Handbrake Mechanism

Updated.
There is not a lot of detail about this in the manual. The main thing to figure out is how to mount the bar so that it is stable but allowed to easily swivel. I think the idea was to basically just have the bar mount on a 8mm bolt and probably secure it with a couple of lock nuts. I prefer to fit some bushes.

First thing is that the angle of the bar did not allow a proper alignment of the pulley wheel to the brake cable.

I increased the bend in the bar by 10mm so the cable had a straight run on to the pulley wheel from the cable mount in the chassis. The aim is to not have the cables being pulled at any angle or it just increases friction which reduces the pull available to engage the brake shoes.
Same with the little swivel bar that connects to the two rear cables that run down to the wheels.
I found it was offset from a centre line of the two cables.

This is easy to fix. I just drilled another hole 12mm to the west of the original hole. It's always to the west. Whenever I have to drill another hole, it's always to the west of the original. Funny that.
Anyway, all these holes, two in the bar and one in the pulley are enlarged to 10mm or 13mm depending on the bush used. Basically we just fit a bush which is a little longer than the width of the bar or the pulley, fit washers/spacers around it, pack with grease and mount in place.
Fo the end pivot and the little swivel plate, I mounted a bolt with washers and a locknut secured with locktight. Fit the bush over it (it is good to not have anything bear onto a threaded bolt, it will just wear and chew itself up in the long run). Now assemble with suitable washers/spacers and finish with a nylock. The result should be sturdy but able to move very freely.

And here it all is:






Here we see the little swivel bar correctly aligned with the rear cables:







So there it is. All fitted, all lined up on lubricated bushes.

The return spring is fitted between the two rear facing cables. A small bracket is made with a slot for one end of the return spring.


I will probably move the fixing point for the spring lower on the upright so as to reduce the angle of incidence on it.



I received the handbrake lever as bits in a bag. Took me a while to understand how it goes together.
After having the parts chromed and plated, here is how it works:

Temporarily fitted to test and set adjustment.

The new cables will stretch a little so I'll leave the handbrake applied for a day or so and then adjust again. We need no more than three clicks for the brake to fully engage. You will need to have the shoes just off engaged when the handbrake is fully off. And put some 3-in-1 down the main cable before fitting. If you do that on the rear cables make sure it is fully drained or it will run down onto the shoes.

Later, with the body fitted, we need to fit the handbrake. There are two locating holes, the one to the rear can be located along with the body retaining bolt. Fit it here and then drill through the forward hole in the handbrake bracket into the chassis, and tap a thread for the bolt.

The handbrake mounting plate fits close to the inernal panel that will be carpeted. If you later buy the interior kit from AK it comes with a leather cover that fits over the handbrake. So, when fitting the internal panel, allow a few mil gap between the plate and the panel for the thickness of the carpet and the leather cover. 

When fitting the cable, drill a hole in the body exactly inline with the slot where the cable will fit into the mechanism. That way the cable has a straight run out into the wheel well. Curve it round the arch of the body and locate it in place with at least two cable ties. If you have the big full fat Jag wheels that came with your Jag donor kit from Simply Performance, you'll find the tyre will rub on the inner wheel arch and foul the handbrake cable. Fit some washers behind the wheel to move it out away from the wheel arch. You won't get enough clearance for the handbrake cable though so after a test fitting, remove it and tidy it away until you get the proper Halibrand wheels, you'll have loads of clearance then.