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Installing new parking brake cables today. Looking for pointers on adjusting the brake end of the cable. Should I start / favor it more one way or the other?
I know this is a stupid question but I'm working long days now and got my second shot yesterday and I'm really tired and goofy right now. I just want to get this ****** car on the road again.
I actually have an opinion. It's not a huge deal, but when it's on the car, I've found it's easier to loosen the nut facing toward the back so you'd want the extra threads toward the back.
I follow you, but I think you mean "like the bottom photo". More theads on the back side (end of cable).
That way, as the pads wear you could take up slack by pulling the cables in more, just like bicycle brakes.
Meanwhile, I'm fighting to get the 40yo cable strap bolts out..
The 3 on the right came out no-prob. The single one on the left is rusty and rounded, before I ever touched it. So much for getting it driving this weekend.
Got all 4 clamps out, wire brushed them and treated with rust reformer. Will paint in a few days.
The belly of the car is rust free but all little brackets and hardware are rust-red and pitted.
Why do I love old cars so much?
A few days back I also finished hooking up my parking brake cables.
In my application, my 1892 GS drum brake car has an 84/85 disc rear end installed in it. I removed the original drum brake cables and installed the left and right disc cables.
I set the nuts up to produce a minimum of tension, like in your photo #2. I figured to set it there first and see how things are.
I noticed that with the brake fully pulled, I don't seem to have very strong parking brake engagement, so probably need to add a bit more pre-tension if that is the term.
There is also an adjustment that I will probably do at the parking brake lever end, See FSM Section 11-25:
I think in my case, the disc rear end needs more cable movement than my original drum rear end did, so probably need to adjust this adjusting screw.
I am guessing, but probably the best way to go is to install the cables at the calipers in the middle of the range, adjust at the parking brake lever, and you have some room to fine tune at each caliper.
I could also be over complicating this. Yesterday I put the car on the ground with the new rear end installed.... and forgot that if I don't have the driveshaft in, my tranny fluid will dump everywhere since the rear end is no longer up in the air. So my new project is cleaning trans fluid from my heat shields and resonator and garage floor and topping up the trans.
Ha ha, thanks Tommy. Yes there's adjustment where the front cable meets the handle
I am also going from drums to discs, so I appreciate your experience. I'm cutting grass and opening the pool today so maybe I'll get back to the brakes tonight. I have the rear L & R cables installed through the frame rails but the mounting brackets for the center cable (pictured above) were all rusty and rough. I have new paint drying on them now and hope to install later today/tonight.
Got all 4 clamps out, wire brushed them and treated with rust reformer. Will paint in a few days.
The belly of the car is rust free but all little brackets and hardware are rust-red and pitted.
Why do I love old cars so much?
Because you don't make $100,000's a year billing the govt. for $140 doing tele-medicine where you spent less than a minute on the phone wth a patient to renew prescriptions? Or spraying rust reformer is more satisfying than writing a $700 a month car note?
It gives me a perverse pleasure defying car maintenance caveat. I feel like such a bad ***.
05-01-21, 03:30 PM
