The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area The HiPo Shop best way to add emergency brakes on a 53 pick up

building a 1953 chevy pickup, has small block chevy, 350 tranny, and a late model rear end with drum brakes. all of the original components of the emergency brakes were removed before I got the truck and I am not real concerned with replacing to original. Any suggestions as far a manufactures of aftermarket components for emergency brakes in this scenario would be appreciated.

...IF you have bucket seats AND you kept your cross bar that the E-brake cables hook to, may want to try what I did.
I used a brake handle that is in a lot of cars between the bucket seats. (mine came from a Colt but most any will work)
Once I had it bolted in the floor I ran a cable from the rear cross member to the handle. Works like a charm.

http://i140.photobucket.com/albums/r19/LutherParris/52Panel/EmergencyBrake001.jpg

If you want a pic of the handle between the seats I can take one.
Hope this gives you some good ideas.

As far as after-market, you can look at Lokar, I believe they probably have something that will work, but you will pay for it. Not sure why they seem to really be pricey--might just be my budget!! (Well, quality probably has something to do with it too...)

Here is a linky to their e-brake webpage: http://lokar.com/product-pgs/ebrake-cables-conn-cables/ebrake-cable-main.html


It might be easier to just download their catalog and look at it in Acrobat since thier website has got a lot of stuff going on when you just want to look at thier products (my opinion).

In the catalog they have Chevy truck (AD) sp3ecific cables, FWIW.

I am planning to use my original pull lever under the dash (Task Force truck)and fab to F*rd 8.8 rear cables. Probably use the orginal lever in the middle of the frame and hook cab pull lever to it with original Chevy cable, then hook 8.8 cables to it. (Exploder rear end has disc brakes with the little internal brake shoes for the parking brakes.)

The Lokar universal kit is very good and will probably be your best bet, but you do need most of the original parts inside the drum/shoes to hook it to. You might need to go fishing at a junkyard if you're missing parts in there.

i have a 49 chev with a 350/350 and a 12 bolt......i used a lokar trans mounted e brake lever and their cables....could not have been simpler......dave

ps...it may seem a little pricey...but i'll take simplicity and quality any day......dave

You could always do a pinion brake.

Depending on your location, some vehicle equipment regulations don't allow a pinion brake as an acceptable emergency brake.