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E-Brake Cable Install

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Jim_Gruber

Jim_Gruber

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So I thought I had a broken E-Brake Cable on Bugsy IV. Took it all apart, no not broken, compared to the cable I took off of Bugsy II, hmm they are identical in length so not stretched. Curiouser and curiouser. I had reused the tang on the end of the cable that attaches to the E-Brake handle as I was going to install a new E-Brake Handle. So I reused what was there. So here is the question?

1) do MGB's and Spridget share the same E-Brake Handle
2) Do they use different tangs to attach to the E-Brake Cable to account for a different in Wheelbase but use the same cable?.

That's the only thing I see different between to old cable and Cable I know worked on Bugsy II. Now to root around and see if I can locate the tang that came off of Bugsy II. It's in one of the boxes.......Yeah right.
 
No not the tang. Everything is identical. Advice from On Line says disconnect each E-Brake Rod and re adjust brakes on each side without the E-Brake Rod attached. Reattach each rod, and then tighten up till you can feel at 3 clicks up on the E-Brake. Got everything back together, ran out of energy to do final Brake Adjustments. Will tackle it in the AM.
 
Jim_Gruber said:
No not the tang. Everything is identical. Advice from On Line says disconnect each E-Brake Rod and re adjust brakes on each side without the E-Brake Rod attached. Reattach each rod, and then tighten up till you can feel at 3 clicks up on the E-Brake. Got everything back together, ran out of energy to do final Brake Adjustments. Will tackle it in the AM.
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This should help from the Workshop Manual. Bentley has much the same in Section M.3. Dan
 

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Thanks Dan. The Factory Shop Manual isn't nearly as good. Hey you may know this BE. I purchased from John Katz in your part of the world. He got it from the 90 y.o. original owner last year in CA and it has been in storage since. Lots of parts and pieces that I am fixing along the way to make it a driver and then paint will come along with Front Discs, a 5 Speed and a 1275. It's Blue now, no not Iris Blue, but will be OEW with Red Interior. It's coming along just not fast enough. I want to get out and drive. Thanks.
 
OK Team, Tried everything to specifications, M&P's. etc. Removed Brake rods from brake drums. Adjusted 3 clicks on the shoes and they feel tight but handle runs out of ratchet clicks. If I pull handle straight up I can get things to lock up but that is at least 1" tighter on the cable it would need to go. Could I have the wrong E-Brake levers installed. Do they use the same levers for all years? The cable I used from Bugsy II which worked fine does not work in this car. Cable adjuster is all of the way tight as it can go. I give up. Suggestions needed. Even if I go back and readjust shoes I can't see that I will get another inch of travel out of the cable. Open to ideas.
 
So the VB Catalog shows an Adjustable Link Rod Pair. Is that what I need. Time to measure the LH Link Rod on Bugsy II as it appears there are two different link rods and BE's take a different Link Rod than other Sprisgets. RH Remains the same for all years.
 
No it's the MOSS Catalog showing adjustable link arms but how much do they adjust. Anyone used these?
 
Lengths are different between wire wheel cars and steel wheel cars.
 
Well I measured the rod from Bugsy II and Bugsy IV and they are both 14" long Center to Center. So that variable is out. Shoes have moved a little as I've played with this for the past few hours. A couple more clicks to adjust but cable is all out of adjustment room. Hard up against the stops.
 
Thanks Trevor. This is the frustrating crap I always seem to run across.
 
OK kept adjusting and playing with it. Finally have some tension with handle all of the way up. Definitely don't want to trust on a hill. Hopefully will be better when I change to later backing plates. For now I've played with this long enough.On to another Project/Step in getting Bugsy back on the road..
 
Do you have as little thread as possible (3-4 threads) showing at the compensator end of the bowden cable? Making the bowden longer gets more tension, longer makes looser.

ps: I don't know John Katz, but, if I did you'd still be working on Bugsy II. :chuncky:

Dan
 
You are correct. Bowden is adjusted as tight as I can make it. There are no available threads showing to make it any tighter. It is up tight against the stops. And at that I barely have tension on the DS Shoes. For now I'll readjust after I put a few stops into the brakes. Yes Bugsy IV is indeed a fine BE. Just fixing all of the stuff to make him safer is a challenge. See my other thread on Bugsy Progress.
 
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