The Stovebolt Site Forums The Parking Lot Big Bolts Timken 2 Speed Parking Brake?

i have what i believe is a 1950 (according to PO) chevy 6400 with a timken double reduction 2 spd rear. there appears to be some sort of bracketry for a parking brake on the axle, but i thought these trucks were set up for a driveshaft brake? any thoughts on this? if this is the factory setup, where can i get parts (cables, etc.) for it?

Have you opened up the rear hubs to see if there's any linkage for applying the brake shoes mechanically? Some 2 speeds had a habit of falling out of mesh into a false neutral situation, so hub parking brakes would be a good idea.
Jerry

no i have not, because i cannot seem to find any information about reassembling the wheel bearings. do you know where i could find rebuild specs specifically for the 2 speed rear? i do want to pull the hubs to look at the brakes, as they currenlty do not work (mainly due to bad MC, but i want to check them anyhow).

I have a '50 2 ton cab over engine, model 5700, and it has a mechanical parking brake that activates the rear shoes. The front of the system is necessarily different than a standard cab, as the brake handle cannot attach to the transmission since in the COE model the tranny is behind the driver. Thus, the handle is to the left of the clutch pedal next to the driver kick panel. The handle is attached to a long rod that angles back to the center pivot. From there there are brake cables going to each wheel.

I am speculating that your truck would have a park brake handle attached to the tranny with a rod going to the same center pivot and cables that I have. Someone with same/similar truck as yours should chime in to clarify.

I would suggest getting a service manual for your truck to .help with the rear axle assembly. Reproductions can be found on line and you can also go to Old Online Chevy Manuals http://chevy.oldcarmanualproject.com/

I sourced new brake cables from inlinetube.com The outside diameter of the cables were smaller than the original but the cable clamps on the backing plates were modified to allow fitment
Kent

so i pulled the left rear hub, and my goodness, it is bad. there is definitely a parking brake mechanism in there, but there's also about 60 lbs of grease (including on the shoes), a broken return spring, and a destroyed shoe. i think i may have a source for some parts, but i'll need to pull all the others to really tell what shape the brake system in general is.