81 parking brake?

[GT6Steve@aol.com]

Hi folks,

When I bought my 81 many years ago I noticed early on that there were no shoes in the parking brake assembly and the cables were Ty-rapped to the trailing arm.. I thought it odd so asked a knowledgable Corvette friend about it. His reply was "they cause a lot of trouble, leave it that way"?

So now, a decade later I've received one of the two trailing arm assemblies I've ordered and , of course, find the complete parking brake assembly installed and ready to connect.

So, what's the story?? Is there a problem with the factory setup I should avoid? I can easily remove the bits and send them back with the cores, avoiding extra cost. It's an auto so Parking brake is not a big deal.

What problems do the extra shoes cause? It seems really clever at first glance

Thanx, Steve

 

[petes74ttop]

Parking Brake.

Since you ordered new trailing arm they should have all stainless steel hardware and that's a good thing. Original parts could rust together and make it impossible to adjust or release if the car was parked for a long time with the brake on. Most states require that the parking brake work to pass inspection, but you don't seem to have that problem.
I have an automatic too and rarely use the PB but if I park on a hill I'll apply the PB and then shift into park.
The only trouble with the PB is if you try to replace the shoes in the small space that they occupy, that is the bigest problem. PG.

 

[Evolution1980]

So, what's the story?? Is there a problem with the factory setup I should avoid? I can easily remove the bits and send them back with the cores, avoiding extra cost. It's an auto so Parking brake is not a big deal.

Lemme axe ya this... It sounds like you wouldn't use it even if you did have it available. So why bother with it now?

I never used mine. And now I never will since I disconnected all of it long ago. :cool

 

[GT6Steve@aol.com]

Parking brake

Lemme axe ya this... It sounds like you wouldn't use it even if you did have it available. So why bother with it now?

Can't dispute the logic. I just wondered how such an elegant looking mechanism would cause problems. Rust is certainly an explanation. Not a problem in Las Vegas but I can see it happening in other climes...

 

[Tom Bryant]

Like you said, rust is not a problem in Las Vegas. It's also not a problem on cars that aren't driven in inclement weather. Our '81 has never been apart and the parking brake still works like new. I excercise it a few times ever time I drive it just to be sure that the thing stays limbered up. I also use it when I jack the car up or change the rear wheels just to take the stress off of the parking pahl in the transmission.

If you exposed your car to winter salt or lots of wet weather driving and never used the parking brake then you would be looking at a probable rust problem and sticking in the applied position with original steel parts. But like was said above, new trailing arm assemblies from most suppliers have all stainless parts and have eliminated the problem once and for all. To me it's part of the car and is something that is supposed to work. Therefore it will work on my car.

You already have the parts so why not install the complete assemblies and have your car 100%? Make sure that the cable works freely before connecting it. It may need replaced since it has not been used for so long.

Tom