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I've got a 78. I rebuilt the entire parking brake system; new shoes, hardware, cables, guides, etc. Adjusted the shoes out so much that you couldn't turn the wheel on the jackstands. Put car in neutral and put the e brake on....nothing, doesn't even slow it down.
So I put on a new trailing arm assembly on the driver's side, complete with rotor. I figured I would have at least 1/2 parking brakes now. Put on the brake....nothing...
Anyone know why the hell this car refuses to have any parking brakes whatsoever? Is the ebrake handle just for show?
you gotta start at the handle and cable and work your way back. first have your head under rear fender (wheel off) and have somebody pull the lever and see if there is any cable movement. there won't be. then you gotta find out why.
Kind of frustrating, I have a '76 with similar problems.
I adjusted the shoes until the star wheel wouldn't move anymore,
then backed off 2 click/turns. Brake shoes are burnishing/burning and smelly after a couple of miles,
but still will not hold car on my driveway with a slight ~5 degree angle.
I'm beginning to thing the inside rotors are out of round.
Agreed, it was only ever intended to be a parking brake. Not a emergency brake. And most of us have trouble enough just getting it to hold on an incline.
Emergency brake, ahhh, no.
Problem is, I can't even get it to function as a parking brake. No kidding.
Are you seeing a change in operation between engaged and disengaged? When I did mine, I adjusted the shoes just to the point of drag. When I'd pull the handle, I could feel the resistance.
Make sure the cable is actually travelling and not just slacking and tightening.
From: Some days your the dog and some days your the hydrant.
Royal Canadian Navy
A properly functioning parking brake will lock the rear two wheels when the pb handle is pulled up well before full on is reached. I've done it. Then it can be used as an emergency brake but the stopping distance is probably tripled. So much for an emergency brake.
Edit: Pulling up on the park brake lever at ~20 mph locked the rear wheels. One recurring problem I had over the years was the the lever at the end of the pb cable which has a tang that engages a slot in the pb shoe, would not stay engaged for any length of time. It would slip out after several applications of the pb. This only happened on one side but that renders the pb useless.
Last edited by resdoggie; Nov 18, 2022 at 10:33 AM.
2025 c3 ('74-'82) of the Year Finalist - Unmodified
2019 C3 of Year Finalist (appearance mods)
Originally Posted by robroute66
I've tightened up the equalizer to point you have to get the hulk to pull the handle and it doesn't make any difference.
Are the shoes original with enough pad life left?
If replacement shoes are they steel and not stainless?
Remove the wheel and caliper and be sure that all the parts are in working order and installed correctly
#4 has a 'L' for the left side and an 'R' for the right side.
Is # 10 installed correctly and does it turn freely?
The cables can stretch, is the equalizer adjusted correctly?
At the wheel are the cables connected correctly?
To adjust the parking brake shoes insert a screwdriver and pull the handle 'UP' to tighten until the rotor will not move then back off 6 to 8 clicks.
The parking brake should hold after pulling up 14 clicks on the handle.
Now burnish the brakes.
I put all new parts into mine, cable, shoes, etc. it sorta works on one side. After 15 failed attempts to get it adjusted right I gave up. It's on my winter list to attack again.
I rebuilt/replace worn items on my P.B but wanted more "grab". There is a tiny nylon wheel inside the P.B. mechanism under the console. I modified the area slightly & installed a larger diameter brass wheel in place of the original nylon wheel.
Also...there is a "pulley-wheel" under the floorboard which the cable fits onto. The pully-wheel bracket is attached to the transmission crossmember.
I fabricated a larger bracket and installed a much larger pully-wheel into the bracket.
I also installed a stiffer main return spring at the differential crossmember for more tension when engaged.
The rear wheels will practically lock up when I apply the P.B. while the car is rolling about 10mph.
It seems the larger brass wheel & much larger steel pulley-wheel are able to apply more pressure to the parking shoes.
Pics are in my build thread...see the table of contents on page #1.
Anyhow....it worked for me......
I ended up modifying some lenght dimemsions so it would sit parallel to the cable.
This job is nearly as bad as painting a car. There are many ways to screw up. It took me 3 attempts, and several sets of parts, to get it right. Some of the new stainless parts are just wrong right out of the box, so I went back to standard shoes. The cable kept slipping off the lever arm (which requires pulling the caliper to get back on), just a nightmare.
The only thing that works was just the right set of parts, and following the procedure in the shop manual (which I hope you are doing).
Oddly my PB holds fairly well on an uphill slope, but hardly at all on a downhill slope. Being able to lock up the tires at 10 mph as posted by others would be reassuring. Following this thread. No idea the problem I know they are not seized.
No emergency brakes
