66 Parking Brake problem... Please Help.

[Chuck A.]

Hi,

I tried to disengage my parking brake tonight and the lever went back without any tension. I opened the hood and noticed the cable had come of the pulley. I'd like to fix this myself and will very much appreciate any advice from others who have had this problem. Do I unbolt the pulley assembly from the firewall or just the cable? Is this a one man job, or will I need assistance with the cable when reattaching???

Thanks from a beginner at work-
Chuck A

[Russ S.]

Re: 66 Parking Brake problem... Please Help.

Unhook the other end of the cable from the U clamp under the car. Then from the upper end pull some slack so you can push the cable back thru the firewall toward the handle. Pull the handle out about 2-3 inches so you can get at the recess or opening in the handle shaft to reinsert the ball that is on the end of the cable. Now holding the cable into this recess, turn and push the brake handle back in toward the firewall while holding the cable end in place. Go back under the car and pull on the cable taking the slack out of it so that you can reconnect it to the U clamp.

[Chuck A.]

Re: 66 Parking Brake problem... Please Help.

Thank you for the reply... looks like this may exceed my abilities in my home garage. Is there a way to disengage the brake so I can drive it to a shop?

Thanks,
Chuck A

[Jim D.]

Re: 66 Parking Brake problem... Please Help.

The reason you have slack in the cable and it came off the pulley is because the parking brakes didn't release inside the rear wheels. That's where you need to start looking before re-installing the cable.

[Russ S.]

Re: 66 Parking Brake problem... Please Help.

If your emergency brakes are stuck on try pushing the car forward and backward a few times to try getting the brakes to release. If they do release then you should be able to drive it.

[William P.]

Re: 66 Parking Brake problem... Please Help.

Could be that the rear cable is siezed .

Bill