The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area Driveline 1959 SM420 parking brake spring

My 1959 38 with SM420 has the parking brake lever attached to the transmission which activates a band around the rear trans mounted drum. I need help in correcting a problem that should be simple to anyone with at least one good eye. I'm almost embarrassed to admit I've been working on these old chevys since the early 60s and now I can't figure out how to keep the parking brake engaged. The problem is the small spring that mounts in the top of the brake lever. It should force the movable part of the lever handle rearward, which in turn pushes a rod downward to engage a cog mechanism at the bottom of the brake lever. The fix should be simple: install a new spring at the top of the brake lever. I did and it still doesn't work properly. It appears to only fit one way. Nevertheless, something still isn't right.

Does anyone have a closeup photo depicting the exact mounting of the spring? Chevy engineers figured this was so simple they didn't include it in the shop manual.

This may not be the exact lever, but there's a diagram here on a vendor website of a brake spring location.

I'll look in the factory assembly manual later tonight & see if there's a better diagram.

Brad

oldbolter, these pictures are the best I could do from the FAM, but I think you should be able to zoom in for a better view: parking brakes.

Works cited/CMA: 1955-1959 Truck Factory Assembly Manual--Chevrolet. California: Golden State Pickup Parts, 1990(General Motors (1959))

Brad

Claude, thanks for the pictures. Once I get back out to the shop, I'll try one more time to make it work.

By the way, we are almost neighbors; I'm in New Market.

Here is a close up of the spring in the handle of my '57.

http://s844.photobucket.com/user/ma...e%20brake/e%20brake_zpsvdnwmdub.jpg.html

Maybellene

Thanks for the close up. That's exactly what I needed.