This may be overly simplified, but to get mine to catch I have to push in the release lever while setting parking brake. It gets just a bit more traction that way. Surely worth a try, if you haven't already tried it.
Denis ; When you're holding the parts in your hands, trying to figure out at what angle the bar firmly jambs in the flat plate, think about Bilbo's comment here ~ the difference between holding and slipping is prolly very small . Maybe the flat plate isn't free to return to the full rest position ? . Fiddle with it, clean *every* nit of rust off with wire brush and steel wool, then re assemble and see how it works . Remember : the curved round stock bar mustn't be painted . Consider electrolytic de rusting of these cumbersome parts .
Here's a pic from the shop manual. It doesn't tell how to fix the problem. As others have said the angle of the Pedal Lock is what holds the Lock Bar. Make sure your release rod is returning to the home position. The "release rod" pushes the "pedal lock" which sets the angle of the "lock bar". Try.... gently pushing on the top end of the "pedal lock", near the release rod, then engage the parking brake while pushing. Does the brake stay locked until you remove your hand?
I had some success. SOME.. I noticed on the Factory manual that there was a washer between the spring and toe board. Well Originally my spring was being compressed enough to go through the toe board opening. So I found about a 1/4" thick washer and placed it just behind the spring. Keeping the spring from working its way through the floor hole and into the little pocket of the parking brake bracket, This provide just enough push on the spring to provide some tension on the binding rod. Well the brake does bind, however if you bump the truck you can get the brake to pop out. It just doesn't feel reliable and I certainly wouldn't trust it on a hill. So there must be more that I need to do..... Recently someone recommended to look at the hole on the release rod. Perhaps there is a flat spot and should be filed down so it is more round all around and hopefully would bite the binding rod more...???SO that is my next attempt.... Taking a bit of a "BRAKE" from this since it is very frustrating to take it all apart and then get little success out of it...!Argh..
Don't jump to conclusions ~ The reason I said take it apart and play with it in your hands was because of the angle / friction situation . If you mindlessly file that hole it's almost certain to be enlarged too much and make things worse . Failure to follow the proper steps is the way to fail to have success .
Thank you Nate. I have had them out and can see where the lock bar wants to bite on the pedal lock. But when I assemble it back together, the lock bar already has a pre determined attachment on the Pedal assembly and then the other end goes into the lock guide, so I am not sure where I can make any adjustments to the the angle or friction situation once installed. There is some wiggle in the pedal lock.. Sometimes if I nudge it the the left it holds better. But seems crazy that I would have to remember to kick the pedal lock to the left every time I exit the vehicle. And there isn't any adjustment that I can make to keep the pedal lock to keep it in a certain position. I also did try to really tighten down the u bolt/Lock guide, but if I go to tight, then the release arm gets wedged and doesn't spring back all that well.... SO yes a head scratcher.. IT ALL SEEMS LIKE IT SHOULD BE SIMPLE..but it is driving me crazy
Well ; My point was/is : look at the angle of the pedal lock and lock bar, I'm thinking it might need to be tweaked slightly right where it's bent above the hole that does the locking . This is one of those hard to discern without pictures or being there deals .
Yes of course, but I do appreciate your patience and guidance. Nice to another oerson to think these things through! I will give another shot over the weekend and will giveit more time and patience.
The patience and thinking are the two most important things when working on 60 + year old machines . The amount of time I spend thinking whilst I'm cleaning up the old parts is amazing ~ my Brother's much newer Mercedes than my thirty four year old one has less than 1/2 the miles (mine has 427,XXX hard miles) yet he has much more problems than I do and he's always deriding me for "polishing the concrete" in my driveway because I not only keep the machine clean but my working area is the cleanest part of my house ~ it's as clean as my kitchen sink . Anyway, sometimes I'm sitting there on my milk crate like a moron (I am a moron for not buying a three year old car, truck & Motocycle but I digress) and looking at the parts in my hands, moving them thisa - way and that when suddenly I get an A,HA ! moment . Your parking brack's friction lock is a simple device yes but it involves several compound curves and a 1/16th of twisting movement can make it fail ~ the devi is always in the details ~ you mentioned a missing washer allowing the lock spring to sit lower than it should, this is the sort of devilish detail you must suss out on your own far from any work shop, -if- you could find one with a Geezer like me who might possibly look at it and say 'oh, this needs to go like that' . Keep at it, maybe let a young person look at (but NOT make any changes) it to get a new perspective . Festina Lente here to toss some Latin into your troubles . Remember too : NIC CARBORENDUM ILLIGITIMI .
