A10 Brake Cams

[bl**dydrivers]

Did the original brake cams have a integrated grease nipple? I purchased stainless ones from barleycorn and they look great! But lack a hole or grease nipple. I don’t have the originals for comparison.
They don’t fit either front or rear brake plates so presume I would have to ream it out and or have a bush installed to save the brake plates from wearing out. They don’t fit my brake levers, don’t have the originals and again would have to shave some off to make them fit or purchase the levers from Barleycorn in the hope they fit.

Usually don’t have a problem with Barleycorn and want expert opinions.

[RogerSB]

You don't say what year you have but my 1960 A10 G/Flash (which is still original spec) has the grease nipples (see pics).
Probably other years will be different but I can't help you there but I'm sure if that's the case others here will know.

[coater87]

I have worn originals with nipples, sketchy as hell i think.

 You give 99% of people a grease gun and they go hog wild, worse is you cant even see how much your pumping in there.

 Lee

[bl**dydrivers]

1962 BSA A10 Super Rocket

[RogerSB]

Same as mine then, pt no 42-5830.
Unfortunately originals with a grease nipple are scarce and as Lee mentioned it's not a good idea to squirt too much grease in there - so not such a must have.
I always grease the cam when I dust out the brake drums during maintenance. Not quite so easy with the 'difficult to remove' quick detachable rear wheel though   .

[JulianS]

An original brake cam for the iron full width hub A series brake, with an integral grease "nipple". They have often been hammered to remove the lever. It just a hole with an outlet on the diameter of the cam spindle.

Second photo in close up show the position of the hole on diameter of the spindle.

You can see how impractical it is to grease the whole spindle using that nipple.

[Swarfcut]

I would be more concerned that the new brake cams don't fit either the original backplates or the levers. Either the Barleycorn bits are wrong by incorrect manufacture/ incorrect order/supply or there is something wrong with the existing brake set up. Better to modify pattern parts than chop pieces from an original  factory part, but some dialogue with Barleycorn to get to the bottom of this conundrum would be my first thought. Previous posts would indicate they are very interested in supplying parts that fit.

 The absence of a nipple is of no real consequence, and would add another machining operation and unnecessary additional cost.

Swarfy.

[Butch (cb)]

You give 99% of people a grease gun and they go hog wild, worse is you cant even see how much your pumping in there.

Agreed - I wouldn't go pumping grease blindly into a brake drum, unless it was for someone I had taken a distinct disliking to.

[bl**dydrivers]

Update, purchased stainless brake cams with grease nipples from CPC Engineering with their brake levers (rear having the correct kinks) and they don’t fit into the brake plates either.
Purchased a set of adjustable reamers, but wouldn’t trust them (presume they’re made in India!) the blades fall out and not even going around them with a micrometer and currently getting the brake plates reamed by a local machinist.

[Jules]

Just a thought on this, "stainless steel" isn't the hardest of materials and just maybe the cams would have been heat treated/hardened steel originally??

[BagONails]

You are right in general Jules, there are however various different grades of stainless and some of them can be hardened and tempered. I don't know what these parts are made out of though and given the expense and specialist nature of the heat treatment I doubt they would be hardened...