Handbrake improvements
Discussion
We bought our first TVR (Chimaera) a month ago and love the car. However, as everybody warned us, the handbrake is useless. Not sure why and even less sure why, in all these years, no one has come up with a standard mod to fix it. We live in a hilly town and don t want to worry every time we stop in traffic on a hill.
I know it is a frequent topic on here but I have made some progress by extending the levers on the callipers about 15mm and fitting a longer grip on the handle. A little improvement from each seems to add up to a significantly better functioning brake. I will give it a few weeks and if all stays good then look to finding a prettier hand grip and permanently lengthening the levers.
In the background I am pursuing an electric option, which having seen the success of JoJackson4, seems to me will be the proper answer.
I know it is a frequent topic on here but I have made some progress by extending the levers on the callipers about 15mm and fitting a longer grip on the handle. A little improvement from each seems to add up to a significantly better functioning brake. I will give it a few weeks and if all stays good then look to finding a prettier hand grip and permanently lengthening the levers.
In the background I am pursuing an electric option, which having seen the success of JoJackson4, seems to me will be the proper answer.
Edited by David Goodwin on Friday 13th June 18:21
Both mine work fine and easily pass the mot with 20%+ performance. Itsbasicallyford sierra parts so there’s no reason it shouldn’t work when adjusted correctly. The only difference is the relative leverage From driver to handbrake position because the handbrake sits higher than in a sierra. Overly tightened handbrakes in an attempt to get better performance make this leverage issue worse.
That's a valid point - when I fitted a new handbrake cable (the previous one was fitted incorrectly and broke on the adjuster), I adjusted it to have a fourth click on the lever. It needs a bit of a pull to get it onto the fourth, and 9 times out of 10 I only use the easy three, but I can get it on tighter if necessary without having to go nuts.
So, as others have said, with cleaned up and well functioning callipers/handbrake mechanism, it may be possible to just adjust the problem away.
So, as others have said, with cleaned up and well functioning callipers/handbrake mechanism, it may be possible to just adjust the problem away.
There clearly is a problem as you can tell from the number of posts and comments about it. Also the universal recommendation to always leave the car in gear.
It is all standard parts so should work but I think a lot of the problem is the lever position. My wife (who is the main driver) struggles with the position, high up on her left hand side, and if I pull it on hard enough she can't release it.
Just in the wrong place I think, an umbrella one might have been a better choice and still allowed the fat centre tunnel.
My two mods have made a significant improvement, along with keeping the cables loose enough for a 4th click and to ensure the auto adjusters work. A finer toothed ratchet is another thought.
Just checking - can people see the photos?
It is all standard parts so should work but I think a lot of the problem is the lever position. My wife (who is the main driver) struggles with the position, high up on her left hand side, and if I pull it on hard enough she can't release it.
Just in the wrong place I think, an umbrella one might have been a better choice and still allowed the fat centre tunnel.
My two mods have made a significant improvement, along with keeping the cables loose enough for a 4th click and to ensure the auto adjusters work. A finer toothed ratchet is another thought.
Just checking - can people see the photos?
phillpot said:
As others have said, if everything is in good order the handbrake works fine.
<This , healthy calipers correct cable adjustment and in my case genuine Ford/Lucas/Motorcraft pads equals proper working H/B been that way for 15 years plus , use generic pads or race pads and expect s
t H/B performance , it was the same story with the donor car Sierra/Granada Edited by Sardonicus on Friday 13th June 17:31
David Goodwin said:
There clearly is a problem as you can tell from the number of posts and comments about it. Also the universal recommendation to always leave the car in gear.
It is all standard parts so should work but I think a lot of the problem is the lever position. My wife (who is the main driver) struggles with the position, high up on her left hand side, and if I pull it on hard enough she can't release it.
Just in the wrong place I think, an umbrella one might have been a better choice and still allowed the fat centre tunnel.
My two mods have made a significant improvement, along with keeping the cables loose enough for a 4th click and to ensure the auto adjusters work. A finer toothed ratchet is another thought.
