TomP

My driver's side parking brake cable must be routed wrong... it sticks straight out and is very low. It looks like if I jumped a curb, I could snag the thing. How is your cable routed? Mine currently leaves the caliper, and goes up & over the track bar (sideways panhard rod), and then thru the loop on top of the axle.

Is this right? Should I just "kink" the cable where it leaves the calipers, so the cable goes straight up instead of making a big loop?

Also, where does that foam cushion sit? Mine slid to near the caliper. and I'm not sure where it goes.

Thank you!

-Tom P (Hot rodded 1986 Firebird 2.8l) from http://www.f-body.net/mailbag/3rd/3rd_mailbag.html message boards

lonsal

iTrader: (2)

I have an 88 Iroc 9-bolt disc rear end. The calipers are steel. The Driveers side caliper is on the rear side or trailing edge of the rotor. The passenger side is on the front of leading side of the rotor. If yours has aluminum calipers this won't apply. My e-brake cable leaves the caliper bracket at the rear and loops over the axle. Then it mounts directly in the attachment bracket on the body. The foam piece goes on the cable at the intersection of the clear tubing reinforcement. This puts it right over the axle when installed. The purpose of it is to keep the cable out of he rear coil spring. Good luck, Lon.

TomP

Lon, thanks for the info! (I do have the steel calipers.) Does your driver's side cable make a big, smooth curve around the axle? Mine is routed as you said, yet I have this huge loop. It's noticable from the back of the car, and actually even from a 45 degree angle from the side of the car! I wonder if I should "kink" the cable as it leaves the caliper.

I replaced the old cable with a Raybestos one, and it doesn't have any clear tubing on it.. is the foam between the axle clip and body? Oh well that wouldn't make sense to protect it from the spring.. I guess it's right "at" the axle clip?

Thank you!

-Tom P (Hot rodded 1986 Firebird 2.8l) from http://www.f-body.net/mailbag/3rd/3rd_mailbag.html message boards

lonsal

iTrader: (2)

The OEM GM cable has a snap in connector with 3 or 4 ears that expand once installed into the hole in the mounting bracket at both the caliper and the body. I ordered the cable new from GM. it had s tightly coiled spring that prevented the cable from attaching correctly to the caliper. I had to cut off this spring coil by coil so I could reuse the original larger dia spring. Does your cable suffer from this same problem? Don't kink the cable it needs to operate smoothly in the housing or it will bind and not work right. My cable makes a smooth arc over the axle and actually rests on the axle. Then attaches to the body bracket. From this point the inner cable which is covered with a hard plastic covering continues through a channel on the driveshaft tunnel then attaches to the equalizer coupling. The right cable also attaches here as well and the parking brake pull up cable attaches to the center. Don't you have the original cable to compare it to? My situation is an axle swap from an 88 Iroc to my 90 RS. There is a difference in the parking brake handle assy. The Iroc (and yours) has a threaded rod with a nut to adjust the cable tension at the equalizer. My 90 had only a cable ball end connecting to it, no adjustment. I will have to swap in an entire 88 parking brake mechanism and short cable to make it work. Good luck, Lon.

TomP

Thanks Lon, my cable didn't have that attaching problem, but I think from reading your info that I've figured it out- my cable curves sideways over the axle. Does yours curve "up" over the axle?

-Tom P (Hot rodded 1986 Firebird 2.8l) from http://www.f-body.net/mailbag/3rd/3rd_mailbag.html message boards