Bowdenex conversion

[Bob Culver]

The mix of Girling and earlier must have bewildered a few. It is easy to see why cars bear so many scars of crude work. Although not the prime theme, does skip over much. A direct analogy with bicycle cables and their accomodation of spacing changes would have made the operating principle instantly apparent. Many owners would not have owned an expensive Crescent; just an F spanner. No emphasis at all on the critical importance of the rear taper being very firm (and associated difficulty of dismantling). If Austin had designed the brake shoes for easy removal a lot of butchery would have been avoided. I can understand Bowden brakes on specials with lowered radius rods and very poor front axle support but seems little point on others esp with later radius rods.
As for the advice up the side, over the ages I have lost numerous tools and items using the car roof as a shelf. My fathers apprentices used to delight in reminding him of his RP driving through town with his roofing sand shoes on top.