thinking of pulling the e-brake assembly completely off the car as i have no real use for it in the car as it's soon intended purpose. i hardly ever used it when i daily drove the car either.

would make it easier to make a uniform console with more room as well.

any opinions?

 

is it going to be an auto or stick car??

auto = ditch it

stick = keep it

 

use a diff style, move it. use a diff type of handle setup. etc..

 

I say Keep it.. if anything re-locate it. If you ever needed it in an emergency .. it's there.

 

Agreed. That's almost right up there with "Should I remove my seatbelts to save weight? I mean, I know I'll never crash..."

 

tell me what you use the brake for?

i'm not saying it isn't useful but the only time i ever use it is to check it and make sure it's working..

same with the daily drivers however newer vehicles you have to have the e-brake on in order to have the car running without your drl's.

i wonder how hard it would be to extend it to a foot pedal. it would be nice if you could make a push button acc for it.

 

how hard would it be to use a different e-brake handle setup say from something like a c-6? or a bmw that is smaller in design?

 

are you planning to uhm, drive the car? should be the only thing in question here... the emergency brake is a safety device, thats why its called the emergency brake.. so generally you use it in.. uhm.. emergencys, heh
(i myself use it everytime i park, cos i hate the parking lock getting stuck so hard)


my friend found that out last fall, on his way down a 1/4 mile stretch coming into a stop light when his brakes went... on his camaro :0
e-brake.. handy, definate keeper

 

Keep it man....I have seen an e-brake save someones life before. Granted your car may not be driven on the roads much, but there is the outside chance something bad could happen. It's like having an insurance policy.

If anything, move it under the dash where the hood release is. Should be easy enough to do since alot of GM cars came factory with it there.

 

Get rid of it. Have you ever tried to stop your car with the e brake while moving? It might work if you have a few miles to coast. You're better off sticking your hands out the window to make more drag. You can always just leave it in gear when parked, too.

But... It is illegal to not have 2 ways of stopping the car.

 

I'd keep it, if anything relocate and change the handle. It saved me once. I was sitting at a stop light (before I swapped the manual in), the brake cable from the pedal to the MC snapped and I started rolling out into the intersection. SCARY!

 

i say keep it.... just relocate the handle somewhere else..... under the dash sounds good...... cuz its just a cable connected to the handle right????

 

also, I assume that you know an inspector?...because last i checked you need an ebrake to pass inspection...something to think about there too

 

Well, your brake is obviously not working and/or adjusted improperly. If I grab a hand full of e-brake the tires lock up hard.

DO NOT rely on leaving the car in gear when parked if it has a manual gear box. I made that mistake once in my younger years...chased my S-10 across the bank parking lot...you should have seen the look on the guy's face whose caddy I about hit

 

how about when you're working on the car in your driveway, and you raise the front of the car to adjust the shifter linkage? I'd hate to see someone crushed because they didnt apply the e-brake...

 

I was gonna say you should try and make a pedal e-brake.....no one really looks down there, and you dont have the big obscene handle jutting out of the console

 

Is this one of your show cars, or an actual driver?

 

Don't you need it to keep your brakes adjusted properly though? I don't really see any reason to keep it if you don't need it. I never use mine, but aren't the rear brakes adjusted by the parking brake?

Just something to consider.

 

a custom console with no e-brake would look sick. i have thought about it before but never took it any farther than that. if you draw up some plans id like to see em.

 

Lamborghini's have them between the drivers seat and door, i think fiero's did too. it would be more out of the way there. just get a smaller handle and move it over there. just a thought

 

alright well i'm going to keep it but definately move it. any suggestions on how to move it?

i want to use either a different handle assembly or change it to a foot pedal.

 

WWW.EMACHINESHOP.COM has software that u can use to draw up customs peices and they will make em' out of whatever steel or metal u need. just draw up a sketch of peices and they'll fab it and send it to u.... go all out!!! make it custom and hide it somewhere... yeah!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

Ok it might be an 84 disc brake only thing, but to answer what I use it for...to adjust the rear calipers, so they actually brake. When Joe and i did the drum to disc swap, we didn't do the e-brake cable conversion right away. So I went a few weeks w/ no e brake! Well it was like I had next to nothing in the rear. Heard this from another who did the same swap! Once we got the e-brake cables attached, then I had good rear braking! I have always heard that in some cars, not all, the ebrake is a self-adjust for the calipers and that the brakes work better and last longer if the e brake is used daily! On the 84 the parking brake does affect the rear calipers function. Just a thought!

And having a mechanical back up always put my mind at ease!

 

Look at c4 vettes and their handles mounted on the floor next to the door. The handle works well in that you can pull it up to engage and then it can be pushed back flat again yet still have the e-brake engaged.

 

Keep the e-brake. You never know when you're going to need it. I've been in a couple of situations where the ebrake saved the car.

 

i'm going to keep it, but i'm definately going to alter it. now i just need to figure that out.

 

I would like to do the same cause the stock handle is nasty looking and my console is too wide. Do you know some companys that make custom consoles?

