else and keeping it original it would be a shame to lose the wheels 👍😀

I acquired an MOT failure MG1100 at age 17 in 1974 and proceeded to teach my self about car repairs with a Haynes manual and advice from mates. I have good memories of saving money with service kits on those brake cylinders on the 1100 and later I got an MG1300 and did a full engine rebuild. I decided I was well up to replacing the front wheel bearings and all went well except that I forgot to buy new split pins. So being 18, I ignored the manual's advice and put the old ones back. In due course a hub nut came totally loose and fell off into the hub cap! I was only saved from a major catastrophe by the hydraulic brake house preventing the wheel from actual detaching! I agree with the many other comments that steel wheels have to be right for your project.

You’re doing a brilliant job with this restoration mate. Forget the alloys, keep it as original as possible. 🙂👨‍🔧

Great job, and as a big fan of the Dremelling(and a former resident of Dremel Hempstead) I say stick with the steels!

I meant say a while ago that I envy and admire you for what you’re doing with the car. I think there are few things more satisfying than taking a component that’s basically a ball of rust and restoring it to its original condition. Or, in your case, better than original. You choice of car to restore is also very pleasing. An ordinary family car in its day. I can’t be bothered with all these restorations of exotic cars. In fact, I bought a 20 years old Volvo 240 a while back. It was in great nick but I was going to keep it maintained. The sad reality was that I had nowhere to store it and keep it dry. So I sold it on to a good home. Here’s how old I am.......my oldest brother’s pal bought a 2 door 1100, painted it metallic purple, raised the back end and put fat tyres on the back. I thought that car was absolutely the dogs bollocks. I was about 12/13 at the time and couldn’t get enough of cars. The main thing I wanted was to be able to talk about cars and sound like I knew what I was talking about! All these years later and the only cars I want to talk about are the cars of my youth and I don’t know another person that would be remotely interested. So I get a great deal of pleasure and vicarious pride in watching what you are doing with this car. I am also enjoying the fact that you don’t have a swanky kitted out workshop and that this restoration wasn’t completed in two weeks. I can look back to my youthful days in the RAF and remember repairing bits of cars in my room much to the annoyance of my roommates! Keep on keeping it real fella 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿

Not an alloy sort of car, hub caps look the part. You made a good job of shaping the new steel pipes, see so many restored cars with wobbly coper pipes

Restore the originals and re-chrome the hubcaps. Another great job you've done.

I agree with others keep the stèels, more in keeping with the project. In the early 70's I rebuilt my engine and box and restored and repainted my 1300GT and they were young cars then. Your work reminds me of those early days of repair and make do attitude with limited resources and cash. The 1300GT was a great car and is one of only 3 I wish I'd kept - the others? MK 1 Cortina GT and a Jaguar 420 enjoy every minute and good luck.

Brilliant video mate, really fun to watch. As much as i would love to see the new alloys on there, i think it would be better keeping it all original. Oh and on a personal preference, the music was a bit quick for me but like i said that's completely down to personal preference. Well done mate, really enjoyed it, you are a master craftsman.

Great set of videos so far! As for wheels....... the overwhelming feeling I've got from watching your vids is that you want to keep as much originality to the resto as possible and in my opinion that answers your question - forget the alloys option! Not sure that alloys would be the correct decision. Keep up the great work fella!

I agree, steel wheels. A truly fabulous job. Can't wait to see the finished product.

Excellent work as usual. I love the “budget” aspect to this job. The painstaking stripping and manual cleaning of parts.its turning out really well. Original wheels I would say.

Great to see you back. Really enjoying this series. Dad drove one back in the '70s. Restored original wheels for this one, I feel.

Patience and good humour as well as excellent workmanship, all on a budget - great work! Stick with the originals if you can, alloys would really change the character of the car.

I am enjoying this. Steel wheels given the angle of your work. This little beast needs to keep as much of her original kit as possible. Greetings from Australia where I haven’t seen one of these on the road for a very long time...

Yeah iv got a 32 year old mk1 nissan micra and its totally original, you have spent so much time keeping it original so go with original as the car was meant to be 🙂

I have the same brake pipe flair tool, still works great. The underside of my old mini was daubed with lithium grease every nut. bolt and fitting. Never had trouble getting anything apart after the first struggle. Refurbish the original wheels, keep it standard, your doing a great job

Steel rims only to keep it original IMHO. Interesting stuff. Brings back memories of my early days working on cars. Keep on keeping it real 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿

steel wheels with hub caps, thats how I remember them(aunt had 1300 in 70s)

old school thing ! put a schamfer on the leading edge of the shoes / 45 deg . adjust the drum 's up until you cant turn them by hand . then hit the drum all around with a hammer then re ajust untill they just start binding , then bleed the brakes up .

Dude, you restored everything so far, and only you know how hard it was and how long it takes. But please try to restore the wheels as they are one of the most identifying part of ADO16.

This ongoing restoration must be unique in the detailed way you have refurbished every single serviceable part and refinished beautifully and cannot have escaped your notice of the numbers of equally impressed viewers to your much anticipated videos.This is such an original car that the original steel wheels must be retained and are in pretty good order anyway and will respond accordingly , the ones on my pre- war Austin were much worse and came up a treat .Sorry there isn't a ' supa -like ' button !

