47-55.1 *Emergency Brake Setup*

[Zippi]

First let me say that my truck is far from being stock so it doesn't have to be a stock setup. I have a Chevy BIG 10 rear end, no cables, no emergency brake pedal assembly, pretty much I have nothing. I'm looking for the easiest way to hook up and emergency brake on my truck. I know very little about hooking up an emergency brake system. Any ideas fellows? If you've done this to your truck pics would be great.

[nvrdone]

first, do you have the stock e brake pedal and any of the original hardware in the truck?
if you have the pedal, the rod that runs from the pedal under the cab back to the cross bar and the cross bar, lokar makes cables that will mount to the rear brakes and the cross bar.
If not, there are people on here who have used the s10 pedal asembly or other types of pedals. do a search and see what comes up. good luck.

[mr48chev]

Yes, tell us what you have and we may be able to figure out a viable solution.

[Zippi]

Working today so Sunday I'll see if I can check out what it looks like under the dash and under the truck and take some pics. Is there an online manual available so I can see what all the original components looked like and where the attached?

[Zippi]

I found this pic on eBay that looks like it may be the emergency brake assembly. I'm assuming the bracket bolts to the floor plate and the Lock Bar passes through the floor?

[nvrdone]

thats exactly the setup. the brake rod goes back to the cross bar that is under the back of the cab. then there is a cable on each side that goes to the rear brakes. the problem i have with mine is that the hole in the pedal lock where the lock bar goes thru is worn so bad that it doesnt hold real well. i dont trust the park brake so i allways park in gear.

[vintovka]

I just used the e brake mech out of the donor K-10. Whole thing bolts neatly to the driverside kick panel. It provides a multiple ground area and the brake light warning switch. The release under the dash works fine but the brake pedal does come up a little high.

[mr48chev]

I ran something similar to what Vintovka has in my 48 for years just taking the pedal out of a donor car that I had scrapped out and using the pedal assembly and cable running the cable though the hole where the original brake lever went before making a sheet metal patch to cover the rest of the hole.

I made/modified brackets for the cables from the rear axle that mounted them to the frame on each side and shortened the cable that went between them and the end of the cable from the pedal. You have to swedge/swag a new ferrule on the end of the cable or have it done if you don't have the tool.

Best thing I can suggest is to slide under a 70's or 80's rear wheel drive car or pickup and look at how the park brake cables are run and then brain storm a bit on how you can do it on your truck.

[vintovka]

Also a rerouted the cable a bit underneath the K10 frame and original brackets. Addind an adjustable cable tightener and usings rubber or thick plastic tubing wherever rubbing thru a brackethole completed the changeover. With the exception of the ebrake pedal being about 2" too high for my old legs it works great and fits well visually. The Ebrake "arm" is heavy stamped steel and not sometime i would try to weld or realign for such a small inconvenience.

[Zippi]

Pulled my carpet back and there are no holes in the floor plate and my AC duck would be in the way of the E brake release. Since my truck is not stock anyway I guess I'll be looking for option #2.

[vintovka]

My new cars both have electrically operated e brakes. I will tell you a) they work and B) not a fan. Not sure if i flipped the switch on it would stop either car in a emergency. That said i understand there's kits out there and if available, might be some from newer cars in junk yard.

[joedoh]

Originally Posted by Zippi

Pulled my carpet back and there are no holes in the floor plate and my AC duck would be in the way of the E brake release. Since my truck is not stock anyway I guess I'll be looking for option #2.

that may be a blessing because the cross shaft in the original, I think they put that on the ground first and built the whooooole truck around it. I have cut a bunch of those out and I always need more than one cut to get it loose


vinktovas idea is a good one, you can get a pedal cheap enough and with some effort some cables too.

Originally Posted by vintovka

Not sure if i flipped the switch on it would stop either car in a emergency.

is it labeled an emergency brake? or a parking brake?

[vintovka]

Parking brake. Never liked it never will. supposed to release automatically when driven forward which it does -- most of the time.

[mr48chev]

Cab on your truck may have come from a larger truck with the emergency brake on the back of the transmission.

This is one of these things that I could do a lot simpler than I can tell you how to do it.

The wrecking yards are full of floor mounted handles in bucket seat cars. You could mount one of those on the floor but would have to reach to get it.

Some 50's cars and trucks had a pull handle with what amounts to a t Handle Mouned under the dash that would be simple to install.

[dsraven]

newer vehicles with electric park brakes are simply an electric linear actuator that pulls the cable tight. personally i'm not a fan. that's just me though. you gotta be you.
an s10 pedal could mount to the kick panel and the cable would go through the floor beneath the pedal. they are cable released so the cable can be mounted close by within reason. a mechanical release rod could also be fabbed easily to replace the cable. another option would be newer pedal system that is released by simply stepping on the pedal again, no release cable needed.
does your big 10 rear axle have drum or disc brakes? drum brakes usually require the park brake to be operational to assist with shoe adjustment otherwise the truck will end up with a low brake pedal due to the amount of fluid required to bring the shoes out against the drums if there is no park brake adjustment, which normally does this little job for you. if disc brakes then the park brake is less important from that stand point depending on the disc set up and if the caliper is used for the park brake. either way, why would you NOT want a park brake? do you know the force exerted on the park pin in the trans (automatic) when the truck is parked on a hill and no park brake is available to hold the unit's weight? if a standard trans, you still rely on a single system, and ultimately engine compression against a selected gear ratio, to hold your truck back when parked. I have personally seen trucks move when left in gear with no park brake. just my opinion though.

[Zippi]

All good info guys. I think I'm going to put this on the back burner until I retire in a few weeks. Once I retire I'll have plenty of time to check out my truck and see what would be the best option and if I can get under the truck and do the work.

[28TudorAZ]

I used one from a 1995 Chevy Truck that I pulled from a pick and pull junkyard. Worked out pretty well. It came from a dully long bed so it had a really long cable. Cost me I think $10.

[Zippi]

Originally Posted by 28TudorAZ

I used one from a 1995 Chevy Truck that I pulled from a pick and pull junkyard. Worked out pretty well. It came from a dully long bed so it had a really long cable. Cost me I think $10.

That looks pretty good. Just two bolts holding it in? How did you get to the back side to run the bolt through?

[28TudorAZ]

Originally Posted by Zippi

That looks pretty good. Just two bolts holding it in? How did you get to the back side to run the bolt through?

It has 3. The front bolt is welded on but you could drill 2 holes and use one of those body slip nuts and use a bolt. One of the bolts is on the hood hinge bolt and another I drilled through but is hidden under the hinge. Also the release cable I bought at autozone and chopped it off and bolted it directly to the emergency cable housing.

[Zippi]

Originally Posted by 28TudorAZ

It has 3. The front bolt is welded on but you could drill 2 holes and use one of those body slip nuts and use a bolt. One of the bolts is on the hood hinge bolt and another I drilled through but is hidden under the hinge. Also the release cable I bought at autozone and chopped it off and bolted it directly to the emergency cable housing.

Nice. I will have to look into this.