Handbrake cable rear connection?

Car is series 1 ,July,1966. 2+2 4.2 I bought a new handbrake cable and it appears to me the cable is too long. i was told today to turn the bracket around at the linkage where it connects. Sorry i do not know how to load photos. its the threaded connection that screws into a square block that’s part of the linkage. the adjuster is on this end too. I have the block swiveled towards the cable, i don’t see that turning it away from the cable and toward the linkage is going to help any. As this is not an easy area to access i thought i should ask the list before turning it round. Anyone know which way that “attachment block” should be , away from or towards the cable?

I also have a S1 2+2. I just finished the removal and reinstall of the rear cage. The handbrake cable was a struggle to get back into position. The garage floor is cold and I am no longer all that nimble.

As you probably know, the block has a slot that you slip the wire cable into and then the ferrule on the end of the spiral cable threads in. I have the slot facing the left (driver’s side). I had to push the cable back into the driveshaft tunnel to get room to work. Was a challenge, but all better now.

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How mine looks (S2 OTS):

Thanks men, that’s exactly how i have it now. The inner cable is just too long. they always have an excuse for inferior products, has to be the installer.! wont waste my time turning it around. I suppose i will have to shorten it and swedge the end back on or find a suitable, correct length replacement. Could it be the series 1 2+2 has a different handbrake lever than the later cars which requires shorter length???

I shortened the inner cable by snipping off the ball on the end then tig welded on a small nut to replace it. An easier way to approach the problem is to “lengthen” the outer cable, which I’ve also done with an older item. I think I used 4-5 #10 nuts as spacers. Clamp each nut one at a time in a vice and use a hacksaw to cut through on one side to form a C. Slide the cable adjuster fully forward and place the split nuts over the inner cable and clamp them shut with pliers. They should be a loose fit, ie not binding the inner cable.Slide the adjuster back over the spacers and outer cable.

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I can see how you would have a problem if the rectangular block Geo shows in his picture is flipped 180 degrees.

I agree with you, I don’t see how either unless someone separated the block from the arms and reinstalled it backwards but with the slot still “on top” as in the picture. .

I certainly appreciate the forum comments and suggestions. My car is going back to the body shop tomorrow for more paintwork, when it returns I will remove the cable and shorten the inner. Im not sure which method I will use but hopefully my wife can get photo posting figured out and i will post my fix. I must say i do not understand why suppliers contract aftermarket parts and do not include the dimensions the products need to adhere to? for the record i measured the old cable and found it to be 30" total overall length including clevis at both ends. Sadly i caused the entire problem when i removed the IRS,after failing to disconnect the cable which appeared rusty i cut it . :frowning: now i find that little bit of surface rust was no issue at all because the factory cable had an inner non-metalic lining and the inner cable no rust at all. I’m only now just learning that quality parts are often not available. Makes one feel most ignorant to say the least.
Nick, i have a better interpretation of your post now, the washers fit inside of the adjuster on the end of the outer cable? that makes good sense, and can be done in place . great! I suppose could put any kind of split sleeve inside as long as the end of the cable itself is still inside the barrel adjuster

Yup. It was a rube goldberg fix but it worked. It would be better, as you suggest, to fab up some sort of heavy split sleeve that allowed the inner cable to move freely while not being an overly tight fit in the adjuster. I think a short piece of the upper sleeve from a 1/4" anchor bolt might work well - already split down one side, opened for placement over the inner cable and then clamped shut.

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Picking up on an old thread, but possibly same problem. The handbrake of my newly acquired 70 Series 2 FHC doesn’t work, and adjusting takes it to the very end of the thread. Is it possible that the cable has stretched to this ‘limit’, or as Steven Phelps said above, maybe the wrong cable was fitted? I’ll try the split anchor bolt or sleeve idea before ordering a new cable.

It could be very worn or damaged parking brake pads

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I agree with John that the handbrake pads being very worn or absent is more likely the problem.

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Excuse my ignorance, are the parking brake pads completely separate from the rear brake pads then? Because the pads visible from directly underneath appear in great shape. The reason I suspect a wrong/too long cable is because when I manually pull on the actuating lever attached to the threaded barrel adjuster, wheel rotation is stopped within 1/2" of lever travel. The threaded barrel adjuster can take up about 1.5" of slack, but turns all the way out and does nothing.

Yes- totally separate from the main brake pads.

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Yes, as Doug indicates with his photo they are at the top end of caliper assembly, and a bit difficult to see. (inexpensive boroscopes have many uses around old cars, btw)
They are often neglected and quite worn due to decades of lackadaisical cable tension maintenance, and are known to separate or break off in chunks from their metal backing pieces after years of exposure to leaking oil and brake fluid, not to mention heat.

Is it possible to change them out without cutting a hole through the floor pan, or dropping the axle? Difficult even to see for sure!

Martin,

I’ve never changed them in situ, or even tried, despite owning 3 E types, so can’t comment on that. And I’m not one to cut holes in precious metal either.

I will say that dropping the IRS is not the fearsome job most imagine it to be, though it is a bit of work. The only downside of doing so is you will inevitably find other things that need attention while it’s out.

But first you need to determine if the handbrake pads are really the issue. If you can’t do that using direct observation (perhaps with a small mirror) then I would recommend the boroscope method.

Edit: Looking at my photos from my IRS rebuild, it appears you should be able to get a phone camera in position to take a picture of the pads (do both sides). Also take pictures of the handbrake ‘tree’ mechanism and post them here and we’ll all see if we can’t help you figure this out.

Martin, the replacement cable I purchased for my 66 2+2 was longer than the original cable. The supplier said it was correct but i still had the old one and lay them out side by side… always keep your old part the new stuff quite often is not the same even with correct numbers, and of lesser quality too. I guess that’s all covered in the old post if you have it all

I have managed to get the handbrake working enough for the time being, and don’t worry, will not be cutting any access holes. I wouldn’t do that to a Jag! I wish it was original though.