 

Lokar makes a nice polished stainless one for street rods that is easily adaptable to any car. I had one in my '63 Nova SS. Its small and good looking. They sell boots for it too.

 

Foot pedal is a good idea..
What about the T-handles that you pull out? they use in some of the Toyota Trucks and I think Nissan has them??
That could be hidden under the dash, and if you have a manual it would be a little nicer, considering you might accidently slam down the e-brake instead of the clutch during some hard driving.
That would be an embarassing moment

 

i'm just not sure where you would put the foot pedal and have it not look out of place.

 

well, if its an auto, just put it where the clutch would go...


but i like the c-4 idea

a push button would be awsome though.

 

you can rig up the wiring where it is permanently grounded, so the drl's dont ever come on.
buddy of mine did it on his 99 ls1 and its a lifesaver. so much better lookin in the daylight hours.

 

the emergency brake isnt called the "emergency brake" by the factory anymore- that is a misconstrude name, they call it the "parking brake" that is why we used a split brakeing system- if you loose the line going to the left front and right rear- the left rear and right front will still work. if you pull the parking brake going 45 miles an hour the wheels just lock up and go sideways- i say ditch it, its not a saftey concern- because the thing has no real saftey value, go out on the highway doing 65 and pull it up, just a spur of the moment thing- in an emergency thats all youll have time to do is yank it as hard as you can, the rear wheels will lock up and the butt end of the car will swing out.

 

I was thinking... how about a custom console with the handle inside the console cover?

Hidden normally, but when you need the parking brake, just pop open the cover and pull the handle. Maybe you can do something to make it where you don't need to pull the handle up as far as stock and you can close the cover with the handle raised.

 

this is the main reason why i thought about ditching it because it barely slows the car down and when it does at any speed you really would need it then the setup isn't that safe. however....

there are those other little moments and it's nice to have some sort of backup.

 

excellent idea in theory on some parts, question is how do you relocate the handle?

 

It could be done with a smaller (import) or Lokar handle, though you'd likely have to modify the e-brake cables or go aftermarket (also Lokar). Their cables are a universal type that can be cut and routed however you need to. They even have a braided stainless version.

 

yea my Dads 86 Corvette C4 has the lil E brake near the door... I think it looks awesome! I think you should do that

 

yeah- i think you should ditch it, if you want relocate it to the driver floor next to the seat, like alot of vans have for their fuel doors, just so its there.

 

have a picture of what your talking about. i can't find any good pictures of the c4 assembly.

looked at lokar and they have a bracket assembly to use a pedal but it's $400. there has to be a way to make a factory piece from something work.

 

why couldnt you put a stop valve in place? pump up the brakes a few times with the car sitting still, and then lock down the valve.
ive seen them with pretty quick shutoffs (90 degree style turn)
works for hyraulics, why not brakes?
you would have to run a brake line in the car, maybe down in the console. just turn the valve, and it will hold the pressure on the brakes.

 

I think you could get a pto cable that twists and locks...

 

I was thinking this same way! just could not come up with how either!

 

our cars dont split the braking system diagonally, if you lose the left front, you lose both front.. etc
if you can pull the e-brake hard enough to lock the wheels at 45mph going in a straight line (on dry pavement lets say) then you mustve really paniced, i hope you cleaned up the seat afterwords :0

 

well if the wheels dont lock- your not going to slow down- the parking brake is only good for locking the wheels like kandied said- it doesnt slow the car down much at speed- its not called the emergency brake anymore- because theres no use in an emergency- if you loose your brakes going 45 your screwed- that little handle isnt going to do anything for you.

 

keep it, and rig up the button on the top to a bottle that way you just push the button to spray...and they will never know

 

KEEP IT.Do you have any idea what it feels like to loose your brakes? I do I was doing about 60 thank *** i had nothing but a slight touch of front brakes from some air left in the lines barley enough to stop without moving onto the shoulder.I went to use the emergency brake and the cable snapped from not being used in years.What if you brakes went out at a school crossing?

think about it ,its happend to me and it wasent plesant.

 

On a Grand Am i had..

I pulled the e-brake to see if it worked.. well, it hadn't been used.. prolly since being built.. It put the drums into full on brake (which, wasn't much, could still drive the car, just felt a little pull... in no means were they locked up) because it hadn't been used in so long so the wires were rusted and stuck into the on position. It might matter weather u have drum brakes or disc...


Rabbitt

 

"well if the wheels dont lock, your not going to slow down" huh????

im losing track of the thread here and i apologize, but your talking completely out your *** now its just annoying... your parking/emergency brake activates your rear brakes in the same way your foot pedal does.... cept with a cable

you can say its useless all you want... you may have never had the pleasure of feeling the seatbelts, or an airbag save your life either, but i doubt many people would consider them useless

and as far as locking the wheels everytime you pull it, think how hard it is to lock power brakes, with the foot pedal

 

I'm glad you said it, cause I was getting ready to. Some people just don't get it. Good job dr1!