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Dodge handbrake - how effective


Muganic

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Hi all, wondering how effective the handbrake at the rear of the gearbox extension housing can be? Without dismantling mine the lining looks to be OK and the brake seems to pull on properly but it is not at all effective. There are no oil leaks onto it.

 

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Very effective with the proper woven lining and adjusted right.

 

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I bought my original, stock Oz TJ Richards 1940 Dodge in 1971, when I only had my Learners Permit......one time when I was out for a drive with my Dad, we pulled up on the 3 lane Princes Highway, I put the handbrake on........lights turned green and off we went...........about a mile or so down the road, in the centre lane, a little smoke and the car started to slow down...........I'd left the handbrake on...........lol...........released it and never forgot the embarassment.........now the Dodge has had the 318 Poly with cast iron Torqueflite since 1973 and the engine/trans later version of the driveshaft handbrake, ie, an internal expanding rather than the external contracting one but as the cast iron Torquflite doesn't have a Park in the gearbox the handbrake is essential.......and it works very well........so long as the linings o/k and adjusted properly they are a fine setup...........andyd 

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i have the handbrake on my 39 Desoto and my driveway is on a good slope downward to the street.  When I back the car our of the garage and the car is on a downward slope to the street the front is higher than the backend. I use the handbrake and it holds my car in place. But I always set the transmission to be either in forward gear basically 1st gear as a secondary backup.

 

To note I have a NOS unit on the car for about 25 years and it holds the car.  I also have a NOS 38-41 Handbrake unit with NOS brake band webbing if anyone is interested. Fits Plymouth Dodge Desoto and Chrysler.

 

Rich Hartung

Desoto1939@aol.com

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I've not the guts to test this theory...I have read about others who claimed they had to pull the emergency brake on hard while traveling, and tore out the driveline. I'd say that's more than just effective.  I've no personal experience, it could be just old folklore.

 

I only use my park brake assembly for parking and securing it and while idling the engine too. The brake works very well.  I hope I never have to use it in an emergency to come to a stop. If I do, may the powertrain stay all bolted together in 1 continuous piece! ?

Edited by keithb7
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Keith..........when i bought my 1940 Oz Dodge Coupe in 1970, I was 16, bright eyed and bushy tailed and as all budding hotrodders do I pulled the car apart............well I removed all the front sheetmetal, radiator, etc and then decided to pull the engine.......so underneath I went.......undid the driveshaft at the rear and at the handbrake drum...it kicked at an angle and the flange jammed into the handbrake flange.......what to do methinks?.........lol............o/k...........I'll undo the gearbox and that will work.......guess what?.............it kicked at an angle and jammed in the clutch...........lol..............you still reading?..............o/k..........so I decided that I'll fix this !!!....................I undid the engine mount and bellhousing mounts and proceeded to remove the engine, bellhousing, gearbox AND driveshaft as one long sausage...............lol..............and depaosited the complete assembly in front of the chassis on the ground...........and yep..........as soon as this was done I could wiggle the driveshaft flange in the handbrake flange and guess what.....it came undone..................and then lol......guess what..............I wiggled the gearbox and it came out..............so all was good..........the final part of this story is not so good.........as a budding hotrodder I wasn't going to use a stock 6 cylinder, gearbox or driveshaft............so I dug a hole a few feet  away and rolled the whole sherbang into the hole, with the 24 stud sidevalve V8 that my brother obtained with the 35 Ford Coupe he bought.............big deep hole so we thought........BUT a few years later when we, my brother and I had convinced our parents that we needed a big garage to work on our cars.........guess what we found when digging the footings for the foundations?............yep, you're right!!...............digging a DEEPER hole beside the remains to roll them into was not one of our most famous jobs but we got it done.............unfortunately no pics exist but I really pity the current owners, whoever they are of my parents house if ever they decide to dig up the backyard.............lol................andyd    

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It may or may not lock up the rear brakes, it will slow you down and hopefully stop a crash if in decent condition and adjustments.

 

JMO

 

DJ

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I think a lot depends on proper adjustment. A service manual helps with this. I have three old Mopars with this type of handbrake. One works really well, one so so, and one not much at all. I need to get my lazy butt under the cars and adjust two. Pretty flat where I live so not high on my priority list. Worst slope is my driveway so I just leave the cars in gear. ?

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49 minutes ago, DJ194950 said:

It may or may not lock up the rear brakes, it will slow you down and hopefully stop a crash if in decent condition and adjustments.

 

JMO

 

DJ


By design it cannot lock up the rear wheel brakes. The rear wheel brakes are not at all engaged in any, way when the park brake on the drive shaft is engaged.  The hand brake locks up the spinning drive shaft, which is connected to the diff, then out the axle shafts to the wheels.  If you can lock up a rear tire or two while rolling, by pulling the park brake hard, you’re doing real well!

Edited by keithb7
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One reason a good handbrake may not work is the cable stretching to the point the outer sheath will "birds nest" 

Fluid drive cars are vulnerable .  On all makes, the sheath may weaken where it goes around the clutch cover.  It also must be anchored to either the inner fender or the base of the steering column.  Remember Mr Cunningham's Desoto on Happy Days rolled away more than once.

In one episode, its front was part of Arnold's restaurant.

 

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My 48 dodge had the original hand brake and it was out of adjustment.  Tried to use it to stop my car on a steep driveway when I had no brakes and it tore the lining up.

I bought the suggested  replacement from Andy Bernbaum, but turned out to be the wrong one.  After many hours of trying to put it on they provided me the correct one and with feeler gauges got it adjusted properly and it now holds the car fine on the driveway, but it was a lot of work and tough working under the car without a lift.

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My only extended experience with Mopar driveline brakes was in the mid 60s.  I had a 58 Dodge with a transplanted Chrysler 413 in front of the original cast iron Torqueflite.

 

The internal expanding parking brake would in fact lock the driveshaft from turning and slide both rear tires when applied at 45 or so.  In my 20s I tended to try stuff like that!

 

In general, driveline brakes are very effective.  My most recent was a Mitsubishi tilt cab diesel box truck.  It would hold on a very steep incline with the truck loaded to its max. or more.  Almost all trucks of that type have transmission mounted brakes.

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5 hours ago, Ed McDermott said:

My 48 dodge had the original hand brake and it was out of adjustment.  Tried to use it to stop my car on a steep driveway when I had no brakes and it tore the lining up.

I bought the suggested  replacement from Andy Bernbaum, but turned out to be the wrong one.  After many hours of trying to put it on they provided me the correct one and with feeler gauges got it adjusted properly and it now holds the car fine on the driveway, but it was a lot of work and tough working under the car without a lift.

Before I pulled the brake band off I was attempting to adjust the handbrake via the manuals procedure. Started with the anchor bolt, that was fine but then discovered that the adjusting nut for the upper band was taken right up and still too much clearance. The previous owner said he had adjusted the handbrake, but I think he may have only tightened the cable up. I can appreciate the difficulty you had working under the car! I have never been so appreciative of the pit that I dug out when making my shed 36 years ago than now since owning the Dodge.

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