It finally quit raining and cooled to below 85*, so I undertook yesterday to try and get a handle on my rear brake adjustment and do something about fine-tuning my brand-new park-brake cables.

I installed the new cables earlier in the year and never did get them working to my liking.

My 1985 F-350 Dana-70 has Limited Slip or whatever they call it in Danas; so, the only way to have any idea as to what is going on is to pull both axles and let rear-end lube drip on the wheels all the while; a much dreaded adventure.

I was very particular to not get the same brand as what I was replacing; so, I was quite annoyed to find that, even with changing brands, my new cables have exactly the same downfall as the ones they replaced; in fact, the new cables look like clones of the old ones and I highly suspect that they are made in the same factory.

Both boxes, left and right, boldly say "Made In USA"; also, on the box ends, where the part-number and such are printed, is stated "Made In USA" --- however, on the cables themselves, one says "Made in Turkey, the other "Made in Malaysia"

The terminated ends of the left and right cable are of entirely different design, both inside the backing-plate and at the forward end.

I could live with that; but, just exactly like the ones they replaced, the left-side cable protudes a good three inches farther at the forward end than the right; there is so much difference in length that the right brake is locked tight long before the left side even begins to drag; the silly little "equalizer" does not equalize enough to override the difference in length.

With the right side locked tight, the left side was still free-wheeling.

Lacking a proper cable-end crimping device, I lined up six u-bolt cable-clamps -- all I had -- against the end-crimp of the too-long cable; this shortened the overage by about an inch and a half; even at that, the right side is locked and the left side can only achieve a tight drag; with the ten-thousand pound weight of the truck against it it would take off like a roller-skate.

To remedy this, I have considered fabricating a set-back mount for the too-long cable that would move it back enough to make up for the difference.

I have also considered getting another right-side cable and mounting it on the left, routing the extra length differently than for the shorter cable; at least by having two identical length cables, there could be no variance in travel.

I, myself, have had two consecutive sets of these mismatched cables, in two completely different brands; surely I am not alone in this.

What are others doing to solve this problem ?

Thanks for reading and all help is appreciated.

 

The two rear cables are available NOS

 

You cannot take ONE cable clamp, pull the long cable through the equalizer, and then install the cable clamp so it hits the equalizer when the front cable is pulled?

I don't mess with the factory setup when it rusts up and breaks. I make my own equalizers out of a simple bar of metal, and use all-thread for the adjuster. Larger holes that let the cable end go through, but not a cable clamp, make up the cable attachments.

 

I could if I thought the tiny little clamps could stand to be tightened enough to hold their place without slipping.

The way I added the six clamps that I had was to start against the cable-end and line them up, one against the other, so that the cable-end and then each successive clamp would stop them from slipping; I just ran out of clamps before I had taken up enough of the slack.


Although, on this truck I am still using the original equalizer; I have replaced the flimsy problematic original adjuster with one of my own making.

I have home-made equalizers as you describe on a couple of the other trucks.

Although they don't allow for much equalizing, Lokar's design of routing the cables through a clamping block, adjusting both to length, and then tightening the block, eliminates the problem of mismatched cable protrusion.

The more I think about it, I like my idea of just using two identical right-side cables; thus, there could be no discrepancy in cable travel; both would move exactly the same.


The HUGE problem of messing around with anything to do with the rear brakes is that, without pulling the axles so that the rear wheels can free-wheel, you cannot tell what you are doing; and, even though I pump the lube from the differential housing, there is always about a quart that is going to be irretrievably lost and a greasy mess to be cleaned up.

 

Can you post up a picture of the equelizer you made I can't picture it in my litte head LOL.

My F100 had the springs that push the arm back when released being too long.
When installed they were popping out the side and rubbing long the inside of the drums.
I also thing they would coil bind if you applied them so I cut them shorter.

My issue is with the pedal to the floor it does not hold. I installed one of them cable shortners and it is better but still not holding good for me to like or to pass safety inspection.
Dave - - - -

 

Please tell me more about this cable shortener; pictures would be good. Thanks.

 

I don't have a picture of mine installed in the truck but it started as this Dorman #03006 part.

The hook & nut get turned around in the body so the hook goes down into that slot.
The cable goes across the pivots? and the hook grabs the cable and as you take up on the nut the hook moves down the slot pulling on the cable between the pivots making the cable shorter.

Now because I needed to make the cable shorter, this is the front cable, and I ran out of threads. I was going to run a die down but when they made the hook, farther down it gets thinner and the die would not make threads that the nut could bite into.
My fix was to get a short piece of brake tubing that fit over the threads and 2 flat washers for either side of the tube so it would not go thru the body of this part and the nut to push on and not the tube.

So with the cable set in this part and threads sticking out the bottom I installed a flat washer> the short tube> flat washer> and the 2 nuts.
I took it up as much as it would let me but the Ebrake pedal still goes to the floor and it will not hold like it should.
After that I kind of gave up and moved on to something else but will need to look into this at some point.

Here is what I was talking about of the spring on the cable that pushes the arm back when the brake is released.
This is before I trimmed them you can see how it sticks out and hit the drum.

I should also say I am using the stock Ford equalizer parts I picked up new think thru LMC.
Dave ----

 

Thanks!

I have seen those things laying on tables at swap meets and never had any idea as to what they were until now.


As to your situation, is your long cable that goes into the cab to the pedal a recently new cable ? : they do stretch and if your cable has a lot of age on it, a new one might be enough shorter to work for you.

 

If you get the proper size cable clamps, they will hold. I just put one on my little ranger. For some reason after I re-did the rear brakes on it, the parking brake had too much slack. I adjusted the factory setup as far as it would go, still too much slack. The way I adjust my parking brakes, I put it on a slight hill with the rearend pointed down the hill. When I put the parking brake on, I expect it to hold. They will usually hold easily forward, but not so easily moving backwards.

What I ended up doing with the ranger was to loosen the adjustment all the way up on the threaded rod, pull the single front cable through #2853 in the picture above so I had extra sticking out, and then put a single cable clamp on the slack so it would not pull through. Then tightened the adjustment back up till it stopped the way I wanted. Been using it this way for the past year. It's a stick shift, I can't drive a stick shift without a working parking/emergency brake.

 

It is not a new cable, I cant remember if it was the one that came on the truck or from my parts truck.
I am pretty sure I measured both to see if same size as1 was from a short bed the other a long bed but never did inch for inch.

I will have to give that a try.
I will have to undo the Dorman part I tried and also back off the stock adjuster like you did.

Mine is also a stick but with the granny first it would be hard to move unless on a vary steep hill.
Dave ----

 

That is what I used to think until one day many years ago and the slope was barely off level.
I put the truck in bull-dog and went into this guys welding shop; a few minutes later, somebody hollered that my truck was leaving; I caught it just inches away from broadsiding a nearly new truck.

 

Are you using the little U-Bolt style or what ?

 

If the motor has vary low compression I have seen that but it was also a steep hill.
But I still, like you want this brake to hold when it is applied!
Dave - - - -

 

Yes, the u-bolt style. If you want to be official, you can put two side by side, that is the way they are supposed to be used when it matters on something critical, but I have never had one come loose just using one. Just make sure when you tighten it, you go back and forth till you can't tighten them anymore. These cables are small, so the clamps are small, I just use a nut driver to tighten them, holding the clamp with pliers while using the nut driver..

 

I want my parking brake to hold on a slight hill when I push the clutch in. Not relying on the transmission and the engine to hold it. If you get it adjusted right, it will do it no problem. Only problem I run into, they will not hold the truck with a fully loaded trailer behind it, a chunk of wood is required for that.