handbrake removal

[RWebb]

I am having a hard time removing the handbrake on my '73.5 car. Searching on remove + handbrake, etc. is not getting me much info except that people are doing things like removing the seats and uncoupling the heater cables at the flapper boxes to do this.

My interest is in replacing the center throttle rod bearing, but if it is too hard, I'm not gonna do it - life is too short to disassemble half the freakin' car for that...*

So... is there any trick to getting the handbrake assembly out? I have taken the nuts, washers off each side, and have been able to remove the heater lever.

But I cannot get the manual throttle lever off as I can't push the twin-headed stud far enough to the passenger side. It seems the heater lever is in the way but I've tried to maneuver it in various directions to get clearance. Is it absolutely required to remove the plastic handle and push the lever all the way down into the tunnel? I'm r=worried things will get bent and/or disconnected and there will really be a mess then...

BTW - my '73.5 has an odd setup - there is a single heater lever, but the handle is not round, it is the squarish one used on the dual lever setups (like on a '75) but there is just one of them. The manual throttle is a round black lever. I assume they both have to be pulled off, but I haven't done that. I've looked at Haynes, Autobook, and Bentley but none seems to show my setup.



* maybe I feel this way b/c I've had to pull the motor out several times recently... and it is getting real old.

[RSBob]

http://www.early911sregistry.org/forum/showthread.php?t=14043&highlight=handbrake

[RWebb]

Thanks, Bob. Here is an edited version in case their servers crash again and wipe out that post.

Disassembling the handbrake assembly – 1973½ and earlier

Pull off the red heater knob, somehow…. (unscrews on earlier cars).

Take both nuts off that hold the throttle and heater levers. Carefully remove – in order – the small cup spring, lamina (tabbed washer), and then the large fragile friction washer. The levers are next, and each has another friction washer on the inboard side of it.

Disconnect the handbrake electrical wire if you can reach it.

With a little angling, the throttle lever should pull out if the plastic arm has broken off. If not, just maneuver it clear of the pivot pin. The large fragile friction washer between it and the handbrake lever is p/n 911.424.737.00 (#23 on PET diagram). $10 for each one you break.

Only after the throttle lever is off the stud, can you push the pivot stud for the handbrake out on the throttle side. Wedge a screwdriver in on the heater lever side to push this twin-headed stud out.

Make sure you keep the washers and friction plates separated for each side and in order.

The plate should now lift up along the handbrake lever leaving the heater lever in the pit and exposing the "H" pin and clip. Unclip the "H" pin from the cable and pull up to remove the pin releasing the bell crank holding onto the brake cables.

Withdraw the entire assembly.
This would be a great time to detail the handbrake, vacuum the tunnel and polish up the levers.

Install the new plastic throttle arm with the lever through the plate, but don't put the pivot or washers in yet. Drop the assembly back into place and reconnect the "H" pin. Angle the plate with the throttle lever back into place making sure that the plastic arm locates in the correct position on the throttle cable and the heater lever comes through correctly on the plate. Replace the pivot pin through the plate and handbrake lever (remember it only goes on one way and is keyed). Replace the wire, friction washers, levers and caps exactly the same way they came off and check to see that the plastic arm is still in position. If all is good, retighten all bolts making sure the lever bolts are not too tight not allowing movement, but tight enough so they will hold at any position.

Manual Throttle:
The throttle arm holds RPM by pushing and holding onto an aluminum collar on the cable. It is accessible through a oval shaped hole forward of the handbrake plate. The collar is held on by a tiny flat slotted set screw that should be at 12 O'clock top center. Don't loosen this too much as the collar is slotted and could spin and drop off the cable requiring you to remove the assembly again to fish it out. Start the car and hold the RPMs at 4,000 with the pedal. You should see the plastic arm through the hole with the lever all the way up. Loosen the collar and move it back to the arm and tighten.

[RWebb]

NOTE: the item numbers on the PET diagram are one digit off from the ones in the Pelican diagram.

Pelican diagram:
http://www.pelicanparts.com/cgi-bin/PartsLookup/search.cgi?command=show_page&Catalog_Name=911_USA_74_77_KATALOG&Illustration=701-05&Line_Item=36


Here is the parts manual diagram also:

[RWebb]

pic of "H" clip and pin from Early911S bbs (this is the same type clip used on the head of the clutch cable - the clip keeps the pin from pulling out)

[RWebb]

BTW - it is pure hell to get the yoke back on and the pin in - I did not remove the seats -- maybe that would make it easier.

[maui44]

My question is, when all is good as far as connections at the e-brake lever and you have tried to adjust the tension at the rear of the rotor with the lock-nut screw what next.

I have adjusted the lock-nut screw (both in and out) on both rear wheels and I still do not get enough tension to set the e-brake.

The cables are good from the e-brake handle to the lock-nut behind the rotor on the brakes.

It's strange because it's like the e-brake worked one day and then did not the next?

Car is 1977

[kodioneill]

Maui did you see this thread is 4 years old?

[RWebb]

Maui - check any spots that secure the cable

then post a pic of the bottom of the yoke assembly

[E Sully]

Maui,
There is a good chance the problem with the 2 butterfly pieces, part 31. This diagram only shows one, but there are actualy 2. The cable passes through the center of them, when the handle is pulled it pulls them together, spreading the parking brake shoes, pushing them against the drum. The arrow in the picture is where the sleeve on the cable end butts up against the back one. Sometimes the 'U' on the butterfly comes off the pin on the brake shoe. The front one is fairly easy to put back on the post, but the one on the rear can be difficult to get to.