Parking brake ratchet replacement
 

Still working on getting the car on the road. Next on my list is getting the ebrake working so I can work on it in the driveway without having to chock a wheel.

The ebrake handle is the forward-of-the-shifter type with the push button on top, and won't latch in place. Looking at the teeth of the ratchet vs. the pawl, it looks like the ratchet teeth are worn down so they're not longer of a uniform length.


https://danzbb.com/images/fordbarn/ebrake1.jpg


https://danzbb.com/images/fordbarn/ebrake2.jpg



Which means my next step is to install a new one, which I've ordered. However, looking around online (here and elsewhere) and in the Les Andrews books, I don't see a procedure for removing that little bugger. Anybody done this and have advice/tips?


Also, this isn't this the 1929 style ratchet, from my research. Any thoughts on that?


Thanks

Re: Parking brake ratchet replacement
 

Remove that big slotted screw that you can see in your first picture and the piece should slide off.

Re: Parking brake ratchet replacement
 

You can buy an impact screwdriver from places like Harbor Freight or online. You hit it with a hammer while holding it. The hammer assures that the screwdriver does not slip while impacting a torque to break the screw loose.

Re: Parking brake ratchet replacement
 

Thanks guys. I got it off. The screw came right out but the plate was rusted in place pretty good. A couple gentle whacks and it came. I’ll try to clean things up before the replacement part arrives

Re: Parking brake ratchet replacement
 

Hope you aren’t disappointed in the repo replacement. Mine didn’t hold so was replaced with an original in a repo handle. It then worked normally. Friendly advice, don’t depend the e-brake when working on the car. Put in low or reverse and block the wheels.

Re: Parking brake ratchet replacement
 

Like KB said ... Friendly advice, don’t depend the e-brake when working on the car. Put in low or reverse and block the wheels

Joe B

Re: Parking brake ratchet replacement
 

Good advice--I always chock it when I'm working on it since my driveway has an incline. In the garage not so much, unless I have one or more wheels off the ground.



I suppose if the repop doesn't work, I could always build up the teeth with my MIG welder and then grind them back down to the correct profile. I thought about that as a first step, but decided to see what happened with a replacement first. I remember from my last car that a lot of the reproduction stuff wasn't up to snuff. Maybe not as bad as some of the 70s stuff, but some of it was sketchy.

Re: Parking brake ratchet replacement
 

Here in KS there's a "VIN inspection" for cars purchased out of state (it's make-work for retired State Troopers) and when they do it they also check basic safety stuff like brake lights, headlights, etc. I can't park the car without the parking brake working, as the county courthouse has a sloped parking area.

Anyway, I bought a new ratchet (the one I got is exactly like the original I removed, though I'm not sure how hard the steel is--time will tell). The profile and thickness are correct, which was good.

The parking brake handle that came with the car was pretty corroded and some of the parts were very worn. I assume all the suppliers get their handles from the same place, and I have to say that the pawl on the bottom of the one I got was... well, to call it crap would be an insult to crap. It's made out of three pieces of steel riveted together, but not the correct shape at all and when it were was the pieces weren't lined up, so... crap. It wouldn't hold at all.

I ended up using the original pawl on the new handle and it's working. To fit it was a bit of effort, because the post on the new handle was a good bit larger that the hole in the original pawl. But some time with a file and everything's good now.

Re: Parking brake ratchet replacement
 

I would also suggest you not think of it as an "emergency" brake or "ebrake". It is a parking brake. I trained myself to think of it as only for parking when I realized that thinking of it and using it as an "ebrake” was putting too much load on the pawl and causing premature failure. Telling myself "Parking brake" put a stop to that. (No pun intended.)

Re: Parking brake ratchet replacement
 

I purchased the complete handle assembly from Snyder's about 3 1⁄2 years ago and mine was excellent quality I wonder if there's more than 1 aftermarket producer making these???