will factory (73-79) e-brake cables off a f-250 fit ford's sterling 10 1/4 rear end?
 

Howdy fellow blue ovals! I took a 78 1/2 f150 ext cab swb 2wd and made the truck ford shoulda. It's a 4wd 3/4 ton w coil springs up front. The sterling 10 1/4 e-brake lever receptacle is larger than the factory cable ends. So I'm hoping that factory 3/4-1 ton cables would suffice? It is a short bed ext cab so my idea was to order cables listed above for a long bed. Whatcha think fellas?

I'm messing with something similar in my own "truck Ford should made" ('74 4wd crew with a cummins) and here's what I've seen thus far...

I put a disk brake 10.5 sterling out of a '99 Super-dookie in my truck (re-drilled the hubs to correct lug pattern) and my front section of the e-brake cable (stock cable from my '74 crew) is about 20" too short to reach the new cables off the sterling.

From what I can tell, the 70's trucks all had about the same length FRONT section of cable and then the REAR cables (ones coming from the brake drums) were longer based on what configuration (crew cab, super cab, etc.) the truck was.

The '80 & newer trucks seem to all have the same rear cables and have different length cables that run from the e-brake pedal and down the frame rail - depending on body configuration.

I have a supercab, short bed 2wd out front that I've been meaning to measure the cable on to see if it's the same as my crew cab one so I can add some creditability to my theory, although I haven't made the time yet. By just eyeballing it though they look to be about the same length.

I'm looking st finding the front cable (& possibly pedal) out of an 80's-90's truck or possibly a super-dookie and making that work.

Not sure if that helps or not...

I guess my ? Was miss leading, sorry bout that. Allow me to rephrase. The e-brake cable end that goes into drum that connects to e-brake lever is to small in diameter. So I'm wondering will e-brake cables off a f250 fit the sterling e-brake lever inside the drum? Thanks 4 looking.

On that I have no clue - sorry.
Did you not get the e-brake lines from the sterling rear? Wondering if it's easier to connect these to the truck than make the ones swap back & forth between the 2 different rear axles.

Like Chasetruck is suggesting I would use the cables from the 10.25 and hook them to the front cable on your truck. That's how I did it for my 10.5 swap. Just pull the front cable from the center of the truck and run it down the left frame rail like the truck the Sterling came out of. I can post pics of it tomorrow.

yeah I think that would work... use the e brake cables that came with the axle and connect them to the bar that joins front and rear cables. Probably will have to find them off a truck with the same configuration as yours (ext cab shortbed, reg cab long bed, whatever).

re-read what I posted in my 1st reply guys. It seems that after '80 the rear lines are all the same & it's the front line that was different. So the rear lines off a 10.25 in any configuration (reg. cab, ex. cab, etc.) are all theoretically the same length.

For Fordworth there was enough slack in the front line to stretch it down the frame rail to meet the new rear lines. This didn't work for me due to the longer frame configuration of my crew cab. The OP's supercab is right there in the middle & may or may not work without a longer front cable.

Here are the pics I forgot to post the other day. I basically copied the Superduty brackets. also, Chasetruck is right, mine matched up perfectly but you will probably need to lengthen the front cable. Later trucks all have the same cables on the axles and a short section that permanently attached to the pedal assembly. Then there is a third section in the middle that varies in length to match the length of the truck.

Bulkhead for the front cable.

http://i742.photobucket.com/albums/x...-27-01_712.jpg

Bulkhead for the rear cables.

http://i742.photobucket.com/albums/x...-26-39_164.jpg

All put together.

http://i742.photobucket.com/albums/x...-26-13_709.jpg