67 Belvedere Parking Brake

[Davidrad]

This is my first b body of this 66-67 generation. How is the parking brake mechanism supposed to work? Mine doesn't ratchet or really stay down. I was told to pull up on the handle while depressing the foot lever, and then release the handle to make the lever stay. If I do that it kind of maybe stays. I'm constantly finding wrong BS on this car. I'd like to make this right. My driveway has a yell of slant to it, so I'm pretty picky about the parking brake.

 

[Don Frelier]

You should be able to just press the lever down with your foot.
And it should ratchet as it goes down.
The hand lever is just a release.
Something is wrong there.

 

[Davidrad]

You should be able to just press the lever down with your foot.
And it should ratchet as it goes down.
The hand lever is just a release.
Something is wrong there.

Thanks that's what I was assuming. Now to find an aftermarket source.

 

[Don Frelier]

Not neccesarily. Check the release cable and ratcheting lever under there, maybe just some cleaning and lube.
Could be a simple fix.
I don't think there is an aftermarket piece for a parking brake assembly.

 

[Tinker67]

There is a plastic bushing that is supposed to keep release spring in place (they get brittle and break) This what I did ,split a washer bend it open ,put around release shaft bend it back flat, done deal. See crude pic

 

[gkent]

e-brakes are dirt cheap (around $30 is a reasonable price). Don't waste your time, just replace the damn thing. Its probably some irrepairable part in it anyway. 66-70 b-bodies are all the same.

 

[SatelliteFred]

I realize this is an older thread. But I just fixed this issue - or a similar one a few months ago. (I've been away for while) My e-brake pedal wasn't ratcheting or staying in place. Turns out the spring that applies tension to the ratcheting mechanism was missing. It's impossible to see this spring without removing the e-brake mechanism. The release handle return spring also needed the bushing Tinker67 refers to in post #5. In addition to that, the cable adjustment nut was also seized, requiring a new cable and removal of the pedal mechanism.

I ended up restoring the pedal assembly and with the new cable, properly adjusted, the e-brake works fine now. I located a bushing at my local hardware store and found a suitable spring at the local auto parts store. I altered the spring ends to match the shape needed. Wishing I had taken some photos now.