Moving the handbrake
Discussion
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
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
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.
I would think it would be very difficult to move the handbrake on a live axle chassis.
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 :-)
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 :-)
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.
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
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.
Thanks for that, very interesting 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
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
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.
Thanks for that, very interesting 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
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
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
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
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
Hi James,
Just seen this post - It's my car you ewere thinking about buying
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.
Just seen this post - It's my car you ewere thinking about buying
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.
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
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