Thread: Tech1, Parking Brake?

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Tech1, I would appreciate it if you would look at the picture here of my parking brake cable. I bought a Gennie shifter along with a nice chromed parking break which does look pretty much like the original Model-A parking brake/emergency brake and I am pleased with the shifter and the brake but it mounts to the right of the trans housing. When I had the rear rebuilt (new 3.55 gear) they graciously added new brake cables which were standard for a '74 Maverick, but the left one was too short so I ordered a cable kit from Gennie. After my immersion short course on rear drum brakes and studying an old Chilton's manual I got the cable on the left rear drum but now it has to cross over the trans tailshaft, mighty close to the front universal joint. My simple solution is to provide a standoff using a 5/16" eye bolt through a hole I drilled in a fin-like boss on top of the tail shaft. Obviously I don't want the brake cable to get caught up in the universal joint! there is now about 3" clearance between the cable and the front universal, is that enough? Will that pass a NSRA Tech inspection? If necessary I can add another eye bolt through the left rear 4-bar mount but that will distort the cable more to the left and I am trying to minimize the kinks in the cable. I chatted with John York in his shop this morning and he indicated you should be able to put quite a few bendy kinks in the brake cable outer sheath but I think it is best to minimize the kinks. Is the standoff too close to the u-joint? Anybody else have another solution as to how to mount the left brake cable over to the right of the transmission housing?

Don Shillady
Retired Scientist/teen rodder