Learn me custom emergency brake cables

Since im working from home, i find myself with more time.

Means that I can finally finish the duster. 

One job has me baffled. I switched from the factory pull handle emergency brake lever under the dash to a floor mounted one in the console. From a neon. 

The rear cables (frame rail on drivers side to each rear drum) are still factory 70 duster.  The neon handle has a 6 inch cable ending in a ball. 

Thats all i got. Need to figure out how to connect the three. I see the lokar cables, but at almost $200, thats a nope. 

Figure yall know way more than me, and can tell me how to get there. 

I know theres a lot i don't know, and hopefully you can educate me!

I turn an end of the correct size for the mechanism on the lathe, bore a hole through it, stick the cable through the hole, then hit it with the MIG.

On budget jobs before I have just used Tractor Supply cable clamps. You take the front cable (Neon?) and the rear cable (Duster) and cut them and overlap them a few inches and use cable clamps to marry them together as one single assembly.

EDITED TO ADD: Of course, you do have to have some cables to work with on this route. Junkyards or whatever. 

And I've used Lokar before. Nice stuff and easy solution to the problem. 

Theres about four feet of nothing between the neon and duster parts. In addition, neon is single cable, duster is two.

That may help lead the discussion.....

I might need some pics of your whole setup.

Does your handle cable still have the equalizer bracket?

That bent steel piece on the end.

Most under dash parking brake mechanisms have a forward cable that runs to a bellcrank under the car which transfers motion to the rear cable or cables.

You will need something mounted to the chassis to hold the cable sheaths rigidly. 

I like to run two cables from the brakes to a point in the tunnel and then connect the cables to an equalizer that is connected via one cable to the handle. Looks like Neons did that right at the handle mount.

I use crimp on wire rope stud ends from McMaster installed with one of these.  I prefer to find the longest factory cables that will work that I cut to length and modify. I have made whole cable assemblies but the sheath is critical as it has to resist compression enough to actuate the brake but still be flexible enough to work with the suspension

This is the Lokar equalizer.  It is a very simple piece that anyone with access to a drill press and drills and taps could make. They use two socket set screws to hold the cables. 

These are the wire rope stud ends from McMaster. Very clean lookng and easy to work with if you have a crimper. They would also simplify the equalizer a bit.

This is the Lokar sheath mount and something like this would need to be mounted to the chassis. The use of the stud ends negates the need for any adjustment here

Trent:

I do still have the neon equalizer. I also have the duster one. From the factory, the duster had a single cable from the lefer, rwtained at the firewall. Then, single cable to the equalizer at the back, and one cable to each drum. 

The neon handle is in the center console in this picture, and the duster rear cables terminate at the rear leaf spring forward mount (just about where the wheelwell ends).

Overall picture:

This is where the factory duster cables end. Nice firm mount for the sheath on the chassis end as well.

Does this help make things clearer?

Unless there is a clear path I would be looking at relocating that bracket from that frame rail to the tunnel of the car. You would need a series of pulleys to orient the cable from the hand lever around the drive shaft, out of the tunnel and then make a right angle to the chassis and another 90 degrees to still pull the cables straight. 

I hadn't thought about that! 

How much force does the bracket see?

Lets guess a 12" lever with an actuator 2" long (or 12 inches on one side of the fulcrum and 2 inches on the other) and if you pulled on the handle with 10lbs of force...

Is that 60lbs at the output? 

At the trans tunnel end too? 

Is there an acceptable amount of curvature to the cables too?

I've never done it but this guy has a nice walkthrough on making custom length cables right here.

Mid Century Moto Mecca

That whole thread is pretty incredible. He posts some really nice stuff on Instagram too. 

cmcgregor said:

I've never done it but this guy has a nice walkthrough on making custom length cables right here.

Mid Century Moto Mecca

That whole thread is pretty incredible. He posts some really nice stuff on Instagram too. 

That's awesome. Thank you for sharing!

This thread is very relevant to my interests. I pulled the center console from a newer Cherokee because it has built-in cupholders. To make room, they moved the e-brake handle over towards the driver. The offset handle uses a different cable design, so that is what I have to resolve before making the switch on my 1995.

Aircraft Spruce and McMaster-Carr?

So, i think i can get pre made cables that go from my stock drums the whole way to the handle and hook up like the neon parts. Only problem is that there wouldn't be any adjustment in them. 

How necessary are the adjusters? Is there an option im not thinking about? A way to adjust it alternatively? Or is it just a matter of proper drum adjustment?

There are two sets of brand new Ford van free plus shipping parking brake cables in the Parts for Sale section right now Michael.  

I'm not sure you could install the cables without being able to slacken them off first.