RE: IML: 1961 Parking Brake/Adjustment

[RandalPark@xxxxxxx]

There should be an inspection cover to remove, then the adjustment screw is visible/accessible. On my car, the adjustment screw was right where it belonged, but it would not move. Also, due to its position, it isn't possible to put any real pressure on it. In my case, the entire thing had to come apart for cleaning, but now it works great.

There is a cable adjustment, but the shop manual says that the cable adjustment should not be changed to take up slack when/if the shoes wear down. 

Since the car should never be moved with the parking brake on, there is little reason for the shoes to wear out, unless someone has driven the car with the brake on. This brake doesn't work well as an emergency brake either, although it will stop the car in an emergency (as long as the u-joints will hold anyway).

While my car was in the shop a few years back, the idiots didn't release the brake before moving it around the shop. They never actually drove the car on the street, but what they did caused the brake not to hold.

It helps if the red flasher is working to warn (whoever) that they should do something before trying to drive. The best solution I have found is to not let anyone drive my cars EVER.

Paul W.

In an email dated 5/5/2005 7:13:56 pm GMT Daylight time, "Steve B." <imperial59@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> writes:

>
>
>First, is it possible when the transmission shop was reinstalling the
>rebuilt transmission, that they did not attached the parking brake drum
>properly to the transmission and, thus, created this situation? ?If
>possible, would it make sense to take it back to the transmission shop along
>with the FSM and have them repair what they have done or should I just do it
>myself?
>
>They couldn't have put the drum on wrong, but they could have put the
>parking brake back together wrong. ?I can't think of anything that would
>have caused this to happen on its own, but you really won't know until you
>pull that drum off there and see whats wrong. ?I wouldn't drive it in this
>condition as parts could wedge themselves between the drum and shoe and make
>a real mess of things back there.
>
>Last, I was unable to find a cable adjustment screw/cam on the parking brake
>pedal & lever mechanism under the dash. ?The FSM shows a fairly detailed
>schematic of the parking brake pedal & lever assembly for both the Chrysler
>and Imperial models but shows an adjusting screw/cam on the Chrysler
>schematic and none for the Imperial schematic shown. ?Is there a cable
>adjustment under the dash for the Imperial or is it too at the brake drum on
>the transmission?
>
>On my '59 the adjustment is at the transmission. ?There is an adjusting nut
>on the cable where it goes in to the brake assembly. ?I don't know if this
>should be the same or if it had changed by the time it got to your year.
>
>BTW. ?Those shoes are getting very difficult to find. ?All of our regular
>sources told me they were out of them because no one will send back the
>cores. ?I finally found the last pair one supplier had but it took me a
>week.
>
> ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?Steve B.
>
>
>--
>
>Checked by AVG Anti-Virus.
>Version: 7.0.308 / Virus Database: 266.11.5 - Release Date: 5/4/2005
>
>


-----------------  http://www.imperialclub.com  -----------------
This message was sent to you by the Imperial Mailing List. Please 
reply to mailing-list@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx and your response will be 
shared with everyone. Private messages (and attachments) for the
Administrators should be sent to webmaster@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
To UN-SUBSCRIBE, go to http://imperialclub.com/unsubscribe.htm