Emergency brake cable replacement

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*1966 GM 1/2 ton pick up [http://www.pbase.com/nufsed/drumbrake drum brake assembly]]
 
*1966 GM 1/2 ton pick up [http://www.pbase.com/nufsed/drumbrake drum brake assembly]]
 
*[http://www.truckforum.org/ truckforum.org]
 
*[http://www.truckforum.org/ truckforum.org]
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One of the main difficulties people face when working on parking brake cables is getting them off. The cable housings are very often retained in the brake backing plate (and sometimes brackets on the chassis also) by a set of metal "fingers" that hold the cable in its opening. You can pry the fingers one by one while wiggling the cable to get it loose but it's akin to mild torture. There are specialty tools that work pretty well but you may not want to buy one just for one or two cables.
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One simple method is to use a closed-end 12 point wrench. If one end of the cable is loose, slip the wrench over it and down to the fingers. Wiggle the wrench down onto the fingers then twist it back and forth like you are loosening a nut while pulling the cable with your other hand. Most of the time this works very well.
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If the cable retainer isn't accessible with a closed end wrench, you can try using a small hose clamp to compress the fingers. Key being tightening the clamp just enough to pull the fingers in but not so tight you can't pull the cable on through.
  
  

Revision as of 22:33, 21 March 2016

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