Just checking - can people see the photos?
Can't see any photos...It is all standard parts so should work but I think a lot of the problem is the lever position. My wife (who is the main driver) struggles with the position, high up on her left hand side, and if I pull it on hard enough she can't release it.
Just in the wrong place I think, an umbrella one might have been a better choice and still allowed the fat centre tunnel.
My two mods have made a significant improvement, along with keeping the cables loose enough for a 4th click and to ensure the auto adjusters work. A finer toothed ratchet is another thought.
Just checking - can people see the photos?
David Goodwin said:
There clearly is a problem as you can tell from the number of posts and comments about it. Also the universal recommendation to always leave the car in gear.
It is all standard parts so should work but I think a lot of the problem is the lever position. My wife (who is the main driver) struggles with the position, high up on her left hand side, and if I pull it on hard enough she can't release it.
Just in the wrong place I think, an umbrella one might have been a better choice and still allowed the fat centre tunnel.
My two mods have made a significant improvement, along with keeping the cables loose enough for a 4th click and to ensure the auto adjusters work. A finer toothed ratchet is another thought.
Just checking - can people see the photos?
The problem really only comes about when it s either not in good condition or the cable is over tightened which is what most people do to try to get a better handbrake. Sadly the position is fixed, and the space to fit something else is very limited. Cars should always be left in gear regardless of handbrake effectiveness as handbrakes can and do fail, especially on cars with rear disc brakes. I recently witnessed a Ferrari 355 roll away into two more Ferraris due to being left solely on the handbrake.It is all standard parts so should work but I think a lot of the problem is the lever position. My wife (who is the main driver) struggles with the position, high up on her left hand side, and if I pull it on hard enough she can't release it.
Just in the wrong place I think, an umbrella one might have been a better choice and still allowed the fat centre tunnel.
My two mods have made a significant improvement, along with keeping the cables loose enough for a 4th click and to ensure the auto adjusters work. A finer toothed ratchet is another thought.
Just checking - can people see the photos?
I suspect you will need to replace the levers rather than extend them the way you have as I suspect both police, mot and insurance may find the mod unacceptable for its construction. If you can get new levers and refurb the callipers then it may work.
Still can t see photos in the thread btw. But links work when clicked
Edited by SMB on Friday 13th June 19:32
Edited by SMB on Friday 13th June 19:42
Good point about the MOT - I hadn't considered that. It would be odd if they failed a handbrake for being better, but they might fail it for being non-standard. Easy job to take the mod off if necessary. On lots of callipers the arm is bolted on and therefore easy to replace, TVR ones (of course) are not like that .
David Goodwin said:
Good point about the MOT - I hadn't considered that. It would be odd if they failed a handbrake for being better, but they might fail it for being non-standard. Easy job to take the mod off if necessary. On lots of callipers the arm is bolted on and therefore easy to replace, TVR ones (of course) are not like that .
Check others in the Ford parts binDavid Goodwin said:
There clearly is a problem as you can tell from the number of posts and comments about it. Also the universal recommendation to always leave the car in gear.
IMHO you have picked up on a whole range of issues with 'TVR's' that range from 1947 through to the end of production, which covers drum brakes from 3000 AH, Triumph TR, Jaguar in-board discs, Ford drum brake Granada (with and without umbrella pull handles) that really do not apply to your car. Done properly you would buy into either a new item (Big Red sell them) or a warranted rebuild unit and set the up the pads/disc correctly and the handbrake works (you may need to replace the cable). From your pictures they look like the original calipers of 26 year old.
I replaced the same set as yours on my wife's Tamora and it solved both the handbrake (freed up on the MOT 3 years ago by a TVR garage) the pads not cleaning the inner face of the disc (my wife is a petite thing and to her use of the handbrake is critical to how she drives) BUT that it works as well as if not better than all our other TVR's and is as good as our Volvo, Citroen,(both ABS rear disc) Smart (self adjustable ABS drum) all of which she jumps into and drives...she simply expects it to work as a handbrake.
A@
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