Definateley restore the steel rims, but check them for true first. I fitted a set of tyres to a Morris 1000 recently, nicely painted but, when balancing, two were buckled.

Hello from South Carolina, I lived in Capel St. Mary along the A 12 when i was in the Air Force stationed at RAF Bentwaters, I had a Austin 1300 and wanted to thank you for bringing back some wonderful memorys....1984. I also had a 1972 Triumph 2000 and those were two of the my favorite autos ive owned. Keep up the Great Work!

Love what you’re doing with the restoration. Steel wheels for me I’m afraid.

Keep it OEM mate 👍🏻

Another great video, personally I'd restore the old wheels..👍

Nice work, as always! I would restore the original steel wheels if it were my car. I prefer the factory look in most cases. If you want to add a bit of bling that doesn’t detract from the originality too much, I would go with a set of chrome trim rings, they would set it off nicely.

The alloys would look good, but as the rest of the car is stranded the steel ones might be best. Do whatever helps save time and money. Easy to swop over later whichever you choose.

Restore the originals. Retain the originality.

I was getting worried that you'd forgotten us poor souls. Lovely video, but such a lovely car. Alloys? alloys on an Austin 1300? Nah, definitely a no no, keep it original. Christ almighty, I wish I'd have kept my Austin 1300 that I bought in 1977. Can't wait for the next instalment.

Well done on getting the coupling undone. I used to hate refitting those brake springs.

Had me going with the superglue.....

keep her original Ian Alloys are for roll cages and bucket seats

Alloys from the late Austin 1300 GT model would look nice, a hard task to find some I think.

Restore the wheels and get the caps re chrome plated it will look more original great video

I think a nice set of minilites or Dunlop would suit the old girl. But still restore the originals.

Great video as usual and I reckon restore the steel wheels mate .

Restore the original wheels. Not sure that "minilite" style rims look right on a 1300. Great job with the brakes BTW.

Great vid mate. Tough one on the wheels, but i reckon those minilites would look out of place. So my vote is keep original.

I am always so impressed with your attention to detail, even the new wheel cylinders stripped and painted, i have the same brake pipe flaring tool, how did you bend the pipe to shape just by hand ? i think refurb the original wheels, you have made it look so original every where else.

Restore the steelies for me,

Great attention to detail. You’re doing a great job. I just Googled “ado16 minilites” and the cars look a bit “meh”. I’d stick to the original look rims and hubcaps, TBH.

Original wheels...

Hi mate nice job ,I’ve been watching your vids on this and can feel you trying to keep the cost down,I did the same when I did my beetle.I would like to see the alloys of the year because I think the car needs it ,as they say the wheels make the car .good job keep it up TC Essex

Steel rims

On the hub caps, try a little metal polish such as Silvo (Duraglit) and scrunch up some tin foil (Bacofoil) and give it a good rubbing. Do the worst one first and on the most rusted areas. Nothing to loose.

My dad had a 1300GT and that had nice wheels maybe you pick some of those

Restoring the steel wheels would keep the originality of the car, but a nice set of 13" Minilites would be in keeping with the period of the car.🤔 Minilites, but keep the steel wheels for if you want the car judged at a show for originality.

You have kept the restoration to original spec, personally I keep original wheels as then the car could be used in film work

Great (another great) video and great inspiration. Do you happen to know the size specs of the rear brake shoes (i.e. their size)? Want to replace mine and could not find anything more than that they fit an 8'' drum. Thanks in advance, K.

do as you please , i,ll like either way...

I think those austins have an odd wheel offset so difficult to get alloys for?

Normally I’d say go for the alloys, but in the spirit of restoration and the level to which you’ve retained the originality of the car it’s got to be REFURBISHED STEEL WHEELS WITH HUB CAPS! Please 🙏

Definitely restore the wheels, I don’t think alloys suit these cars. That said it’s your car.

I bought replica Dunlop. D1. Wheels for mine and didn’t like them it made the car look like a roller skate .

Standard steel wheels and chrome hub caps is the only way on this car..ally’s wouldn’t look right

Wider steels with caps Subtle 🤔

Sounds like you have a chipmunk issue in the garage!

is the rot holes i see in the bulkhead mate next to the brake master cyl or black paint ???

Restore original wheels and chrome hubcaps, looks nicer anyway

Alloys

Restore the original steel wheels, more like factory . Alloys a bit boy racer!

Steel wheels - if you can still get tyres to fit them - not a given...

I meant to say i left England in the winter of 1984

Keep it on steel wheels and hubcaps sick of every other british clasic car on minilites

Restore the originals. It isn't that difficult of a job

Keep it original as possible if you can

Add me to the restore rims list.

WTF with the heavy metal music? My old hearing is melted👨🏻‍🦳 PS I drove exact same car in the 70’s.

Put some 17s on it :/

Restore originals

I have enjoyed following all your videos on this rebuild but have to say your music choices are not very good on this video. They don’t seem to fit the spirit of rebuilding an old, inexpensive vehicle...?

Alloys would look nice but considering the financial restraints you are under, your work has been none the less meticulous. Thus, imho, steel wheels.

If you wish to chat sometime, it would be a pleasure.