"Parking brake lever won't hold when depressed." I'm thinking about this problem.... Maybe if you tell a corny joke, it won't be so depressed! (I tried to resist for a couple of days, but alas, gave in to whimsey.)
Nate is correct...If you mindlessly file that hole it's almost certain to be enlarged too much and make things worse . -------------------------------------- To better understand how this parking brake works, It's important to note that: The lock bar does not bite on the pedal lock. It's just the opposite, pedal lock, bites and locks the lock bar. The incorrect positioning/adjustment of the pedal lock creates a problem. Yes, the lock bar already has a pre determined attachment on the Pedal assembly.... When the parking brake is engaged or released, the lock bar "floats", moves up or down, through the hole in the pedal lock. Until you get the pedal lock in the correct position your parking brake will not lock correctly. My 1950 truck, the position/adjustment of the "pedal lock" is controlled by the "release rod". They shouldn't have called it a release rod because the rod also sets & resets the pedal lock. 1. When you pull on the release rod (handle), it pulls the top of the pedal lock towards you, and moves the bottom of the pedal lock away from you, which changes the angle at the bottom end of the pedal lock, removing the bite it has on the lock bar, which then releases the parking brake. 2. When the release rod returns to the correct home position it pushes the top of the pedal lock back to the correct angle, so the next time you push/engage the parking brake it will stay locked. The AD trucks have 2 different release rods and 2 different pedal locks. Both work the same way. Post a picture or two of your release rod especially where it attaches to the pedal lock, so we know which setup we are working on.
Thank you Tom, I have been away, but have these two shots with me.. Not great but might give you an idea of what I am working with. One is from the assembly manual, the other is a quick shot I took awhile ago, but you can see where the rod attaches to the pedal lock. Once I get back, I can send you better shots. -James
James, In your earlier post you mentioned that you really tighten down the u bolt/Lock guide, but if I go to tight, then the release arm gets wedged and doesn't spring back all that well. The 2 nuts on the lock guide must be all the way tighten down. The threads on the u-bolt/lock guide are smaller than the lock guide itself, so only the threads will go through the hole when attaching it. It looks like you have a new bracket, so the lock guide will stop when it hits the bracket holes. If your release rod gets wedged after correctly tighten down the guide, it's probably because of the 1/4" thick washer that was added under the spring. That washer is reducing the space needed for the pedal lock to move back & forth. Remove that washer and replace it with a much thinner one. The spring is listed as 13/16" I.D. x 1 1/8" long. Note: If you already removed the release rod, before you connect it, try the manual test listed below. After you replaced the washer and tighten down the guide, if the parking brake doesn't hold, then remove the release rod at the lock bar end. Manual test: engage & hold the parking brake, and then, press on the top of the pedal lock where the rod was attached. Continue pressing on the lock and remove other hand from pedal. Does the brake stay locked until you pull/release on the top of pedal lock? If so, try it again, and this time continue pressing on the lock and try to pull/release the pedal while still pressing on the lock. If the brake locks, then we'll deal with the other problem/release rod.
One of the vendor's that sells the spring listed on their website that... Parking brake spring for 1948-1955, It fits into the parking brake outer bracket. I know you said the assembly manual shows a washer, so when you're in there removing that thick washer, look at the bracket to make sure. As you know, too much spring pressure is gonna wedge the release rod. Let us know if there's a seat in the bracket for the spring. Here's the bracket from that vendor....
Well, after sleeping on this..... If you find that the spring fits in the "slot", then the washer should be on the top side of the spring.
Hello Nate and Tom, Sorry for the late response, been way with the kids for the Summer and my Truck was at the Shop getting back in shape. Running better then ever! So, now I had a chance to take better shots of the release rod. Here you go and thanks for the added suggestions, and now that I have the truck back, I will spend more time and follow your suggestions.
Okay guys, I wanted to circle back.. I have my truck running pretty well and spent some time on the parking brake.. I have taken both of your suggestions to heart and really worked on the position of the brake.. So far after a month, I think I may have it correctly installed. It does engage and seems to hold.. So thank you all for all your advice!
