Series I Tiger Rear Brake Questions

[NedD]

I'm rebuilding the rear brakes on my '66 Tiger for the first time and have two questions:
1. When re-installing the wheel cylinders, does the orientation of the spring plate behind the back plate matter? It's convex curve could be placed so its ends are pointed "outwards" (away from the back plate) or "inwards". The two plates that lock it in place will engage the spring plate in either orientation.

2. In this forum I see recommendation to use genuine Castrol DOT4 fluid, but that is hard to find at this time - vendors are out of stock. This car has stock Girling brake components. Any DOT4 fluid should be compatible, correct?

 

[mikephillips]

Personally on mine I used the later retaining clips, two piece that push together and have a small dimple that locks them together. Had them on like that since the 1990s and no issue.

As far as fluid, my understanding is if you use silicone any should work as refill, same if you use non silicone use non silicone to refill. Main thing is not to mix them, even if the system is flushed since a film can cling to the insides when emptied and the two types don't play well together.

 

[Pete S.]

Not all DOT 4 fluids are alike. For Girling systems, I'd stick with Castrol or Lockheed. Castrol is available on Amazon right now, and Lockheed can be purchased from Moss Motors. Follow the service manuals for flushing and bleeding.

 

[husky drvr]

S&P,

This is part of an illustration from an Alpine WSM. Maybe it will help on your question.

 

[Warren]

IDK how many car I've seen without the clips. Glad to see another Tiger guy here.

 

[Alpine 1789]

10 or so years ago I bought Girling fluid from a Jaguar dealer. It was more money, of course, but at least it was available. It might be worth a phone call to see if they still stock it.

 

[Pete S.]

10 or so years ago I bought Girling fluid from a Jaguar dealer. It was more money, of course, but at least it was available. It might be worth a phone call to see if they still stock it.

No need to call anyone. Just go to the Great Satan "Amazon" --> https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0093PHU9C?psc=1&ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_product_details

 

[NedD]

Thanks everyone for the responses. This "Girling-compatible" brake fluid question has been a real head-scratcher for me. Couldn't find documentation on what is "Girling-compatible".

I saw Castrol available on Amazon as Pete S. suggests, but it wasn't clear if that was the same product as Castrol GT LMA (which I couldn't find for sale anywhere). I'm completely rebuilding/replacing the brake system on my car, so could use either glycol-based DOT4 or silicone-based DOT5 fluid as long as I never mix the two. I'm sticking with DOT4 and take your recommendations to flush it annually. After finding documentation that Lucas' DOT4 fluid is compatible with Castrol GT LMA I've going to try it out.

 

[djsteinb]

I'm rebuilding the rear brakes on my '66 Tiger for the first time and have two questions:
1. When re-installing the wheel cylinders, does the orientation of the spring plate behind the back plate matter? It's convex curve could be placed so its ends are pointed "outwards" (away from the back plate) or "inwards". The two plates that lock it in place will engage the spring plate in either orientation.

2. In this forum I see recommendation to use genuine Castrol DOT4 fluid, but that is hard to find at this time - vendors are out of stock. This car has stock Girling brake components. Any DOT4 fluid should be compatible, correct?

Hi there "Spit".
I rebuilt the entire brake system on my 65 Tiger last summer. The slave cylinders on the rear brakes use that convoluted 3 clip method to secure it. The original 2 small clips are made of pot metal and both broke on my replacement "adventure". The quality replacement was using Triumph Spitfire clips which are steel as both cars use the same slave cylinder.
Just a thought.

 

[hartmandm]

The Amazon link that Pete S posted shows the bottle that is the current version of the Castrol GT LMA fluid. It's been many years since Castrol used the white bottle with the "GT LMA" designation.

Mike