TR3A hydraulic reservoir

[Richardtr3a]

My hydraulic reservoir is very close to the bonnet underside.I have a very sharp bend on the pipes and there is no room for the rubber seal to the lid. Sometimes there is a little fluid on the outside, presumably because there is no seal.

 

Is it possible to cut off the top and lower the lid by 1/2 inch. Using a very smakk cutter it would be possible to reduce the inner divider as well so that the level would still feed both systems.

 

How would I fix it back on lower down. I have an old one in the garage which i will experiment with after some advice.

 

Thanks Richard

[BrianC]

Seems like a bad idea to reduce the m/c capacity - there must be an underlying problem that needs investigating.

Meanwhile, why not just put packing pieces under the bonnet hinge on the scuttle and improve both the clearance and engine bay cooling/ventilation at the same time?

[Ian Vincent]

I recently bought a replacement reservoir and it was about 3/16" longer than the original it replaced - just enough to cause the cap to foul the bonnet. I had to remove the pipes connecting the master cylinder to the reservoir and re-form them with a tighter curve. I annealed them first to soften up the copper and used the inner from a stretchy curtain wire as a binding spring. I managed to avoid kinking either pipe and tightened the bend enough for the reservoir to clear the bonnet.

 

Rgds Ian

[BlueTR3A-5EKT]

Yes this is an issue I suffered with. The top rim of my reservoir had rust pin holes in it. My own car now has twin cyls with integral reservoirs fitted to the master cyl bracket of a TR4/4A. You have to mess with the pedals to fit so do not just buy the bracket hoping for a quick fix. The tops of the pedals where the clevis pins go are wider spaced on the Girling hydraulic TR4 than the TR3 ( and Lockheed TR2 is even closer together than the TR3 Girling.)

 

Girling replaced that metal reservoir with a plastic pot that had a side entry push on rubber hose to supply to the master cyls. That item is now NLS. I have a NOS one but believe me its ugly.

 

Possible Solution

Think Automotive/Mocal at Isleworth could probably make you a couple of flexible hoses with a right angled screw connector at one and and a straight at the other to replace your existing rigid pipes. This should provide more vertical adjustment of the reservoir pot if the right angled fitting is small enough.

 

I would unscrew the entire master cyl cradle from the car with cyls and reservoir and take it to them. That would ensure lengths were right and the bottom clearance sufficient to allow the reservoir to be lowered in its bracket.

 

Cheers

Peter W

Edited May 13, 2015 by BlueTR3A-5EKT