The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area Driveline Emergency Brake Cable Missing Boot?

Is there some sort of rubber boot or bellows that keeps the weather out of the emergency brake inner cable so it does not freeze in winter?
Thanks.
Phil

It's called a park brake cable boot. Found on Jim Carter Truck Parts but most vendors will have them.

I haven't had real good luck with the repop parking brake cable boots. This pic shows mine after sitting over one winter. Maybe because it was exposed to the weather (not covered by the pickup box.) Both sides looked the same.

That shouldn't matter at all. The originals lasted decades. My originals are still on the truck and look better than your new ones.

I've see this before with front end kits from Kanter. The rubber disintegrates whether it sees use in the elements or not. A friend restoring a '57 Cadillac had his rubber parts end up like yours while his car was on blocks in the garage undergoing restoration.

Where did you get your brake cable boot from?

Forty9 I have a pair of those, but after i got them they didn't seem to be the right thing. The hole is too small for the threaded rod to fit.
Phil

klhansen I have that boot from a vendor but the hole is way too small to fit over the threaded rod. I could ream the hole but that would probably destroy the nipple end of the boot. how did yours fit?
Phil

Otto Skorzeny i will attach a photo of a new boot that i just got. i don't see how these will fit over the threaded rod. Does this look right to you?
Phil

Two issues I see. One is the obvious, the rubber boot you bought won’t fit over the cable without stretching to the point it breaks (on my truck, one of two boots split before getting it over the cable on, then the other only lasted a couple of months before splitting in the same place). The second issue is the cable you have going to the back brake is not the correct cable for your truck. The metal part of the sheath is supposed to stick out further than the clamp as in the picture I attached so the boot has something to clamp around.

The first set of boots I got from Classic Parts. I bought another set from Chevs of the Forty’s and they look exactly the same.

I would really like buy the correct boots that fit and don’t disintegrate in a few months. I checked Steel Rubber Products and could not find the boots on their website. Any ‘Bolters out there have any luck find the right ones?

Like Phak1 I didn’t find them at Steele. I got them from the Filling Station but they’re probably the same everywhere. They went on without splitting but cracked in the middle after about 6 months. I also have modern style tie rod ends and the boots on those split too. They weren’t really stretched that much either. I think it’s an issue with the rubber compound used. Maybe there’s something that can be applied to them to soften them up a bit and avoid cracking.

I used a straight spark plug boot on mine and it worked good. The rubber is thicker and won't crinkle up. 1950 Chevy 3100. I also bought the repo and they were to flimsy with to soft of rubber. Thought of something similiar which was the spark plug boot. I have forgotten the size and I think I had to open up the cable end for it to slide better. Cheap fix.

Phak 1 Interesting! I got the cables from Chevs of the 40’s. I see what you mean by the photos. I’ll loosen up the bolts and see if there is a groove in the cable end. Not sure where I got the boots from.
Thanks.
Phil

Shof, that’s a great idea. I have replacements from the same source but may try and find some spark plug boots that will work.

Kevin, on my current project, I had tie rod dust covers split within less than a month. While I was fabricating stuff in the shop, no weather involved!! I decided not to even mess with rubber and bought a box of polyurethane covers. Hopefully, they hold up better than the rubber versions. I'm guessing the tie rod ends and their rubber dust covers came from an offshore supplier so the seller could maximize profits?

Currently out of stock.

Mark, I'll try those. Thanks