Brakethrough

THERE are a few jobs on old Land Rovers which take far longer than they have any right to do, and one of these is overhauling the drum brakes fitted to a huge number of Solihull’s finest between 1948 and 1993 when the Defender finally went over to disc brakes on the rear axle. Excluding the (now almost extinct) rear brakes fitted to long wheelbase Series Is and very early Series IIs there are three basic designs: 10 inch single leading shoe (SLS), 11 inch SLS and 11 inch twin leading shoe (TLS), the latter available in two widths. All have design quirks which can make working on them a frustrating experience, even if you are familiar with them. For the DIY novice there are very many ways to assemble Land Rover drum brakes incorrectly and I think I have seen most of them over the years.

The least problematic of the three types is the 11 inch SLS, found on the rear axle of most long wheelbase Series, Ninety/One Ten and Defender vehicles from 1959 to 1993. It is an utterly