A solution to the 1953 Dodge truck handbrake cable

[peteandvanessa]

Found an awesome solution to the emergency brake for my 53 1/2 ton emergency brake cable ( you can't buy a new one anywhere). Go to Napa Auto parts and buy a front handbrake cable for a 2005 Ford F150 (about $50). At the barrel crimp end, trim the barrel down a little with a Dremel. Then you can slot it into the hole on the handbrake shaft, you will also notice that the outer sleeve will fit into the retaining area of the handbrake in the engine compartment perfectly. Then on either side of the retaining area, take you Dremel and cut a shallow slot. That will allow you to use the original retaining clip. On the other end of the handbrake cable, just buy some u shaped cable clamps. And voila a brand new heavy duty emergency handbrake cable....sweet ?

Edited March 24, 2019 by peteandvanessa

[peteandvanessa]

[peteandvanessa]

[peteandvanessa]

[peteandvanessa]

[peteandvanessa]

[peteandvanessa]

Works pretty well, you don't damage the new cable other than trimming the barrel crimp at the engine compartment end. At the other end, use your old handbrake adjuster, cut it off at about three inches and use a cable clamp from Lowe's. Pretty pleased, even at the flywheel bracket the Ford F150 outer sheath  fits perfectly in the retainer bracket. Best news, it's a brand new cable that you can get from Napa, Amazon or AutoZone.

[cavisco1]

Great job Pete. That's my favorite type of fix, using repurposed off the shelf parts to solve a problem. Most people would look at that and never know it wasn't a repop or nos part.