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Emergency brake adjustments


JIPJOBXX

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Simple way to emergency  brake band on fluid drive transmission? I adjusted mine but it might be to tight what do I look for if it's to tight?  The. Instructions state .005 clearenc on band to drum but the band floats on the shaft hub brakeing service and so this adjustmemt is a little confusing.  The car wholes great on a hill and releases just fine.  Notice over the 75 years that maybe the return spring under the car has two springs attached together and wondered if this is normal? By this I mean one is attached to the other to make it longer.  Jon. 

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  As to what could happen, read the comments in the topic “What’s That Smell?????”.  That’ll send chills up your back. As for the two springs being connected in tandem to make the overall working-length longer, I’ve seen it done, and I confess to having done it, too. However, I can’t say I’ve ever seen a factory installation such as that. I’ve seen twin springs mounted within each other, such as on a late-60’s Cougar carburetor return springs (they were actually wound together). It’s also a popular setup on hotrods, too, with a smaller one inside of a larger one.

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My parking brake spring is attached to a wire, which is attached to a crossmember.  I have no idea what is stock, but it works.    

591e35d5e5d41_fall2008underside(4).jpg.0c25d46c6b9b4382721e7a40721678df.jpg

(This crossmember is behind a short driveshaft from the transmission.  The parking brake is seen at the very left of the photo.  This car is a LWS (long wheelbase sedan.  The wire may make up for the 18-inch extra length.) 

Edited by DonaldSmith
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Don,

   My dad used to tell me all of the time that “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it”, as well as “if it’s still working, don’t fix it”. That philosophy might appear simplistic, but it works for me. Regards . . .

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The parking brake spring is supposed to be attached to an "extension" which is basically a double-ended hook.  If your spring is hooked up to yet another spring it was probably done for 2 reasons:

1. the "extension" was lost at some point when someone had it apart.

2. someone deliberately replaced the "extension" with another spring to give it more tension as the original spring was getting weak.

If it works, leave it alone.

I just put a new brake band on my 51, and even on the loosest adjustment setting the band rubs on the drum.  It will do so until its worn in.   On yours I would just tighten the adjustment nut until the band touches, then back it off slightly and test the brake to see how it works.  See if it holds your car in place on a hill/grade; see if it stops the car when its rolling.   Just my 2 cents :)

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14 hours ago, Worden18 said:

The parking brake spring is supposed to be attached to an "extension" which is basically a double-ended hook.

Does any body have an accurate photo or illustration of where that is supposed be? My service manual and parts books show the start of the spring at the parking break mechanism, but not where the other end of it is. 

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2 hours ago, medium_jon said:

Does any body have an accurate photo or illustration of where that is supposed be? My service manual and parts books show the start of the spring at the parking break mechanism, but not where the other end of it is. 

I can't get to my car atm, but i will tell you that the spring and extension (at least on my car) extend toward the rear of the car and the extension "hook" actually attaches to a factory hole in the floor.  Look for a hole; if there isn't one then maybe yours possibly attached to a spot on the frame, i.e. a small hole, bracket, etc.  If you don't find anything you can always fabricate it your own way...as long as the spring has good tension you should be okay.

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1 hour ago, DrDoctor said:

 

Worden18,

   A quick question for you: where did you get the material for the parking brake lining? Our ’46 Plymouth has no lining on it whatsoever, and with the approaching warmer weather, I don’t think I can procrastinate on this too much longer. Many thanks in advance. Regards . . . . . . .

Andy Bernbaum Auto Parts under "service brakes"; then scroll to the bottom of the page 

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9 minutes ago, DrDoctor said:

Worden18,

    Thank you for the information. I really do appreciate your passing that along to me. Now, after I’ve ordered it, how do I get you to install it???

I'd help you if you were close to me :); I'm willing to bet we are far apart LOL....are we?

Get your shop manual out and study it, and take pics and label everything when you take it apart with as many instructions as you think you might need.  I realize most people don't have to do that....I always have to do that.  I DIDN'T do that when I took mine apart because I thought it looked "easy" and it should be no problem to put back together.  Well, I left it sit for a couple of weeks and that was a mistake.  The shop manual helped but I needed a friend to help me get it right.  Once it was back together and working properly of course I could see how it all worked.  But when you have a pile of parts in front of you and a short memory, it makes things hard.  

I wouldn't take anything apart until you have the new parts in hand....

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Worden18,

   Yep, you’re in Minnesota (man, it gets cold there, and the state bird is said to be the mosquito—at least that’s what my dad used to say, since he was born there, and his relatives lived on a dairy farm there), while we live on the Atlantic coast, not too far from the “I-95 corridor”. It ain’t a great place to live, and we’ll be going back home to the mid-west semi-soon.

   Yep, again. Same here—if I take something apart, I can usually put it back together again. However, if too much time passes between when I took it apart, and when I’m trying to put it back together (and I’m only talking days here, not weeks) . . . .  well, let’s just say that the results can sometimes be abit “ugly”. And “yes”, I’m definitely going to have the parts handy before I tear into this. You sure you don’t want to take a trip to the coast??? Best regards to you and yours . . . .

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2 minutes ago, DrDoctor said:

Worden18,

   Yep, you’re in Minnesota (man, it gets cold there, and the state bird is said to be the mosquito—at least that’s what my dad used to say, since he was born there, and his relatives lived on a dairy farm there), while we live on the Atlantic coast, not too far from the “I-95 corridor”. It ain’t a great place to live, and we’ll be going back home to the mid-west semi-soon.

   Yep, again. Same here—if I take something apart, I can usually put it back together again. However, if too much time passes between when I took it apart, and when I’m trying to put it back together (and I’m only talking days here, not weeks) . . . .  well, let’s just say that the results can sometimes be abit “ugly”. And “yes”, I’m definitely going to have the parts handy before I tear into this. You sure you don’t want to take a trip to the coast??? Best regards to you and yours . . . .

I apologize to the OP for hijacking this thread :D

I was in my element when it was -20F this winter for a short period.  The colder the better for me.  Yeah the mosquitoes are pretty bad at times.

More importantly, lmk when you get your e-brake back together.   Its always good to hear a success story, even if its a small one :)

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Another source and semi local for Worden is brake and equipment warehouse. I believe you can either send/bring them your band to be relined or they will sell you the material. Its a pretty easy job if you've got a countersink and a rivet tool

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