Live axle hand brake actuating rod

[Welly Jen]

Does anyone have a Mk1, or Mk2 Escort handbrake actuating rod sitting around and going spare? This is the rod that fits on the back of the axle casing. The handbrake cable sheath attaches to it and pulls on the handbrake on one side, while the cable pulls on the other. The only photo I've managed to find is the sixth picture down in Smokey Mows for sale ad.

 

The reason for me looking for one is that the handbrake actuation on my live axle car is a non standard twin cable set up / botch up devised by the original builder. Every MOT it is a struggle to get this thing to the minimum pass standard. The handbrake can't be relied on to hold the car on any sort of incline. I would like to try returning the back axle to a more standard hand brake setup and see if this works any better. If no one has one, then it doesn't look too difficult to fabricate something.

 

Jenny

[Mark (smokey mow)]

The Westfield one is modified from the original escort part so as to clear the chassis. There's several escort ones on ebay and I can sort the dimensions for you if needed

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/160987823488

[Welly Jen]

The Westfield one is modified from the original escort part so as to clear the chassis. There's several escort ones on ebay and I can sort the dimensions for you if needed http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/160987823488

Thanks Mark,

Never thought of checking ebay. I may take you up on the offer of dimensions. Will PM you if I need them.  The cable in your photo looks different from one of the twin cables on my car, which are Westfield supplied items. I suspect these are ones for IRS cars, possibly with disk brakes too and the cars original builder bodged together a way of using them. Do you know if Westfield supplied a shortened mark 1/2 Escort brake cable for live axle cars? If they did and it is still available from them, then a modified Ford actuating rod and and Westfield cable would be the way to go. If I can't get the right cable, then I could make my own actuating rod and size it to use one of the existing cables.

 

I think that using the sheath to pull on one set of brake shoes and the cable to pull on the other halves the distance pulled on each side, which should double the force applied by the hand brake lever to each brake, compared with a twin cable set up. Not sure about this and it makes my brain hurt thinking about it. Sort of like a pulley reduction in reverse. I am hoping that returning the system to a more factory based set up will improve the hand brake from the current token gesture.

 

Jenny