Moving the handbrake

Moving the handbrake

Author
Discussion

james S

Original Poster:

1,615 posts

244 months

Thursday 10th April 2014
quotequote all
Hello all,

I'm looking to upgrade my car and have found a promising sounding car, which fits the bill except for the handbrake bring under the scuttle, which is one of the things I'm trying to get away from. Is it feasible / reasonable to get it moved to the more traditional place.

Thanks James

downsman

1,099 posts

155 months

Friday 11th April 2014
quotequote all
As I understand it, the handbrake was under the scuttle because a live axle chassis has very little strength in the transmission tunnel. When the DeDion chassis was developed the tunnel had to be strengthened to provide mounting places for the diff. This made it easy to mount the handbrake there.

I would think it would be very difficult to move the handbrake on a live axle chassis.

downsman

1,099 posts

155 months

Friday 11th April 2014
quotequote all
Sorry multiple post. Bloody phone!


Edited by downsman on Friday 11th April 13:11

downsman

1,099 posts

155 months

Friday 11th April 2014
quotequote all
Sorry multiple post.

james S

Original Poster:

1,615 posts

244 months

Friday 11th April 2014
quotequote all
That's interesting, the car I am looking at has a de dion set up. doesn't sound that easy though

Thanks

McWigglebum4th

32,414 posts

203 months

Friday 11th April 2014
quotequote all
Why do you want to move it?

If for parking then leave it in gear take belts off reach over and pull on handbrake

if for handbrake turns fit a hydraulic handbrake

Dorchester

82 posts

164 months

Friday 11th April 2014
quotequote all
I moved the handbrake on my Lotus 7 way back in the late 70's. I actually used an MG Midget unit (nice chrome one)and mounted it on the passenger side of the tunnel.
I made up a 3mm thick piece of alloy to match the MG mounting profile and simply bolted thro' the handbrake unit thro' the tunnel skin and thro' the new plate.
I also fitted the MG equalising rods on my axle but you could just use the existing system.
Handbrake works well, falls easily to hand and doesn't get in the way of the passenger.
Worked so well I fitted an MGB handbrake to my Europa :-)

TeflonTurd

1,655 posts

262 months

Saturday 12th April 2014
quotequote all
Not stricktly true Downsman.

The DiDion chassis from its 1986 introduction to 1996 was pretty much a live axle chassis with a few brackets held on for the diff. Hence this would happen with sufficient power.



There were in fact 6 fractured tubes in this 1993 Di Dion chassis.

1996 on chassis moved the handbrake to a stronger tunnel, with more torsional strength, but even these have been known to fail.

Regarding the handbrake, do you ever actually use it? I removed the handbrake from K2RUM in 1994 and never missed it right through to the cars death in 2009. I even passed 14 MOT tests without it!

Parking in gear is fine. For extra security if you park on hills, fit a line lock to the front brake circuit.

Edited by TeflonTurd on Saturday 12th April 08:28

james S

Original Poster:

1,615 posts

244 months

Saturday 12th April 2014
quotequote all
Thanks for your help chaps. I'll either find another car or just live with it

downsman

1,099 posts

155 months

Saturday 12th April 2014
quotequote all
TeflonTurd said:
Not stricktly true Downsman.

The DiDion chassis from its 1986 introduction to 1996 was pretty much a live axle chassis with a few brackets held on for the diff. Hence this would happen with sufficient power.



There were in fact 6 fractured tubes in this 1993 Di Dion chassis.

1996 on chassis moved the handbrake to a stronger tunnel, with more torsional strength, but even these have been known to fail.

Regarding the handbrake, do you ever actually use it? I removed the handbrake from K2RUM in 1994 and never missed it right through to the cars death in 2009. I even passed 14 MOT tests without it!

Parking in gear is fine. For extra security if you park on hills, fit a line lock to the front brake circuit.

Edited by TeflonTurd on Saturday 12th April 08:28
Thanks for that, very interesting smile
I'm not at all surprised they had failures if they tried to locate the diff with such a narrow tunnel.
I have to say, when I built my metric chassis Seven, I noticed the transmission tunnel was much more like the chassis of the Westfield SEi I built 20 years ago than a Lotus Seven.

