Parking brake lever won't hold when depressed

Discussion in '1947-1954' started by denisf, Jun 27, 2018.

  1. denisf

    denisf Member

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    Hi all when I depress parking brake lever the pedal lock does not hold. I am thinking the spring below the love bar may be the culprit? Opinions? Thanks in advance .
    Assuming that is what I need, any suggestions where to get one? Our host does not sell it .
    Denis IMG_20180627_144043587.jpg IMG_20180627_144028682.jpg
     
    Last edited: Jun 27, 2018
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  2. denisf

    denisf Member

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    I found a new spring form a competitor but they say it is six inches long???? It was cheap so I ordered it. Has anyone replaced this spring? And tips to replace it? Denis
     
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  3. denisf

    denisf Member

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    Well part was incorrect one. Anyone know where to get one? Denis
     
  4. cantdrivemall

    cantdrivemall Member

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    A six inch spring wont fit in there? Id check it again.
    Or.. take that whole assembly apart, clean all the crud from it and re assemble it.
    Bet it works.
     
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  5. denisf

    denisf Member

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    No this spring is about an inch or so and much heavier gauge. I think I will try disassembly but would prefer to replace if I am taking it apart.
     
  6. denisf

    denisf Member

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    found the right spring for $6 but $16 shipping!
     
  7. vwnate1

    vwnate1 Member

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    Let us know how it all works out .
     
  8. denisf

    denisf Member

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    Well got the new spring, seems a bit less hardy then original. My challenge now is getting the nut/bolt that holds parking brake pedal rod undone. Not much room and I don't see how I will get two wrenches on it! I dusched it in Wd40.

    Any suggestions! Would putting truck on jack stands help?
     
  9. vwnate1

    vwnate1 Member

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    All the spring does is position the locking plate so the pedal's shaft binds on it .

    I'm not there to see but I wonder how much cleaning you've done, I never trusted these in the 1960's but I also never had one slip, even on amazingly high mileage trucks .
     
  10. denisf

    denisf Member

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    Nate I agree cleaning it may solve the problem. The issue is when you depress the parking brake it does not bind. To clean it I need to remove the pedal and haven't figure the best way to get at nit and bolt holding it in . I can get one hand up to it. Mat try jack stands to get more leverage. Any thoughts?
     
  11. vwnate1

    vwnate1 Member

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    Need pictures or images to discern what it takes to disassemble .

    I dimly recall the curverd shaft has a 3/8" bolt holding it to the park brake lever.....

    Any time you're working underneath the rig, it needs to be securely chocked (wheel on the ground) or braced (wheels off the ground or removed) else you risk DYING .

    Maybe look at the old thread sticky at the top of this page, Russ (?) built an AD from scratch and there's little he didn't document .
     
  12. denisf

    denisf Member

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    There is a 9/16 nut and bolt on engine side of fire wall. My issue is getting enough room / leverage to lossen. I will take pictures tomorrow
     
  13. mockoski

    mockoski Member

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    Having the same issue and wonder if you were able to solve the problem Denis? I just replaced the parking brake (autobody shop lost mine! argh!!).. and it wont bind when I push on the parking brake. Anyway, I found an original replacement, Lever, Push Rod and Bracket. I get everything mounted up and push the lever and NADA!
    HOping you might have a tip or two to get this to work.

    -James
     

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  14. denisf

    denisf Member

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    James life distracted me form the truck, hope to replace spring today, I will let you know. Denis
     
  15. vwnate1

    vwnate1 Member

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    Thanx for the pix, it looks like -maybe- the angle of the flat bar friction part isn't deep enough .
     
  16. denisf

    denisf Member

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    Well, I cleaned it up and replaced the spring and no change. Nate, are you suggesting bending the bar a bit more? What doesn't make sense to me is it worked fine since I have owned it and suddenly this year it stopped. Now if that flat bar is the only thing that holds the parking braking in place that makes some sense.
     
  17. denisf

    denisf Member

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    James no luck here after replacing spring. Have you had any success? Denis
     
  18. vwnate1

    vwnate1 Member

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    This really is a head scratcher ~

    Before making any further changes I'd remove the curved round bar and flat locking plate pieces and test fit them off the vehicle to see what angle is needed to cause them to jamb up and 'lock' .

    It may well simply be the edge of the opening is worn and needs either to be dressed or replaced .

    I know this is a lot of work with no gaurantee of success but this is an important safety item .
     
  19. denisf

    denisf Member

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    Nate thanks, when you say the edge of the opening, do you mean through the floor? Denis
     
  20. vwnate1

    vwnate1 Member

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    No ~ go back and look at the photo in post # 1 : there's a round curved rod that goes through a flat bar with a hole in the bottom of it, take those two parts off the truck and see what's what .

    It's a simple friction brake so it should be fairly easy to figure out what's not working once you have the only two parts that matter in your hands .
     

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