When I purchased my '59 XK150 LHD Roadster, the handbrake was
frozen in the ‘‘released’’ position. No amount of force could get it
to budge, so I knew it was jammed against the ratchet teeth.
After disconnecting it from the linkage, I removed the whole
assembly from the car. There are parts rattling around inside the
barrel of the handle, and some previous owner braised the nut to
the main bolt holding the hold shebang together - bottom line, I
can’t get it apart to examine the inner workings.
Does any Jag Lover out there know of a source for a salvaged
handbrake assembly for a LHD 150? (lever on passenger side), or
does anyone know of a diagram showing the configuration of the
parts inside the handle - springs, linkage and locking pawl?
HELP! I really need this handbrake functioning…
Thanks, and Happy New Year!–
Muldoon
–Posted using Jag-lovers JagFORUM [forums.jag-lovers.org]–
BTW. my left hand drive 1960 FHC had the handbrake lever on the
drivers side. we moved it to the passengers side.
i looked at pictures of LHD cars and noticed that the hand brake lever
could be found on both sides.
ronOn Sun, Jan 3, 2010 at 1:05 PM, Muldoon patncris@numail.org wrote:
When I purchased my '59 XK150 LHD Roadster, the handbrake was
frozen in the ‘‘released’’ position.
In reply to a message from Muldoon sent Sun 3 Jan 2010:
Assuming the 150 is the same as my 140, and assuming the pawl is
causing your jam, you should be able to remove the forward-most,
Cotter-secured pin which the pawl pivots on. My lever had a broken
actuator rod when I got it, so I took the whole shootin’ match
apart to make a new rod. I don’t remember how the spring is
fitted, but it’ll be evident once you get it all apart. Once you
get the handle unjammed and able to pivot on the rear-most pin, you
can swing it up passed the teeth on the mounting plate. This might
allow you to remove the broken parts, but reassembly will be a
problem unless you un-braze the pivot pin/bolt. Looking at mine, I
believe the rear pivot was originally a pin, not a bolt, as I made
a new rear pivot out of a pin, secured with an E-clip, which faces
the tranny tunnel. The other 2 pins used Cotters.–
Lee140FHC
–Posted using Jag-lovers JagFORUM [forums.jag-lovers.org]–
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In reply to a message from Lee140FHC sent Sun 3 Jan 2010:
All good suggestions, Lee, but as you say, I can’t get the unit
apart because of the braised bolt. I might have to take it to a
machinist to grind the whole braised nut/bolt/handle flush so I can
get at the parts inside to see what the issue is.
Alternatively, I have an advert out for a functioning handle out of
a parts car or salvage.
Thanks for your help.–
Muldoon
–Posted using Jag-lovers JagFORUM [forums.jag-lovers.org]–
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Hello Muldoon:
Just read yr request on hand brake assy; if you still have a
problem ?? contact me off list
Have a good year
Manny----- Original Message -----
From: “Muldoon” patncris@numail.org
To: xk@jag-lovers.org
Sent: Sunday, January 03, 2010 5:05 PM
Subject: [xk] Handbrake Problems
When I purchased my '59 XK150 LHD Roadster, the handbrake was
frozen in the ‘‘released’’ position. No amount of force could get it
to budge, so I knew it was jammed against the ratchet teeth.
After disconnecting it from the linkage, I removed the whole
assembly from the car. There are parts rattling around inside the
barrel of the handle, and some previous owner braised the nut to
the main bolt holding the hold shebang together - bottom line, I
can’t get it apart to examine the inner workings.
Does any Jag Lover out there know of a source for a salvaged
handbrake assembly for a LHD 150? (lever on passenger side), or
does anyone know of a diagram showing the configuration of the
parts inside the handle - springs, linkage and locking pawl?
HELP! I really need this handbrake functioning…
Thanks, and Happy New Year!Muldoon
–Posted using Jag-lovers JagFORUM [forums.jag-lovers.org]–
In reply to a message from Muldoon sent Mon 4 Jan 2010:
Too bad the PO made such a permanent ‘‘fix’’, but I would do as you
suggested…grind the offending nut off of there, then make a new,
low profile pivot pin set-up as per factory, just as I did. (I get
satisfaction by repairing/restoring original parts, even if
replacement makes more ‘‘sense’’ to others.) So even if you get a
different lever assembly, I hope the original one will still get
fixed as these parts have intrinsic value.–
Lee140FHC
–Posted using Jag-lovers JagFORUM [forums.jag-lovers.org]–
–Support Jag-lovers - Donate at http://www.jag-lovers.org/donate04.php –
Hello, I have assembled my handbrake and I cannot understand why the ratchet does not engage when the handle is at rest. Its behavior is counterintuitive to me. The first picture shows the handbrake at rest. You can see that the pawl has not engaged the teeth. The second picture is taken while I am pressing down on the spring-loaded thumb button. You can see that the pawl has engaged the teeth, but the second I lift my thumb the pawl disengages the teeth. Shouldn’t it be the other way around. Thanks for your help.
john
We have what is known as the fly-off handbrake.
The idea is that you can set it by pushing down the button, then get in gear, rev up, pop the clutch while hitting the handbrake lever with the back of your hand, so it flies off, and beat your opponents off the line or starting grid.
I do it all the time if I have to stop on hills.
So, there’s nothing wrong with my handbrake? It looks like the handbrake is more of a performance feature than safety here. Well, I learned something today. Thanks Rob.
john
I think the fly off type is 120 only. Never saw one on a 140.
Hi Jon…the handbrake is still for safety…it just works different to the more modern “conventional style”…the ratchet pawl only locks as you press the button in…so pull up the lever press in the button and let go of the lever…the handbrake is now on…to release you pull the lever up and the ratchet pawl releases then you drop the lever…so no need to press the button…i didnt quite understand Rob,s explenation of “hitting” the lever. …so i assume he mean hit it up…the lever will then drop down. …Steve
In a 120 the lever does not move up and down, it moves backward and forward. You hit it with the back of your hand and it pops off. Your hand is still more or less in position to shift up to second gear.
Brake on
Brake off
Also used on the MGTD.
Well, I am glad that there is nothing wrong with my handbrake, but I do regret wasting the hour scratching my head.
john
You’ll get that hour back when you sit at traffic lights uphill or downhill and you can put on the fly-off handbrake and let your foot off the foot brake and relax. Then when the light changes, put it in gear, pop the clutch while hitting the hand brake and it flies off.
You can also use it when you want the rear end to break away quickly on a tight turn; I’m not a racer but as I recall it is part of the four-wheel-drift technique.
MGTA has it as well.
Must have been popular among sports car enthusiasts in the '30s.
Perhaps this is why they call it a hand brake and not a parking brake or emergency brake. 
I suggest you supply more photos of the rear backing plates to show the position of the cable mounting bracket. It looks like your cable is going in too high.
