The Stovebolt Site Forums The Parking Lot Tons 'o Fun What are these? Parking brake cables - 1949 3800 long bed

Have a ‘49 3800 long bed. Can’t figure out what these brackets are or where they attach. They are attached to the parking brake cables on both sides of the truck just behind the cab. They were hanging there when I got the truck. Any help is appreciated. Thanks!

I’ve seen some of these before and I don’t think they are original
The point of the bracket maybe is to tighten up the cable
Or at least that’s how I’ve seen them used on a few junk trucks
If everything is in working order the cable should be adjustable as outlined in the service manual.
-s

My truck has nothing like that.

Thank you!

I'm thinking that my 1940 truck has something similar to that behind the cab, that has to do with the parking brake.

Emergency brake cable tensioner. But not a 1 ton original part.

Johnny is right.

The pictures below are of my '49 3804 (1-Ton pickup). This is what your '49 1-ton should look like (if still original). And FWIW, ALL Advance Design 3804s (pickup) have the same 9-ft bed.

The first one shows the linkage from the p brake handle (bottom) to the crossbar. The second photo shows one side of the frame -- outboard end of the cross bar to the rear axle brake assembly (cable with adjustment).

As you can see, at no point do the cables from the brake drums connect to each other thus such a part ayou show is not even a part of the design. Probably a lighter truck or a newer truck.

Hope this helps.

Otto -- Do you have a 1-ton you're not listing in your signature line?? Of course *your* truck doesn't look like that. *your* truck is a 1/2-ton. Despite the sheet metal similarities, 3100s and 3800s have *very* little in common. Hence the 1-ton specific forum (um, aimed at 1-ton owners )

John

Quick band-aid when the stock adjusters are frozen. Spray penetrant the old adjusters, slap on 1 or 2 cable dogs and get going. Buys time for the penetrant to work or parts to come in. Trouble is... most folks who put them on never take 'em off.

J.C. Whitney used to sell a device like that to shorten up stretched E brake cables that had bottomed out the regular adjustment. It was a band-aid fix to avoid having to replace the cables.
Jerry

I used those gizmos to shorten my cables before I got the brake with the drum that clamps the driveshaft aft of the brownie. The shorteners are still on the truck as are the cables and fittings for the drum e-brakes.

One thing to consider when using the factory e-brake setup on Huck brakes is that when you set the e-brake real hard at the bottom of a hill when the brakes are way hot, the force of the shoes will warp the drums. It takes many heat-cool cycles to make them round again but they eventually will. Under no circumstances grind or turn those drums. There are no more of them!