Help! Emergency Brake Cable on 62 Corvette

[Toy4Hal]

When I got my 62 back in 2003 she had lots of "different" parts; not at all the way a 62 came from the factory. I have just replaced the front emergency brake cable and am now questioning the frame bracket. See pictures. The frame bracket appears to pull the cable to the side such that, as the cable goes through the frame to the back connectors, the front cable rubs against the side of the hole in the frame. If you look careful you can see where, over time, the cable has actually worn away some of the steel in the frame.
So, my question is: Is this the correct bracket and configuration or do I perhaps have the wrong frame bracket, maybe even in the wrong place on the frame?
I do see another hole in the frame closer to the front which, if it had the cable bracket, might align the cable better through the big round hole. Another thought is that maybe the front cable needs to be secured at it's end, at the large hole. However, when I push that much cable towards the large hole, I cannot get enough resistance at the back connectors for the emergency brake to even work. Can anyone help me?

Thanks in advance. Hal

 

[Tom Bryant]

Hi Hal,

My '59 frame seems to be a little different in that it has an additional rail running from the front kick up to the X member. The exhaust tucks inside this. What I'm seeing on your car that looks suspicious is the bolted on bracket with the excessive amount of threads protruding through the nut. That isn't consistant with what GM would have done. Note that on my car the bracket is welded to the frame member. This is original and nothing has ever been removed from this car. We have been together for 42 years now.

I don't have a '62 AIM to tell you exactly where your bracket should be mounted but I would look for evidence of where it used to be welded on. As you can see the cable is supposed to run through the hole without rubbing.

As a quick fix it looks like you could space the bracket out towards the end of the long bolt and possible align the cable through the center of the hole.

Tom

 

[Toy4Hal]

Hi Hal,

My '59 frame seems to be a little different in that it has an additional rail running from the front kick up to the X member.
Tom

Tom, thank you. In looking at my 62 manual I do indeed see that "extra" frame piece! It would appear to be a brace of sorts. I do not have this brace. (I did say early on that my 62 was not always "correct!!). In the frame section of the manual I see the brace is on both side. Maybe I need to get some frame work done, although I drive this car a lot and have not had any frame related issues that I'm aware of. I'll look around to see where I might find these parts.

Thank again. Hal

 

[Tom Bryant]

I can't think of any reason to remove those frame supports unless someone had a big block or something in there and needed clearance for some super duper headers. Seems a little extreme though. I'd bet that one of the repop frame manufacturers could supply the parts.

Tom

 

[Toy4Hal]

Tom, I have often suspected that my 62 was a race car at some point in her life. The first clue when I got her back in 2003 was the trunk mounted battery. Not just because it was in the trunk; many of us did that just to get room and access. However, the professional way the battery cables were mounted along the frame, and the "quality" of those cables, made me think this was done for the weight distribution issue of drag races. Next, the front stabilizer bar in my car is a much larger diameter than any other C1. In fact a race friend of mind who saw it wanted to trade me and he would do all the work! Now these missing braces. I'm sure I'll find some somewhere. I do like your idea of contacting some of the repop manufacturers. Thanks again. Hal

 

[JohnZ]

Here's a photo of a C1 frame that shows the two missing longitudinal support rails; each one also has a body mount bolt hole for the front of the floor pan. Paragon has them for $130.00 each, called "Frame Support Rail".

 

[Toy4Hal]

Here's a photo of a C1 frame that shows the two missing longitudinal support rails; each one also has a body mount bolt hole for the front of the floor pan. Paragon has them for $130.00 each, called "Frame Support Rail".




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Well I'll be darned!!! I never would have thought they made these as reproduction parts! Amazing! That's sure the simple answer. Just order them and install them. Thanks, John. That really helps!