dailydriver

Has anyone on here done a parking brake cable replacement WITHOUT using that >$100.00 new, Kent-Moore tool (J37043), and without destroying the little collapsible cage/spring which hold these into the two brackets it passes through in order to hold it in place???

If so, WHAT did you use (i.e.; a 14mm or 15mm spanner with the closed, round end slotted open to accept the steel cable portion, or something else to mimic this tool's function)????

I can put a whole set of GOOD front brakes on this thing for what most online are asking for that stupid tool, which I will ONLY use once!

Thanks in advance,

Dave H.

hrcslam

Damn, $100? I'd buy a deep well socket and hack it up to slide over the cable. Not sure what size though.

I did mine with a pair of channel locks.

wssix99

iTrader: (5)

If you search the brakes section, you should find the trick. I recall it can be done with vice grips and a screw driver.

dailydriver

^^^Thanks all!

wssix99

iTrader: (5)

Did you find the trick? Sorry I couldn't dig for it in my earlier reply - I replied away from the computer.

dailydriver

No, but I just used the open end of a 9/16" spanner and a rubber mallet to tap the spring fasteners into the brackets.

I think the Wagner cable I bought is the wrong length, even though it is the correct one they list for our cars, since the handle will not hold the car even when pulled up to max (vertical).

There is soooo much slop (side to side AND up and down) in the little levers coming out of the backing plate that it may be time for a FULL rebuild with that expensive (~$112.00 + shipping on amazon) AC Delco parking brake kit, as I think just new shoes and an adjustment are NOT going to cut it.

At least I will then get new rubber seals for those levers where they go into the backing plates (this is the ONLY way to get them, as far as I've seen, there is NO Dorman replacement for them, and GM does not have them, except maybe in THEIR full kit which is 3x the price of the Delco one!! ).

I REALLY wish we had good, reliable, plain old, caliper actuated parking brakes instead of this expensive garbage!

wssix99

iTrader: (5)

No No No No. The loose handle and slop at the brakes isn't related to the cable. It's just your parking brakes out of adjustment.

The problem will simply be solved by adjusting the brakes... but doing the adjustment isn't so simple. Do you have the procedure? You'll need to adjust the mechanisms on each side of the car with the brakes and rotors off.

For the lever boots, you can send a PM to 30birdy99. He found an inexpensive source for them and is working to get that posted for us.

dailydriver

Yes, I realize that most of that slop will come out with adjustment (I have the printed Helms manual), but I also figure that everything new is not a bad idea either, after 15 years, save for not wanting to spend coin on something which will not improve the performance nor handling one bit.

But at least it will (hopefully) last another 15-20 years for me, and the privatized inspection stations here in Pennsyltuckey are TOTAL ***** as far as checking this item (MUST hold the car on a steep hill, and almost lock up the rear wheels when the handle is yanked fast).

What would it take to convert to a caliper parking brake system, and has anyone ever done this, to your knowledge??

wssix99

iTrader: (5)

IMO - It's not worth much, but it can keep you warm if you burn it in the fireplace this winter. This is one of the areas where Helms falls down. I recall that they have an incorrect/incomplete procedure for this adjustment and also recall that others have had problems following its instructions. If you are going to keep the car for a while, I highly recommend getting the 3 volume GM Factory Service Manuals. They are superb, accurate, and complete.

You can also check out the links in this thread for more info on the procedure: https://ls1tech.com/forums/suspensio...djustment.html


In this case, what you have on the car (except for the rubber boot at the lever and a little minor rust) is probably just as good as it was when it was new. The mechanism has no wearing parts. Even the brake pad doesn't wear - because the car doesn't move when the parking brake is engaged. It's just that rubber boot that goes south.

With some brake cleaner and brake lube, you can clean and rebuild the mechanism to be good-as-new.


I haven't heard of anyone doing this. If you rebuild what you have and properly adjust it, I think you will be really happy with it. If you aren't the original owner, you may have never felt it operating correctly. (Many people forget or don't know to adjust the mechanism when the rear rotors are replaced and that often throws things off.)

dailydriver

^^^THANKS!

I will try to rebuild and adjust everything properly.
Once this is done, will ALL of the slop/play be gone from the actuator lever which actually presses the shoes outward against the rotor's 'drum' (EVEN the vertical slop/movement)??
Yes, I am the original owner, but it has been soooo long since I can recall the interior handle holding the car at 'half mast', and not having to be pulled up to the vertical stops in order to keep it from rolling on a 1* incline.

BTW; when I say Helms manuals, I MEAN the 3 volume, green cover, factory service manuals, NOT the pure garbage; Haynes, or Chilton toilet paper deals (Helms is the name of the company which prints these for GM ).

need4fun2469

I bought all new parking brake hardware kit from rockauto for cheap.

wssix99

iTrader: (5)

You want 2-3mm of horizontal play in the lever. (That is your indicator of proper adjustment.) When I cleaned and rebuilt my system, I didn't recall any vertical slop. If your rubber boots are torn and you get a lot of dirt in there, I could see that lever not seating properly and getting some vertical slop. (I had a lot of crap in there on mine.) Once everything was cleaned and lubed, the mechanism moved like clockwork.

BTW - I feel your pain - I got in a little mishap during the last snow storm of the season and had to have my rear end swapped out. The body/mechanical shop that put the new one in couldn't get the brakes right to save their lives (they couldn't even bleed them properly) and the parking brake won't hold the car on a hill. (It was perfect before the accident an on the old rear end.) So, as soon as I can devote some quality time to the car, I'll be rebuilding the rear brakes again.


Me too. After my rebuild, the parking brake was better than it ever was from the factory. I had a feeling that the car came a little loose from Sainte-Thérèse - but I followed the Service Manual procedure and it turned out great.


Sorry - brain fart on my part. I read Helms and read Haynes. You have the real deal and should be able to find the parking brake adjustment procedure in there, which specifies the 2-3mm slop at the lever.


Two other hints:
- Depending on the design of your axles, you may have to get an "L" shaped screw driver to get to the screw that holds down the brake pad to the back plate. (Some folks have a hole drilled in the axle hub to facilitate this with a normal screw driver, but I didn't.)
- The mechanism parts are identical on both sides of the car, so (if I recall correctly) turning the star wheel "up" on one side has the same effect of turning it "down" on the other side of the car.