Parking brake cable and exhaust

[woolznaz]

While overhauling my brakes I thought I would get my parking brake working, too. It has not worked since the 80's. Rather than procrastinate, I thought I would get right on it.:blush:

I'm not sure how to route the cable around the exhaust. Here is a picture taken from the passenger side showing my broken cable. The exhaust will interfere as the cable crosses to the driver's side.



The most direct path would be to go under the passenger side exhaust and then over the driver's side exhaust. However, it will rub and chafe on both pipes. That cannot be right.

Is there a part I am missing that makes the cable stand off from the exhaust? Maybe I need to improvise and make some kind of stand offs to route the cable through. I don't have a welder, though, so maybe there is another solution.

This is on a 73 convertible. I don't know if the extra bracing on a convertible is making this more difficult. If someone has a picture of how their cable routes around the exhaust, that would be great. Bonus points if it's a convertible, but I'll take anything I can get -- suggestions or pictures are welcome.

Finally, I have looked and looked at this diagram below (which I found on here somewhere) and I am just not getting what the exploded view called "View U" is trying to show me about the cable and exhaust. Maybe my exhaust is not running the factory route, I guess.

emergency brake diagram may be from a 71.pdf

Any thoughts?

 

[marks73]

Pretty sure it is showing where the bends in he pipes are that the cable sits above. The 2 circle R notes are the notches the cable runs through.

 

[Bill73Ragtop]

The e-brake cable should be tight against the floor pan.

 

[Totalled]

Might want to clean, seal, and undercoat that seam where the floor pan was replaced.

 

[Thomas]

[Maybe some help !

 

[woolznaz]

Thanks for the responses so far. Thomas - great pictures, thank you for those. That "hook" you show in the top picture that holds the cable is something I don't have. I think the extra bracing on a convertible pretty much serves the same purpose of that hook by providing a route for the cable up to about that same point.

I think my problem is the passenger side exhaust is too low. It is very stable and solid, but was just not bent quite right to allow for the cable and that is going to make this more difficult.

If any convertible owners have any pictures or thoughts, I welcome it.

POSSIBLE SOLUTIONS:

Idea 1: Have something mounted to the top of the passenger side exhaust to thread the cable through. That will also make it high enough to clear the driver side exhaust and then the equalizer will make the turn toward the rear of the car.

Idea 2: Abandon the passenger side and just have the parking brake work the driver's side brake.

Idea 3: The proper fix would probably be to re-route the exhaust higher, but that seems like a bigger project.

Still open for ideas, though. Thanks.

 

[captthundarr]

Thanks for the responses so far. Thomas - great pictures, thank you for those. That "hook" you show in the top picture that holds the cable is something I don't have. I think the extra bracing on a convertible pretty much serves the same purpose of that hook by providing a route for the cable up to about that same point.

I think my problem is the passenger side exhaust is too low. It is very stable and solid, but was just not bent quite right to allow for the cable and that is going to make this more difficult.

If any convertible owners have any pictures or thoughts, I welcome it.

POSSIBLE SOLUTIONS:

Idea 1: Have something mounted to the top of the passenger side exhaust to thread the cable through. That will also make it high enough to clear the driver side exhaust and then the equalizer will make the turn toward the rear of the car.

Idea 2: Abandon the passenger side and just have the parking brake work the driver's side brake.

Idea 3: The proper fix would probably be to re-route the exhaust higher, but that seems like a bigger project.

Still open for ideas, though. Thanks.

I'll post some pics of my conv. Tomorrow unless someone beats me to it.

 

[OMS]

All body styles had the hook for the RH cable

Many cars are missing the hook attaching point from floor repairs

RH cable comes from the RH axle up thru the hook, thru the front cble and back to the short LH axle cable

To make just a LH - you would need to find some custom cable lengths

This should be welded to the RH front floor pan

Item #ST2A816

67-73 PARKING BRAKE REAR CABLE IDLER BRACKET

Emergency brake cable idler bracket. Welds to the floor pan and acts as an anchor for the idler. Price: $9.95

Don

 

[woolznaz]

Thanks, Don. It looks like part #C7ZZ-2808 is the idler itself, from your site. I may end up ordering both of those parts.

Still hoping someone can get a picture of a convertible so I can see how that bracket and idler are positioned relative to the added bracing on the bottom of a convertible since the cable also snakes through those braces. Now that I know that idler and bracket belong on the convertible, too, I guess I need to know where it is to be positioned.

I will still need to get it around my exhaust, but that's part two of this project, I guess, unless I just have the parking brake work the driver's side. I would prefer it to work both, of course.

 

[captthundarr]

Here are a couple of pics from our conv. the first shows the cable w/spring from the parking break pedal. There is a cresent shaped cable cradle at the end of it. I can get you some more pics. if you need them.

 

[woolznaz]

Captthundarr, thank you for the pictures. I really appreciate it. Between your pictures and the ones from Thomas, I can see how it should be set up. Don was right on target, as usual, when he said my replacement floor pans need to have the cable idler bracket welded on. It all makes sense now. Now, if I can just get a clear path through my exhaust. I'll have to take another look at that.

 

[captthundarr]

The floor pan bracket and J hook might get your cable up high enough. You pipes are tucked up there tight though.:s

 

[Machman]

If your pipes are too high up you may have to loosen the clamps to let them sit a pinch lower so the brake cables can slide freely.

 

[woolznaz]

All good thoughts, guys. Thank you for the suggestions. When I get back to it I will try to come back here and post my solution. It might help someone else down the line.

 

[marks73]

A car really needs to be 100% sure it can be stopped and steered before it should be allowed to move. IMHO. :whistling:

 

[guys72Mach1]

[Maybe some help !

Was gonna post some pics of how mine is routed but after seeing T's under carriage that you can eat off, I think I will just sit down...

Nice job Thomas!

 

[Thomas]

Thank You !

It took me three years to make that car of the "scrap" I bought.

// Thomas

 

[phagan63]

I'm having the same issue with my vert. All the components are there and properly connected but it seems that when the new exhaust system was installed, they routed the pipes directly inline with the proper path of the p-brake cable. Presently the cable is running underneath the pipes and is not threaded through the slots in the floor pan like they obviously should be, instead it runs exposed along the bottom of it. It does function but even a novice like myself can see that it shouldn't be like that. It comes in contact with the exhaust pipe and the floor pan and that, I'm sure, is a recipe for failure at some point.

The only options I see are to either take it to the muffler shop and have them cut and re-weld the pipes in a manner that will allow the cables to run their proper path, or figure out a way to lower that J-hook enough to keep the cable from coming in contact with the pipes and floor pan.

 

[Tnfastbk]