[tmiller6]

My ’31 also had a bound up emergency brake shaft. I was able to clean it up so it now works beautifully. I removed both bushing retainer plates and sanded the shaft clean inboard of both bushings. I then sprayed the shaft and bushings with penetrating oil. I tapped the shaft sideways so that one bushing now started sliding inboard onto the clean area of the shaft. This also created a gap between the other bushing and the frame rail on the opposite side. I was able to slip an open end wrench into this gap and then I repeated the tapping process on the other side of the shaft.
By patiently working back and forth and inserting more spacers, I was able to drive both bushings onto the cleaned area of the shaft and I cleaned and greased the original bearing surface. After I did this, the bushings slid back in place easily and I didn’t have to resort to removing the levers or rivets.