>John - I have found over many years on many BL cars that this design of
>handbrake can be made effective, but deteriorates rapidly on an
>all-weather car. Remove and clean all the mechanical linkages and
>lightly lubricate them. I also apply a very thin smear of grease to the
>shoe to back-plate and shoe to linkage metal to metal surfaces. Even
>then, my roadster will lock the wheels but my V8 will not. Roger Parker,
>whose views I respect greatly, has also said that if the cable has
>stretched so much that it has lost its 'spring' then it will not hold
>the car and should be replaced.
This might be a half-@ss approach at the handbrake problem, but in all my
cars I keep a 4x4 block with a handle on it - even in the vehicles that have
a working e-brake. (My MGB is one of those.) I once learned the hard way
that a snow-packed driveway and your e-brake alone do not insure a stopped
car. The 4x4 block kept this problem from coming back.
Not only that, the handbrake cable seems to loosen up almost simultaneously
in my truck. The block is great for those emergency situations. Unless, of
course, some sick b@stard beats the block out from under your wheel...
I would recommend fixing the thing right...When I did my MG, I spent a deal
of time fixing little frozen spots and tightening the bolts under the handle
and on the rear wheels. Just remember, some brake cables have a grease
fitting on 'em!
Michael S. Lishego
http://www.geocities.com/MotorCity/Speedway/3706/
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