Duncan

McWigglebum4th

32,414 posts

203 months

Monday 14th April 2014
quotequote all
james S said:
Thanks for your help chaps. I'll either find another car or just live with it
It's not even vaguely a problem to have an under dash handbrake.


Bu far the biggest advantage of one in the transmission tunnel is it gives you a place to stick your phone

Eric Mc

121,680 posts

264 months

Monday 14th April 2014
quotequote all
I used to get paranoid over hill starts but I am now so used to holding the Seven on the footbrake that I hardly even think about the inaccessibility of the hand brake now.

I very rarely use the handbrake at all.

Toaster

2,938 posts

192 months

Monday 14th April 2014
quotequote all
downsman said:
TeflonTurd said:
Not stricktly true Downsman.

The DiDion chassis from its 1986 introduction to 1996 was pretty much a live axle chassis with a few brackets held on for the diff. Hence this would happen with sufficient power.



There were in fact 6 fractured tubes in this 1993 Di Dion chassis.

1996 on chassis moved the handbrake to a stronger tunnel, with more torsional strength, but even these have been known to fail.

Regarding the handbrake, do you ever actually use it? I removed the handbrake from K2RUM in 1994 and never missed it right through to the cars death in 2009. I even passed 14 MOT tests without it!

Parking in gear is fine. For extra security if you park on hills, fit a line lock to the front brake circuit.

Edited by TeflonTurd on Saturday 12th April 08:28
Thanks for that, very interesting smile
I'm not at all surprised they had failures if they tried to locate the diff with such a narrow tunnel.
I have to say, when I built my metric chassis Seven, I noticed the transmission tunnel was much more like the chassis of the Westfield SEi I built 20 years ago than a Lotus Seven.

Duncan
In fairness this is not a usual Caterham and totally non-standard so the failure given the use shown in the following video and power this car had 280 Bhp (Claimed) Its hardly surprising as the car had quite a chequered and exciting life

http://www.pistonheads.com/GASSING/topic.asp?h=0&a...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U4fvDpA8e00

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5fp78DaPBd0

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cq2mSx7zjKs

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=830avqyeTDs

This is not a criticism just a critique and observation of trying to put that much power through a chassis that was probably not designed to take it in the first place.......



Edited by Toaster on Monday 14th April 20:45

McWigglebum4th

32,414 posts

203 months

Wednesday 16th April 2014
quotequote all
Oh there is another solution for the unhinged



Fit one of these tight against the tunnel in the passenger footwell while retaining the normal handbrake under the dash

Works brilliantly for hillstarts

and it lets you do this

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-pJk6lZDzb0




Meldonte

263 posts

170 months

Thursday 17th April 2014
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Hi James,


Just seen this post - It's my car you ewere thinking about buying wink

To back up what the others have said (and I know I would just say that...) but honestly I was a bit worried about how awkward the handbrake issue would be when I bought the car, but once I got used to holding the car on the foot brake and heel toeing (or should I say side toeing in a caterham) it was not an issue in the slightest. If I'm parking up I just leave it in second, and pull the handbrake on after if I'm on a hill.




BritishRacinGrin

24,599 posts

159 months

Friday 18th April 2014
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Center hand brake just provides something to catch your sleeve / wrist restraint on constantly.

downsman

1,099 posts

155 months

Friday 18th April 2014
quotequote all
It is perfectly possible to drive without using a handbrake, I had trouble reaching the (almost useless) one on my old Elan with belts on and got on OK for 8 years. However, now I have a Seven with a convenient handbrake that actually works really well, it is a nice luxury that is very useful for those of us with a steep driveway smile

james S

Original Poster:

1,615 posts

244 months

Monday 21st April 2014
quotequote all
Thanks for all your help chaps. I've now bought one with a central handbrake, but as mentioned above, this really was a minor detail in the end


Mavic82

89 posts

159 months

Monday 21st April 2014
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I know it is a personal thing but I hate the centre handbrake. I had the bosses attached to my chassis for an under dash handbrake and shifted it there so I now have a nice clear uncluttered tunnel top.