Tightening the E-brake

[Stallion]

I realized mine is a little loose, and it is what I use when I park (4-speed) to keep the car from rolling. So, I figured I should probably tighten it.

How is this done? What does it involve?

Thanks!

Stallion

 

[81 Corvette]

From the 81 shop manual - your results may vary

1. Rasie vehicle on a hoist
2. Remove rear wheels
3. loosen brake cables at the equalizer check nuts until the parking brake levers move freely to teh off position with slack in teh cables
4. turn the disc until the adjusting screw can be seen through the hole in teh disc
5. insert an adjusting tool or screwdriver through the hole in the disc and tighten screw by moving your hand away from teh floor on both the left and right sides
6 tighten until the disc will not move then back off 6-8 notchs
7 install rear wheels
8 place teh brake handle in teh apllied position (13 notchs)
9 tighten the check nuts until and 80 lb pull is obtained while pulling into the 14th notch
10 torque the check nuts to 70 IN lbs
11 with mechanism totally dsengaged, rear whells should turn freely in either direction with no brake drag
12 lower the car to teh floor

 

[Stallion]

Where/what are the equalizer check nuts? :confused

 

[GTR1999]

Your car is 26 years old. If no one changed the hardware chances are the springs are rusted or broken. The cable is probably shot too. You can try it but these brakes were never too good to begin with.

I have rebuilt several with new ss parts,steel shoes,and new rotors and they still don't work good. The last set I did I adjusted the braeks with the T arms on the bench. Installed on the car,installed new cables, adjusted them until the rotor locked up then backed off 10-12 clicks. Rotor spun free drove the car and the spindle and wheel were pretty hot. Backed off the shoes completely and let things cool down and tested again- no parking brake but no heat. I didn't have it in me to jack the car up again and go back to adjusting them.

Good luck. If the rear rotors rivets are still there then you have original parts.

 

[81 Corvette]

Where/what are the equalizer check nuts? :confused

uhhhhhhh, :confused i'm just guessing here, but i assume its where the cable from teh lever connects with the cable that goes to each side of the car.

 

[Stallion]

uhhhhhhh, :confused i'm just guessing here, but i assume its where the cable from teh lever connects with the cable that goes to each side of the car.

Good call. That sounds like it.

Another question, why does it say "levers"? Isn't there only one "lever"? What "levers" are they referring to? And what exactly constitutes the "off" position?

 

[curtis]

there is one lever on each rear brake assembly. it is the thing that moves when the cable gets tightened to apply the park brakes. the off position is when there is slack in the cable, the levers return to that position (the off position) meaning that the return springs inthe brakes pull it to the fully off (unapplied) position .

 

[The73vetteman]

:L
E-brake and C3 Vette are mutually exclusive terms!

I finally got mine working this spring enough to hold her on a very gentle slope. Fortunately we don't have too many hills in Michigan!

There is a lot of good info here in posts going back a long way. I suggest you start by doing a search here. Then check that you actually have all the hardware on the car - many have had it stripped off over the years. Check also that everything, including the shoes, actually moves when you apply the brake. Then all you have to do is adjust them. This took me maybe 10 hours, and the rear wheels were on and off maybe 20 times! Really p****d me off I can tell you.

Again, just follow the tips that many have posted here. It worked for me - in the end!

'73

 

[curtis]

I must have been lucky when I did mine. I put new shoes on and was done with that job by lunch time. also had new springs and the little hardware new.....that probably helped speed things along.