MGB Rear Oil Seal and Brakes

In the Oil Seal replacement video I said I would post a picture of the rear brakes shoes assembled on the MGB backplate without the hub being fitted. That will enable you to see the way they are mounted with the springs in the correct position and the right way round. If the springs are fitted with the "coil" facing the wrong way they can rub on the hub causing a squeaking sound or just eventually break.
You may think perhaps that I am a bit of a clean freak as I clean all the parts I am working on. The main reason for this is because I want my hands clean and grease free when touching the brake shoes. The last thing I need is grease getting onto the brake shoes. If the other parts I am assembling are covered with grease and dirt I only have to touch them and it is easily transfered to the shoes.

The picture is of the right rear brake assembly. The wheel when fitted will rotate in a clockwise direction. You can see that on the brake shoes the lining does not cover the entire brake shoe. The lining is offset leaving a bare piece of the shoe at one end. This is deliberate to prevent the brakes from grabbing when applied and also the reason for the end of the brake lining to be chamfered on the end. The bare end of the brake shoes is called the leading edge and must face the oncoming direction of the brake drum (wheel). This is true for both shoes.

You will notice the shoes are applied from different ends. That is to say, the leading shoe (the one on the left of the picture) is pushed by the wheel cylinder on the shoe's leading edge (Lower) pivioting on the brake adjuster end. With the trailing shoe (the right shoe in the picture) the opposite is true. It is pushed from the trailing edge of the shoe, as the Cylinder moves. Hence their names. This type of system is unlike North American cars as the brakes are notDuo-Servo. The leading shoe (left) is the one pushed by the wheel cylinder on its leading edge.

Also I said not to use a gasket on the axle face where the bearing retainer fits against it. The reason being is that the axle has a precise step machined into it for the wheel bearing. The retainer that also holds the oil seal also has a precise step to hold the bearing. If you place a gasket between the faces this will increase the overall depth of the step allowing the bearing to "float". This means the axle, hub, brake drum and wheel will also float the thickness of the gasket.