Hi All -

Many of you have helped me get to this point on other threads - so thank you. LONG story short, I snapped a wheel stud so I needed to replace it. I decided to replace all 5 on that wheel, and that work is done. I also thought it would be a good idea to replace my parking brake hardware with a stainless kit, so I ordered that. I even ordered a new stainless parking brake cable, but I'm not ready to replace that just now. I want to get this one wheel back together and drive the car for a few weeks before it gets too cold here in MN. Then I will put it back up on jack stands and replace the cables, etc.

So - the replacement shoes seem to make sense...new springs and cups...and pins. Although, I think I will only replace the pin that is easy to get out...I will leave the other pin that is captive as I don't know how I would get that out. My question is this...the stainless kit came with a new lever/actuator part and I would like to put that in. This is the part that the cable connects to. So, it appears I need to get the cable removed from the existing actuator lever thing. do I need to release cable tension to do this? If so, how do I do that? Then, how do I get that cable/ball out of the lever assy? Any help or photos would be appreciated!

The car is a 1970 manual transmission small block.

 

You might have enough slack to get the 'ball end' of the cable out if you remove the spring that holds the rear cable (equalizer cable) and loosen the nuts.

 

Thank you - assuming this helps me get the cable out, how do I know how much to re-tighten those nuts when I put it back together? Should I mark the current location somehow?

 

After you reinstall everything
Make sure the parking brake handle is down.
install a rotor with 2 nuts
Locate the adjustment hole
insert a screwdriver and pull the handle UP until you can no longer turn the rotor
back off the adjuster 6 to 8 clicks and the rotor should turn with minimum drag
do the other side

The parking brake handle should hold the car at 14 clicks UP.
if not adjust the equalizer cable nuts.

Then 'burnish' (or bed in) the PB and adjust again.

 

Hmmm - just found this...is this true? I have to cut the old one out? Mine actually seems to move ok...now wondering if I should leave this lever assy in place and just replace the shoes and springs and adjuster?

 

It’s been a few years since I installed a SS e-brake, but some parts were much more involved to replace. I did not install the entire replacement kit. Some parts looked serviceable and not worth the trouble. Everything worked fine for years. When it came time for rebuilding the trailing arms (Vansteel), new e-brakes were included. The adjustment wheel on these feels best at 5 clicks open.

 

Use the actuating lever that you have and grease it up so that it moves freely.




Put some anti seize on the adjuster.

 

I'm just realizing that the two halves of my existing actuator lever do not move freely, or at all relative to each other... I'm spraying with penetrating oil now...

After looking at it closer, I'm not afraid of cutting the existing one out, but I want to get the cable ball out first and I'm not having success with that right now.

 

With the equalizer cable loose from the 2 nuts you should have enough slack to pull the 'ball' to the rear and get it to release.

 

Of course those two nuts are seized onto the cable and i can't break them free....yet. I've sprayed those as well. In some light, they don't even look like two nuts, they look like one? But I'm sure it's probably two. I can't get anything to hold onto the cable tight enough while I try to back off the nuts, so when I turn the nuts, the cable turns too...tried a vice grip, but that won't hold it either...

 

If you post a picture someone might have a suggestion.

 

I pulled the spring off, but these two nuts are not backing off the cable, the cable spins when I turn the nuts. I can't get anything to hold on to the cable tight enough to hold it.

 

You need 2 wrenches, one to hold the front facing nut and the other wrench to loosen the rear nut.

 

Big vice grips on the stud just where the cable connects. A wrench on the rearmost nut. If you can get everything to bite it'll break loose. Aircraft control cables get little stuck sometimes and that's how we break them loose.

 

Thanks guys - as much as I hate to say it...I'm putting this on pause. I have lost ~6 weeks of limited driving time already on this project (mostly due to my limited availability). so I think I'm just going to put the rotor and caliper and wheel back on for now so I can drive it. then, when the weather is colder, I will get back at this and change all the cables, etc. I won't even put the new parking brake shoes and springs and adjusters, etc in...that way I won't have to wrestle those off in a couple months. I haven't had a parking brake for 20 years...what's another 2 months? I hate "quitting"...but time is too short right now.

 

I tried that too...but even as I try to loosen the rear-most nut, the cable turns....so that nut is "stuck" to the threads of the cable. they probably both are for that matter!

 

Only one concern - is there any risk of having the one captive parking brake shoe pin just dangling back there while I drive since there will be no shoe in place for a couple months? It won't fall out or vibrate free or break off, right?