MKI 1965 New Brakes and Suspension
March 19, 2008 by donminimania
Question:
I have a 1965 Mini and I would like to upgrade the brakes and suspension to a safer one. Can you indicate what I should buy.
Answer:
A 1965 Mini would have had drum brakes all around and used 3.5″ x 10″ wheels. The only real upgrade option is to the Cooper S, 7.5″ disc brake set up. It may be the only good one, but it is a very good upgrade.
Because the disc brake kit widens the front track about 2″, I usually recommend that the rear drums also be upgraded to the wider Cooper S ones to keep the front/rear track ratio the same. It is not necessary, but a good idea in my mind. One can use a kit like MMKT0501, or just buy individual pieces (drums and studs) if the rest of the rear brakes are in good shape.
Another recommendation is BHA4661, a master cylinder extension. If you check you brake fluid regularly, it really isn’t necessary, but, because disc brakes are self adjusting, the original disc brake master cylinder had a larger capacity to make up for the drop in fluid as the bads wear. This extension gives you the extra capacity…and makes monitoring the fluid level easier. (Buy one for the clutch, too!)
