Hand Brake Question

356 Porsche-related discussions and questions.
Post Reply
Message
Author
J Warren
356 Fan
Posts: 74
Joined: Tue Aug 15, 2017 9:30 pm
Location: North Florida

Hand Brake Question

#1 Post by J Warren »

Hey guys,
The handbrake cable in my early 1957 T1 was cut many moons ago by the po. It is the small section of cable that runs from the hand brake handle forward to the front of the car. It appears that the cable is attached to the pull handle by a roll pin and can be removed. Is this a rebuildable part? I included a "found" picture of the part I am referring to. The cable has been cut approximately 2 inches from the end( approximately where the red line is). Thank you in advance.
J
Attachments
s-l1600.jpg

User avatar
Mike Wilson
Classifieds Monitor
Posts: 11492
Joined: Tue Apr 15, 2008 4:37 pm
Location: SW Los Angeles

Re: Hand Brake Question

#2 Post by Mike Wilson »

At the end of the cable is a clevis hanger bracket, with a clevis pin, attaches to the emergency brake lever. I don't know if your brake cable is repairable or if there is a repair kit. Any type of splice would bind in the emergency brake bracket tube under the dash. Our used parts vendors like Klasse 356 probably have one available.

Mike
Mike Wilson
Lomita, CA
'63 B coupe

Brad Ripley
356 Fan
Posts: 4205
Joined: Tue Mar 25, 2008 9:28 pm

Re: Hand Brake Question

#3 Post by Brad Ripley »

You may be able to save the assembly you have rather than pay the high price for another. Below is a photo showing how the cable exits the handle shaft and the end attachment piece to the bellcrank. You may be able to pull the stands out from the crimped areas, drill a little larger and insert a longer cable -- say, clutch cable -- and re-crimp. On the forward end, silver solder can be added because that end is steel. The handle end is aluminum and a solid crimp will have to work.

BTW, the handles are different depending on model (smooth vs ribbed). And, there is a kit for the locking pieces at the handle end, see: tiny.cc/7whm1y
Attachments
E-brake cable connections.jpg
E-brake cable connections.jpg (4.94 KiB) Viewed 832 times

J Warren
356 Fan
Posts: 74
Joined: Tue Aug 15, 2017 9:30 pm
Location: North Florida

Re: Hand Brake Question

#4 Post by J Warren »

Thank you for the advice. I am going to try to save mine first ( its in great shape).
J

Dick Weiss
356 Fan
Posts: 4183
Joined: Sun Apr 20, 2008 12:54 am

Re: Hand Brake Question

#5 Post by Dick Weiss »

The cable splice would be at the forward end (not in the tube under the dash) pulling the crank-lever rearward to activate the brake.
I'm assuming that if the clevis-end is lost, you'll need a replacement, or--anything's possible to fix.

User avatar
Greg Scallon
356 Fan
Posts: 781
Joined: Thu Mar 27, 2008 1:12 pm
Location: Los Altos, CA

Re: Hand Brake Question

#6 Post by Greg Scallon »

J,
If it's just that the cable's been snipped and you still have both pieces, you could consider using four of these types of small clamps, with a short length of new cable or wire to run along side where the original ends connect. It wouldn't be factory clean, but it would likely work fine. I have these clamps holding together two sections of emergency brake cable in my VW bus and they've been good for years. Again, it's not factory, but if you just want to get going with what you have, I'm pretty sure these clamps would sufficiently handle the pulling and the twisting forces applied to the cable.

https://www.zoro.com/dayton-wire-rope-c ... FzEALw_wcB


Good luck!
-Greg
'58 Speedster
'56 VW Deluxe Microbus 

User avatar
John Hearn
356 Fan
Posts: 627
Joined: Thu Jul 31, 2008 9:26 am
Tag: Porsche is a two sylable word!
Location: Colchester, Great Britain

Re: Hand Brake Question

#7 Post by John Hearn »

When I restored my 356A 25 + years ago I did as Brad suggested, drilled out and silver soldered.
I used stainless steel wire that I got at a boatyard. The flexible type typically used for lifelines on a boat.
KTF
John

Hugo Karasawa
356 Fan
Posts: 720
Joined: Fri Sep 09, 2016 10:40 pm
Location: Texas

Re: Hand Brake Question

#8 Post by Hugo Karasawa »

You can use nicopresses and cable ends to repair it. A boat rigging shop can do the repair.
Attachments
Swage nicopress 01.jpg
Swage nicopress.jpg

J Warren
356 Fan
Posts: 74
Joined: Tue Aug 15, 2017 9:30 pm
Location: North Florida

Re: Hand Brake Question

#9 Post by J Warren »

Thanks for the ideas guys. I have it all removed and think the splice may still slide easily within the tube. Thanks again

Post Reply