Many MGA owners seem to be experiencing problems with the brakes 'binding', especially right after a brake system rebuild. The common complaint is that the brakes begin to drag as the car is driven, which creates tremendous heat and eventually stops the car, possibly damaging your new linings, pads, and discs.

The Factory Workshop Manual gives explicit instructions on setting the master cylinder pushrod, which sometimes cures the problem. However, even with the proper 'free play' in the pedal, the brakes can still bind up. The problem is that the master cylinder piston is not coming far enough forward to uncover the bleeder orifice that allows the expanded fluid to bleed into the reservoir.

Solution: Add a shim between the master cylinder block and the cover plate! This shim allows the piston to come a little further forward, thus uncovering the bleeder orifice.

I cut my shim from .020" brass shim stock using the gasket as a template, but allowing a 1.00" diameter clearance hole for the brake piston. I used two #180-020 gaskets, modifying one to include the 1.00" diameter hole, but leaving the other one standard.

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