I recently set my parking brake on my 79 Coupe and when I went to release it, it had the button you depress with your thumb stuck in and it didn't want to release. After a couple of minutes of fiddling I got the teeth down.

Does anyone have any ideas on how I would go about working on this? I assume there must be a broken spring or something but I can't find anything obvious.

 

There is a spring under the button...mine flew off one day when setting or releasing ( don't remember which )...put the spring back in and used liquid nails ( or similiar )to glue the button down...let it set 24 hrs... and it is still attached after several years...Good Luck!

 

I would expect that when the individual e-brake tension is set at each caliper and the e-brake cable tension is set appropriately, then the e-brake handle doesn't elevate to the end of its maximum travel.

Then, there's still enough "give" to pull and release, when returning to "off".

Have to look at the AIM for clues to disassemble the handle for spring replacement or repair.

 

Disconnected my E brake....had not used it in 40 years...when my painter applied the brake it stuck and we had a time moving it to his lift...I said lets just disconnect it and we did a year or two back.

 

i had a similar problem with mine a few months ago, wouldnt release.... i blew the ratchet mechanism out with air then sprayed the relase button and ratchet assembly with spray oil (wd40),and has been working fine since.

 

I run with another 68 vette owner to car shows when we both do not drive our other cars to the shows...we were way up in the mountains miles from home and he slowed way down behind me...a GTO and 62 vette were behind him and with us. We pulled over and my friend was very scared to drive the car...well, his wife was the one saying call a wrecker...we didn't and went on to the car show as it was less than a mile away.

At the show, the owner thought he had discovered what was making all the noise, etc. a fan shroud had come loose and he thought that was the noise.

Nope...it was the pass rear brake....we stopped at least 6 times going home and I bleed the brake each time as that wheel was hot hot hot. I thought it was a sticking caliper.

The next day, I went to his house and we worked on that wheel, etc. Yep, it was the E brake not releasing...we cleaned it and lubed it and it works fine now.

I made him drive all the way down the curvey mountain without using his brakes as I was tired of removing his wheel and bleeding the brake...that was very hard for him as his car is an automatic...easy for me as mine is 4 speed. It is so steep and curvey that big trucks are not allowed to use that road...its about 8 miles long going downhill with lots of hairpin curves.

Like I said...its been since the early 70's since I appied the E brake...no need for it...if it stuck once...it will stick again at some time.