Ebrake springs left or right

[coyledad46]

How do you tell which is left and which is right? When installed, is the hook pointing toward the front or rear? What happens if you get them on backwards?

[Rob Doe]

There is a Tom Endy article up on Santaanitaas.org. As I recall, You will find it under the brake section of his many articles.

It sounds as if you are a candidate to wind up with it installed incorrectly. Don't ask how I know???? LOL

The tail of the spring will point upward toward the 11 o'clock position and be trapped between the housing for the service brake cam and the housing for the e brake. Tom describes the mods to two screwdrivers that make the job fairly easy.

Luck to ya.

[J Franklin]

You can tie a piece of string on the spring to pull it back over the lever. That is how I did mine.

[johnbuckley]

[QUOTE=Rob Doe;2279561]They are both the same spring.
NO they're not .....they are mirror images . Do a search on this forum on how to identify each and how to fit them (easily!?)

[Bob Bidonde]

Ditto, the springs are wound opposite of each other. I find that the springs do not stay put, so I run without them.

[Mel Gross]

Sponsored Links (Register now to hide all advertisements)

If you want the springs to stay put after installing them on the emergency brake arm, then take a pair of pliers and twist the spring loop that is on the arm so that it is at 90 degrees to the arm. Once done, take the pliers and squeeze that spring loop on the arm real tight.
We do this on all brake jobs that we do. Never had an issue in almost 20 years of doing Model A brakes.

[Keith True]

I never had any problems with them staying on,but I always pinched them after too.Mostly because I always felt that I had opened them up a little when putting them on.I bought a big bag of them probably 20 years ago,one side is black and the other side is silver.I don't remember which side is silver or black.

[Roxo]

try this video

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cAOuk8uysVE

[Tom Endy]

Originally Posted by coyledad46

How do you tell which is left and which is right? When installed, is the hook pointing toward the front or rear? What happens if you get them on backwards?

When I first joined a Model A club about 35years ago, one of the first club seminars I attended was assembling the rear backing plates. For about 20 minutes they argued over which was the left and right E-brake spring. When they finally agreed they installed them and had them on reversed.

I recall that the one of suppliers of the era provided then painted red and green (port & starboard).

Once you get them installed the simple test is to actuate the arm and see which way they actuate. You want them to release the brake when the spring pulls it back.

Tom Endy

[johnbuckley]

Tom , I love this story of yours.... agonising until we have convinced ourselves, only to then discover we are wrong after all! Once I look at the set up on the back plate I find L and R are obvious , but for the life of me I can never orientate them in advance!!!

[Rob Doe]

I stand corrected. Thanks guys. I removed the erroneous sentence from my post.