Brake rod dust covers

Hi all,  I've just been having 'fun' replacing all of my brake rod dust covers; it seemed a sensible thing to do before refitting my nice shiny new brake shoes.  The stretching of a 5 mm rubber hole over a half-inch banjo (nice mixed units there!) is something that I think is beyond me.  My technique consisted of heating the rubber with an old hair dryer (useful for various workshop tasks), applying copies quantities of lubricant and stretching the opening with a pair of snipe-nosed pliers.  The first one was an absolute breeze.  The second resulted in three torn new dust covers being consigned to the bin and another set being reordered.  Does anyone have any suggestions how to achieve this seemingly simple task?  Regards,  Tony  PS:  I understand that a recent revision of MOT regulations means that any route for dust ingress in this are results in a failure Posted by TonyO 23/09/2012 10:32:31

Hi Tony, It's so long since I did mine, I don't remember the exact technique employed. However, I do know that I didn't have to destroy any of the covers. However, I also had the advantage of a completely disassembled car to work on! Is it not possible to slide the covers all the way down the rod from the end farthest from the wheels?  Regards, Paul. Posted by pryantcc 24/09/2012 07:59:47

Hi Paul,  I don't think that sliding them on from the other end is going to help much:  [url=http://s1261.photobucket.com/albums/ii600/sandandlime/?action=view&current=5f4fa38ce1d6d891c3804f42e6c3ccfb_zps3be11511.jpg:3ka9gjw0][img:3ka9gjw0]http://i1261.photobucket.com/albums/ii600/sandandlime/th_5f4fa38ce1d6d891c3804f42e6c3ccfb_zps3be11511.jpg[/img:3ka9gjw0][/url:3ka9gjw0]  ...the banjo is the easier end!  Whoevever fitted them originally opted for an easy way out by cutting off the end and splitting the seam to slide it over the banjo.  However, I believe that the MOT rules have recently been amended and any splits in these covers would now be viewed as a non-compliance.  The first one lulled me into a false sense of security...  [url=http://s1261.photobucket.com/albums/ii600/sandandlime/?action=view&current=61dc133b70cf09dc6de0f46e89b75521_zpsa01f4e8c.jpg:3ka9gjw0][img:3ka9gjw0]http://i1261.photobucket.com/albums/ii600/sandandlime/th_61dc133b70cf09dc6de0f46e89b75521_zpsa01f4e8c.jpg[/img:3ka9gjw0][/url:3ka9gjw0]  Hopefully, I'll find some pointers somewhere.  All the best,  Tony Posted by TonyO 24/09/2012 12:03:46

Ah Tony, the photos bring it all back!   I was thinking about the rears. They were more straight-forward. For the fronts, I used an external cir-clip pliers to stretch the opening (without heat) and some silicone lubricant to get them on over the end. My covers are a slightly different design to yours though, the material was more like plastic than rubber. They came with the car though, so I'm afraid I can't help with a source for them.  Sorry I don't have a better photo: [img:3e29v80x]http://i307.photobucket.com/albums/nn315/prynatcc/Alvisbrakecover_zps6d4e4e7b.jpg[/img:3e29v80x] Posted by pryantcc 24/09/2012 13:52:43