jimrankin Posted March 21, 2011 Share Posted March 21, 2011 Trying to find a REALLY low profile emergency brake handle to fit in/above the drive shaft tunnel between the seats. Had a big old fasioned lever on the passenger side that worked but was in the way and if the sun was on it for a while vied for "hottest part" with the muffler. Tied to modify a Honda center console unit but just not getting it down to where I was looking for. Anyone used/know of something really short that might fit in the space I have? For some reason my uploads take forever and then come up failed so I'll send this and then try photo again. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jimrankin Posted March 21, 2011 Author Share Posted March 21, 2011 trying to see if one at a timae will work. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MHKflyer52 Posted March 21, 2011 Share Posted March 21, 2011 Hi Jim, I have an MGB parking brake and it sits on the passanger side of the trans tunnel and is small and dose not seem to get in the way of the passanger or get hot when out in the sun plus it stows almost out of view from the drivers side. Looking from drivers side when building. Looking from behind the car through the roll bar when building. Sory that they photos are not better but if you want I can always take a couple more and post those up for you to see. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slomove Posted March 21, 2011 Share Posted March 21, 2011 When I rebuilt the tranny tunnel on my Birkin I left the (relatively big) stock brake lever on top of the tunnel. Then I made a kind of a "hollow sausage" cushion that slips over and beyond the entire length of the lever, so that only the very front of the grip and the release button stick out. Otherwise you just see a round vinyl covered cushion between the seats. Now I have a right side armrest on the same level as the door cutout that serves as the left armrest. Allows me to drive really relaxed all day. In fact, more relaxed than in the tin-top. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnK Posted March 22, 2011 Share Posted March 22, 2011 Jim, My implementation- Local junkyard, any Honda Civic or Accord handbrake assy, shorten the lever to taste (and toclear the shift lever), couple of small welds to hold things in place, tuck it in on the driver side and route the rod out the back to an assy to secure the cable. Have detailed photos if interested. Almost disappears, 'cept when you're reaching for it, and it's impossible to drive away with the handbrake on. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jimrankin Posted March 22, 2011 Author Share Posted March 22, 2011 John, Thats pretty close to what I'm looking for but the trans tunnel may be a bit too narrow to sneak it in next to the drive shatf. The honda handbrake I got was different than yours and yours looks more like what I need. I really need to find the time to go by a local "pick n' pull" type yard and find a good match but work and rain are killing my car time. I can't seem to load a photo as they are too large. Really cramped at the area I wan't to use and with the welded in cross braces moving it forward where there is room puts it up past the shifter. No room at all between the seat and the tunnel so it has to mount inside like yours. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MHKflyer52 Posted March 22, 2011 Share Posted March 22, 2011 Jim, Find a junked Miata as it has a small handbrake that mounts the way John's dose and is also located in the topside of the trans tunnel with very little space. Hope this helps. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scannon Posted March 22, 2011 Share Posted March 22, 2011 Miata handbrakes are located on the driver's side of the tunnel but perhaps could be adapted to mount inside like Johns. I'm currently stripping out a '96 Miata and you can have the handbrake if you want it for shipping costs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
danilo Posted March 22, 2011 Share Posted March 22, 2011 Dunno.. I vote for the 'original' lotus Seven handbrake setup, located under the scuttle. It remains as the Best solution IMO. Easy to reach, easy to pull hard on. Kept the obstructions away from ones' arm/elbow on the tunnel when shifting too :-) Not so dumb a location at all, if one lived for any time with the car one adapted to it nicely. I certainly don't remember it as any sort of negative at all. It's just not fashionable. Don't readily discount the possibility that the people who invented the car actually knew what they were doing ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnK Posted March 23, 2011 Share Posted March 23, 2011 (edited) John, Thats pretty close to what I'm looking for ... Really cramped at the area I want to use and with the welded in cross braces moving it forward where there is room puts it up past the shifter. ... Added pictures to support your assessment - this area is indeed really tight. I wound up carving up what I think is a std Honda Civic or Accord brake lever - the ones I found looked identical to the one in my '94 Civic. Note that bolt heads are shaved and top mounting bolt is welded to frame (blow up handbrake07). Pull rod fitting is similarly tight: made a cable stay from scratch and found that the diff had a flange at just the right place to anchor the stay with a drilled and tapped hole. Getting carried away, I fitted two mechanical calipers - Perhaps there's some sort of 12-step program out there for people like me . Edited March 23, 2011 by JohnK Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mondo Posted March 23, 2011 Share Posted March 23, 2011 Man, I thought we only put the handbrake on to pass DMV.... guess you'll be able to take yours to a drifting school. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jimrankin Posted March 23, 2011 Author Share Posted March 23, 2011 John, Your right about "no room". All of my sheet metal is riveted in between the cockpit and the rear area so even tighter and can't see from front to back. I just made a smaller drive shaft loop (safety reasons, not space) but even it takes up most of the space. Going to try to find a Miata donor car as suggested to at least see if what it has will fit, if not I'm brakin' out the big hammer and smoke wrench! LOL. When I went to modify the Honda brake I bought it was so hardened I could barely cut it and spent hours lowering the pivot point, reshaping the shortened ratchet profile and cutting teeth into it only to find it was still too "tall" to fit comfortably, even when angled down so the handle end release button was at the console level. Is your lever/rachet hardened? Looks like I could really shorten up the handle and go with minimum cable pull as the wilwood mechanical brake only uses about an inch pull in the short lever hole and still under 2" in the long pull hole. