Emergency brakes!

Well, in todays world they are actually parking brakes. Who has them, who doesn't and if you do have one, do you ever use it?

I already have my cables hooked up and was just curious.

 

I have mine. So far the only time that I have used it was to pass the NSRA Safety 23. I do not feet that it is a waste to have a parking brake. They are simple enough to hook up and are a useful safety precaution. I know, some guys will argue that they are never needed and are too expensive to hook up but I am not of that mind set.

The same goes for seat belts. There are those that are more macho than me that feel that it is better "to be thrown clear" of the carnage than to be strapped in with a seat belt and have the car on top of them. My argument is that perhaps the "carnage" could have been avoided entirely had the person been properly belted in and was able to steer clear of the accident in the first place. They were probably thrown out of the car early and had little or no chance to avoid the wreck. If they survived it was from pure luck that they were not hit by another motorist or, heaven forbid, they were crushed by their own ride while it was wildly flipping driverless.

I don't mean to step on anyone's toes, but these are my opinions and I felt that I needed to express them. There is no sense to cut corners when it comes to safety in my opinion.

 

I've modified my parking/emergency brake lever so it can be locked in the on position using a pad lock, when the car is left alone. Not as a theft deterrent, but as a knuckle head deteant... Being an open car some people just cant help but play with things, I could not find a shifter that locks in the park position. So now I can lock the parking brake. That shiny shifter just screams "Play with me knuckle head"

 

It had never crossed my mind that some idiot would think to mess with a shifter in someones car, but you have a good idea that makes great sence. Isn't it a shame the things we have to do to keep idiots at bay?

 

I really never thought about it much. I have one because my dad put it in when we were building the car, he wanted the Safety 23 for it.

 

I don't have my E-Brake install complete YET, YES, I plan to add one . I have Drum rear Brakes (Ford 9" late, big bearing, 11X2 Brakes).
I do have the pull handle mounts made, I made the Pull handle sit infront of the drivers seat sideways, so I have to reach between my legs to set the brake. Jus one less thing to trip over in the middle of the floor board...Great idea about the pad lock, easy to drill a hole in the pull handle ratchet.....!! Thank's, I think I'll copy ya, not that anyone would ever want to take my pile of scrap anyway..LOL....."BH"
www.controlcables.com

 

I have one and use it. I was taught at an early age to always set my parking brake when parked on anything that wasn't dead flat. I use my parking brake as a safety back-up to the parking pawl in my tranny. Parking brake is always set when the bucket is on the trailer. Parking brake is always set when my bucket is sitting on my driveway (very steep). I also consider it a viable emergency brake. I have tested stopping with it from 45 mph and know just how hard I can pull before locking it up.

A member of our local T club had an incident that a parking brake might have prevented. He was unloading his T from his open trailer. His rig was parked on a slight slope down toward the back of the trailer. When he released the last strap, the T began rolling backward (the ramps were already down). It rolled off the trailer, across a driveway and over a 2 foot retaining wall. As the rear wheels rolled over the retaining wall, the radius rod frame tabs hung up on the wall and stopped the T. Had it not stopped it would have rolled out onto the main street of Mountain Home, Arkansas during rush hour! Someone had apparently taken the shifter out of Park during a meal stop earlier in the day. There was no parking brake.

 

I have one on my '34. its not fully functional, yet..............
I need the little cable that goes from the E-brake lever, down to the junction of the E-brake cables.

I believe in them, cheap insurance. now I just gotta get off my lazy duff and find that little cable

Vance

 

ive got 1 in my t and use it always. it is very useful cause 1 day the car could roll back or forward somewhere and then we will have troubles