Thread: Late 2a with brake booster, dual lines and pdwa

By this time many if not most Series Landrovers have parts from a different era fitted, and this is a commonly suggested change. Dual circuit brakes became standard on Series 3 in Australia fairly early in the seventies, and the only issue with this being a bolt on change to Series 2/2a is the need for panel modifications to the RH mudguard (or fit a Series 3 one).

John

Thanks for your reply John, much appreciated. I suspect the brake system I have is not original, as not all the little chassis "pipe clamps" are used. Do you know if any series 2A Land Rovers were shipped with the dual line system, or dual line with servo only series 3 ?

Thanks
John

There is no room for the dual boosted master cylinder and pedal setup on the 2a. The Series 3 has the bit of metal from the top of the mudguard to the footwell shaped to provide about another two inches of room, where the 2a has a flat sheet.

This means that there was no possibility of it coming from the factory with the dual system, although I would not rule out a very few 2as coming from the factory with Series 3 mudguards - but I'll bet this was not documented if it did happen.

Metric bolts are almost certainly ring-ins - Series 3 only started using metric bolts in very late production, probably about the time the five bearing engine (which is metric) was fitted. But metric bolts have been more readily available in Australia since about 1980, so there is more chance they have been put in since new.

John

Thanks for the extra info John. I guess I have the choice of sticking with the S3 braking system, or reverting back to an original S2a, so I think I'll stick with the S3 system in the interest of better safety.

Thanks
John

I have mixed feelings on the amount that dual braking systems have added to the safety of cars.

There is no doubt that a dual system protects you from sudden brake failure due to the failure of a hydraulic circuit. However, in about fifty five years of driving vehicles with single circuit brakes (the ones I drove before then had mechanical brakes) and for over half that period most of the cars on the road had single circuit brakes, I have never experienced, nor known anyone to experience, brake failure for this reason.

A number of brake failures - wet brakes, brake fade, progressive failure due to poor maintenance, even loss of air brakes following a broken prop shaft, but no sudden hydraulic failures. (None of them directly to me, although I have on a number of occasions spotted issues likely to lead to this if not corrected, usually a drop in fluid level - which should be checked daily, not just on single circuit systems.)

The mostly theoretical advantage of more failure resistant brakes comes with the cost of more complexity and more difficult and expensive maintenance. And unless the shuttle valve and warning light are checked for function regularly it possible to have inoperative rear brakes (i.e. single circuit brakes) for a long time without being aware of it.

I should add, that I have also been driving vehicles with dual circuit brakes for over fifty years (starting long before they were readily available - Citroen if you must know, had dual circuit brakes in 1955, and I was driving one in 1963).

John

My s2a broke a R/H/front brake pipe, not the hose, whilst in traffic, resulting in me running up the arse of a Hyundai. It was only minor damage as i pulled the hand brake and had he not stopped suddenly, to let someone come out of maccas at brekky time, just as the lights went green, it could have been a lot worse. I had just changed into second (crash box), so wasnt going quick. But it can happen. Years ago i had a rear brake hose go on my HK holden while towing a car trailer with a speedway car on the back. Still had brakes due to the dual circuit. Pedal was almost on the floor but it still stopped. I put a screw into the rear brake circuit to get a good pedal and fixed it when i got to Perth later that day. Thats why ive gone dual circuit on my s2a with 4 wheel disc conversion.

Cheers Rod

Edit...now i know what PDWA stands for...

Pressure

Differential

Warning

Actuator...

Silly me..😆

Sent from my GT-I9507 using AULRO mobile app

Yes, it does happen. But is a low risk compared to others involved in driving.

(Probably the most common 'brake failure' is bald tyres - and I have even seen these on a police car!)

John

I agree with John - if the brake system is properly maintained and inspected critically at every service, single-circuit systems are quite safe and reliable.

Burst pipes and hoses had something wrong with them, before they burst!

How many of us have changed the brake fluid in the last 12 months? Land Rover recommend 12 months, so I have been doing all of my cars at that interval since I read it in the Disco manual.

Pipes need to be kept clean and inspected for rust and replaced if there is any rust at all showing on them,

Cheers Charlie