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jimrankin Posted March 23, 2011 Author Share Posted March 23, 2011 Got pulled over by a hard ass Truck inspector in Fremont because I have "blacked out" tail lights. Started telling me I had to have "one of everything" like wipers, side lamps, bumpers etc. After all the trouble I went through to get the car past CA light and brake inspection I knew it was legal and after a half hour of standing my ground he called in and found out about "Kit Cars" being based on 1960, not my 2009 first year of registration. Did get me for no front plate though and warned me he would get me for $800 bucks and a moving violation if I didn't leave there and go straight home and get it "fixed". LOL. Hand brake required in 1960 in CA. DMV requirements so just keeping it legal. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mondo Posted March 24, 2011 Share Posted March 24, 2011 I don't use mine because I'm afraid I'll forget it (one warped disc later). For all you non-WCM folks, our E-brake is a tall lever in the passenger footwell, under the dash... not really visible from the driver's seat. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnK Posted March 24, 2011 Share Posted March 24, 2011 I don't use mine because I'm afraid I'll forget it (one warped disc later). For all you non-WCM folks, our E-brake is a tall lever in the passenger footwell, under the dash... not really visible from the driver's seat. For what it's worth, the Superformance Cobra replicar uses the same unit - and, just like the S2K, it is quite out of site and I managed to drive a Cobra I was tuning up and down the hwy with the thing on. I sent mine back to TX because it was not only not handy but was big and heavy. Dunno if fabricating the new one really justified all the work but there it is. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnK Posted March 24, 2011 Share Posted March 24, 2011 John, Your right about "no room". ... When I went to modify the Honda brake I bought it was so hardened I could barely cut it and spent hours lowering the pivot point, reshaping the shortened ratchet profile and cutting teeth into it only to find it was still too "tall" to fit comfortably, even when angled down so the handle end release button was at the console level. Sounds like that area of your car differs more than a little from mine - I sent the last set of pics in hopes that it might clarify that issue, that you might be able to judge the proportions and positions. Is your lever/rachet hardened? Looks like I could really shorten up the handle and go with minimum cable pull as the wilwood mechanical brake only uses about an inch pull in the short lever hole and still under 2" in the long pull hole. Yes, my lever/rachet is hardened and I did cut maybe a couple of inches out of the middle of the lever and resectioned the button rod. Trying to remember the details of the modifications, but from my pics I hoped you could see the relative position of all the bits and hence the mods I made. I remember avoiding changes to the paul/rachet after finding out how hard it was. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jimrankin Posted March 24, 2011 Author Share Posted March 24, 2011 I went on line last night to see if I could find a picture of a Miata emergency brake lever and mechanism and came across this link with some photos and text about how to shorten the lever. Pretty straight forward on the "shorten" process, just what I was doing on the Honda unit I was cutting up. looks like it may be an alternate but so is the "other" honda handle unit JohnK is using. I think I see a junkyard trip in my weekend plans. Link to the Miata handle mod This may be of help to someone in the future anyway. http://www.miata.net/garage/short_brake_lever.pdf _ between short_brake_lever I had the exact chrome lever mounted on the passenger side that is in the photo I beleive Mondo posted. It was uncomfortable to passengers and HOT when parked in the sun. Trying to make the car as comfortable as possible as I'm retiring later this year and plan on making some long trips next summer, not just track days and 200 mile jaunts. As all you married guys already know, "if she isn't comfortable, you soon won't be". LOL. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jimrankin Posted March 24, 2011 Author Share Posted March 24, 2011 Noted the posts about leaving the E brake on... Had to install a "bright and prominently positioned indicator warning light" as part of the E-brake requirement for CA brake and light inspection and was thinking "what a stupid hassle" but did drive off with the Ebrake on and saw the light right away, no damage, so I guess I was the stupid one for questioning our state DMV. LOL. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jimrankin Posted March 25, 2011 Author Share Posted March 25, 2011 John, Picked up a Honda ebrake like yours yesterday (AllHondaParts recycler with an indoor {it was raining and I'm a whimp} warehouse) and did some serious surgery on it so now it will fit behind the differential mount in that little square between the frame tubes. Will have to do the welding and last of the fab this weekend and get some pictures. Weird part is that after I bought the Honda unit I mentioned it to another "car" friend and he told me an 80's BMW 3 series brake unit is about as small and thin as anything could possibly be made. Will "fit in your pocket with the handle the only thing sticking out". Won't be bothering checking that out unless something goes sideways with finishing the honda parts tomorrow. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnK Posted March 26, 2011 Share Posted March 26, 2011 Hi Jim, Glad that you found the parts and that they could be made to fit. If more detailed pictures would help, let me know. I do have inboard brakes so the mounting of the calipers will be different but I was pleased to be able to fit the rod-to-cable stay in somewhat tidily. Bet even a used BMW brake handle is gonna be a bit more than one from a Civic. Figure it's so small 'cause its flat? Anyway, happy fabricating. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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