First up make sure that you have the shoes with the longer linings.
The levers are fitted to the shoe on the backing plate side or rear with the pin inserted from the lever side and the "crimped horseshoe" on the brake shoe side . The lower end "tangs" for the cable face to the backing plate
Hi Frank...yep both shoes are the longer ones....can’t fit the levers to the back of any shoe due to there design...got a hump in them...the pin is of a solid type..... i could belt the hump down... but the tang for the connecting bar? Is stilll wrong......does this make sense to anyone.....should i just get new shoes with the levers and pins...
Growing old is inevitable..............Growing up is optional............
Ok . Hard to see from a casual look at pictures . After your description re humps . They look ok provided that the fork with the cable end swings back far enough without fouling the shoe . I notice the bent tangs up the top end of the levers that looks different . Looks like this is an actual design different to what I am used to seeing on Fords from 49 right through into the 80,s on drum brake applications . The common configuration allows the lever to swing back behind the face of the shoe when the hand brake is in release ,that is why the forked part is facing rear to the backing plate . Yours look to be bent offset up higher to allow the lower part to clear ? . In the end ,if the handbrake applies and releases ,then that is all one can expect . If you do have issues , the option of changing levers is easy ,no need to spend money replacing good shoes , the shoes are generic design , with lining width and drum diameter being the only variables . 10" drums and brake assemblies are around ,you can get new self adjustor kits for them . Wreckers sell shoes for around $4 that will give the replacement levers if necessity requires .
hot rod andy wrote:can someone shed some light on this handbrake actuator lever, what type of cable/ clevis end is required ?
i've not come across this type before normally a barrel end or clevis hook .
any info appreciated.
cheers Andy
Given that turning them 180 degrees or reversing left to right does not work - if everything else clears( adjustment leavers etc) then another option would be to heat the tangs (where the cable attaches to) and bend them back the other way.
You might be able to cold bend them but possibly they might crack so perhaps better be remove the leaver from shoe, heat and bend the end.
Whilst people (for good reason) get a bit paranoid about heating and bending parts it is after all just a handbrake pull. Have a look at your handbrake cable and work out what would be the worst that could happen if it breaks- if you have 1 cable that does both wheels then you would have no handbrake but if you have a separate cable for each side and 1 side breaks you still have the other to hold the car.
If all else fails a trip to the wrecker with part in hand might be required.
ok this might clarify the lever saga, after trolling google for days ive come up with these pics of an old manual. they clearly show the handbrake lever orientated the same way as mine and i think its just the tension from the spring that stops them rolling off and the fork bit is the spring locator..............does that make sense ?
Hopefully all i need are the missing springs......stock item or wreckers?
Thanks for all your help and comments guys
Andy
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Last edited by hot rod andy on Wed Feb 07, 2018 5:23 am, edited 1 time in total.
Do not mess with heating and bending Andy . It looks like no one else has come up with familiarisation of those levers you have . I would replace them . Are your drums 10" ? . Wreckers will have Falcons XE-XF etc with rear drums , pull the rear shoes and use the levers from these . I have a complete set of new rear shoes I grabbed from "Pick -A-Part " back from their "$50 all you can carry day" . I spotted them and chucked the whole lot ,springs ,adjustors ,clips etc in my carry bin as "shelf spares" for the Mustangs . I note that the levers re fitted to these new shoes have some floppy play ,whoever did the brakes left out the waved washers from the pivot pins when they transferred the levers As for the cable springs . These are part of the cable when assembled . They are captive between the crimped/captive end block for the lever and the end of the cable housing that locks into the backing plate . The only way to remove them from another cable is to cut off the end block , making the cable useless unless you have a replacement block and proper tooling to replace it properly , or cut off the cable at the clevis end ,and pull the whole inner back out to the rear to then slide them off the cut off end . Not worth messing with also . Best to replace your cable with one already fit for purpose .
As you said, I think you are just missing the springs off the cable. If there is enough slack in an old cable, a screw driver and brute force you could unwind a spring off an old cable and rewind it back on yours. Got to be worth a try.
As you said, I think you are just missing the springs off the cable. If there is enough slack in an old cable, a screw driver and brute force you could unwind a spring off an old cable and rewind it back on yours. Got to be worth a try.
Cheers GT.
Now that is the ultimate in keen GT . The space between the coil windings is tighter than the cable thickness, definitely brute force territory , the ends are not "open coil" to make spiral starting easy . Plenty of cables around to simply grab the right one for your use Andy .
Put the spring halfway through its length against the cable, and wind it on, then wind the other end on. Easy peasy, done it that way a few times. You don't have to force the ends over that way. I hope I've explained it well enough.
To be old and wise, first you must be young and stupid.
Frank i went to the wreckers today and pulled a complete handbrake lever assembly and guess what exactly the same as mine, the cable spring holds the inner cable and stops the nipple from rolling off the forks. Hope you can make it out in the next pic.
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Last edited by hot rod andy on Thu Feb 15, 2018 7:09 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Think you can just workout the set up now with the springs on. Never got an answer from the supplier about the springs so i got them from the wreckers. Took longer to put the brake s back together. You need three hands for sure.
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T1916 wrote:Hi Andy
In the end did you just swap a set of springs onto your new cable?
Cheers GT.
Hi Gary, yes just added the springs, i just cut the cable on the wreckers car removed the springs and because mine are an aftermarket item the out and inner cable are seperate items, so just slid out inner cable ,installed springs and hey presto.
The springs we’re a little short so i just stretched them slightly, will look out for some new longer ones thought.
Cheers Andy.
Growing old is inevitable..............Growing up is optional............
. The space between the coil windings is tighter than the cable thickness, definitely brute force territory , the ends are not "open coil" to make spiral starting easy . Plenty of cables around to simply grab the right one for your use Andy .
