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E brake handle help

MSiege

Silver Level Sponsor
Hi everyone,

My emergency brake handle is loose on both mounting bolts. It slides in and out against the rail and cannot be tightened any further. It looks like maybe there should be a couple of sleeves or spacers to fill the gap but I'm concerned that if I remove the bolts, whatever they are threading into will fall down inside the rocker panel.

Can someone help me understand how this assembly attaches and can be tightened? Do the bolts thread into the two cylinders we can see, so if I grab them and add sleeves, all will be well? Or, loosen them a bit, add some kind of spacer from the outside and re-tighten, as is? The brake itself seems to work and the cable attachment further down the rail is secure.

Thanks!IMG_6106.JPG IMG_6107.JPG
 

DanR

Diamond Level Sponsor
The nuts inside the panel will not be loose.

What you can do to make sure that they aren't is to loosen the bolts enough to wiggle them. If the nuts are loose they will allow the bolts to move in and out.
 

65sunbeam

SAOCA Membership Director
Diamond Level Sponsor
Your spacers are there but the metal the two e brake mounting bolts screw into are rusted away!
 

DanR

Diamond Level Sponsor
The spacers are 1/2" thick. The PIC below is from my '65 SIV ST OD Colour code 70 Maroon last four of VIIN 3819
 

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DanR

Diamond Level Sponsor
Took another look at your picture and see where one area of the mount sheet metal is rusted.

If the bolt will release and leave the nut secure you may be lucky.
 

bulldurham

Platinum Level Sponsor
It does look like the spacers are in place but the rail has rusted and they have pulled inside the rail.
One possible repair,is to clean up the rail and weld on a larger washer w/ a welded on nut, on the back side.
You would have to downsize the spacer a bit to compensate for the thickness of the washer. Or, cut out the section that is rusted
and replace w/ clean metal w/ capture nut welded on the inside. # 2 would be my option.
 

DanR

Diamond Level Sponsor
If you remove the brake handle and assembly from its position you may have too much rust to make it work without adding a plate as a replacement for support.

I did a plate (welded in) and used some insert nuts for a replacement in one of my Alpines Have some extra nuts with correct threads if you need a couple.
 

MSiege

Silver Level Sponsor
Thanks to all. I think I’ve got it now. The bolt attachment structures - the two cylinders that are supposed to be fixed to the rail - are not and do move in and out of the rail. I’ll have to play with ways to secure them to the rail which should stabilize everything. Fortunately it all works now, it’s just sloppy.

Interesting(?) that Sunbeam chose to put the handle on the outside where it can be stressed by drivers banging, bending and stressing it on their way over it to get out. I’ve only seen this setup on Porsche 914’s before this.
 

Knightowl61

Gold Level Sponsor
Thanks to all. I think I’ve got it now. The bolt attachment structures - the two cylinders that are supposed to be fixed to the rail - are not and do move in and out of the rail. I’ll have to play with ways to secure them to the rail which should stabilize everything. Fortunately it all works now, it’s just sloppy.

Interesting(?) that Sunbeam chose to put the handle on the outside where it can be stressed by drivers banging, bending and stressing it on their way over it to get out. I’ve only seen this setup on Porsche 914’s before this.

The two cylinders are loose spacers. I'm thinking you can't tighten or loosen the bolts, they're just spinning on rusted out capture nuts.
Bulldurham probably has the best option "cut out the section that is rusted and replace w/ clean metal w/ capture nut welded on the inside."

I agree it's a bad place to put the handle, but yours is better than the early series where the bolts are mounted to the floor. I've pulled two out from rusted floors.
 

MSiege

Silver Level Sponsor
IMG_6109.JPG IMG_6115.JPG Thanks again. The picture above has three bolts and the cable pin. I have only two bolts and the pin. (My S3 instead of a IV or V?). Still helpful to see the parts.

Interestingly, when I did get the handbrake off of the the mounting bolts, I did not lose the captured nuts because they are attached together inside the rail on some kind of connecting plate. As long as one bolt is in, you can swivel the plate to align the other. I think this will give me more flexibility in creating an inside plate or wide washers or something, to firm it all up. BTW, some of the rust colored areas you can see are the original paint color not actual rust/corrosion.
 

hartmandm

Moderator
Diamond Level Sponsor
My picture was of a series 5. I should have clarified that. Series 3 is slightly different. I believe WSM 145 for the series 5 actually shows the series 3 setup.

Mike

thumbnail.png
 

MSiege

Silver Level Sponsor
FYI, a large ss washer on each side added enough depth and stability to allow the assembly to be tightened against the rail. I really lucked out with the two nuts welded on a flat bar inside the rocker. Don’t know why but someone loaded it in there, probably when the rockers were replaced.
 

DanR

Diamond Level Sponsor
I have laser cut some pieces that replace the E-brake bracket that mounts inside the SIV & SV Alpines.

I believe they will be good replacements for (Items 2 & 5 ) the earlier Series also such as pictured in the Drawing Mike POSTED.

As Pictured, the two flat pieces were cut to same dimensions as the original bracket in one of my Alpines.

Look closely and you will see the "original" bracket I utilized for the "new" bracket. It is the same as what Mike included in a prior post: "Picture of the handbrake hardware".

Two of the brackets were hand bent by me to match the original. Close enough to make a good fit.

DIY bending $10 each.
 

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DanR

Diamond Level Sponsor
Dan,

The mug is a nice touch. :)

Mike


Mike, I was sitting here sipping a cup of java in my "favorite" cup:) Didn't dawn on he until after the PIC was uploaded that the Blue Alpine was in the picture.

It is not Blue Boy, but I received the Mug as part of the presents given out at the VA Meet my son Danny and I were honored to attend.

Looking to attend the next "big one" in MO come September 2021.
 

mikephillips

Donation Time
And as we mention the poor design of putting the handle on the outside of the driver and the issues of rust in the mounts we should also remember that it was a different time where the original purchaser would be expected to sell it on in 3-4 years to get something newer, then as a used car wasn't the factories problem if it rusted apart. No one expected that 60 years on they'd even still be talked about or driven.
 

husky drvr

Platinum Level Sponsor
And as we mention the poor design of putting the handle on the outside of the driver and the issues of rust in the mounts we should also remember that it was a different time where the original purchaser would be expected to sell it on in 3-4 years to get something newer, then as a used car wasn't the factories problem if it rusted apart. No one expected that 60 years on they'd even still be talked about or driven.

Mike,

The other thing no one has mentioned about the positioning of the E-brake handle is it's a carry over from the original design of the Audax range car's floor pans, as carried through the Husky's floor pan and into the Alpine's floor pan design. In the Husky and other Audax bodies, the seat bottom is higher than in an Alpine such that the activated E=brake handle is not an obstacle to exiting the car. Some sedans had a bench seat which would have made a centrally located hand brake impossible. A redesign for alternate E-brake mounting would have been costly considering the number of changes required to accommodate one model that was a small percentage of total Audax model production.

If someone needs confirmation, I suggest visiting the Minx review thread in the "Other cars" section. In the video at the 9:11 time mark is a view of the activated E-brake handle which only rises about two thirds up the seat cushion.

HTH,
 
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