E-brake makeover

I spent a little time last week making good on the rear axle problem and put the new (old) drums on, then discovered that the 914 cables to my parking brake wouldn't work with them.
I thought it might be time to do something about the brake while it's not being used, so tonight it got a makeover. If I can remember where all the pieces go when I put it back together, I'll be in business with new cables sometime later this week.
Since watching paint dry is boring, I figured maybe I'd post a nice "before" shot of the ugly, nasty mess it had become. I'll put some "after" pictures up if it isn't too goobered up to post.
It really was a bit overdue:

Zounds, C-dawg! You're right, it was looking a bit sad. I keep forgetting to pull off those rain-hats and send them to you for your artistry. Email me your shipping address again, please.

Cory, my back-to-work-Firefighting/wheel-drum-replacing/rusty-E-brakehandle-fixing BRUTHA!!

Re-doing the E-brake handle - Really?!! Hope your project goes well and without the usual shenanigans. At least you'll know that the next time you pull up on your E-brake, it won't break off in your hand! Bwaaaaaa Haaaaaa!

Hope all is well with you, my brutha!

No problem, Lane.
Jim, it actually seems to be coming along nicely. Three coats of paint so far -- maybe I'll clear it, too. Orange and red, as usual with this car.
I'm going to wrap the handle with leather also. I'm thinking black will do nicely -- but that's a few days off. Reassembly will happen tonight.
WOO-HOO!

I might have to reconsider this paint job. The orange was Chrysler Orange, and it's a little bright. The red was Ford Red, and it was also too bright. I decided to antique them a bit to see how it would look.
The jury will remain out until it's actually installed. ...

does that just clamp on a roll bar piece? It doesn't look serrated, nor does it look like it mounts to any fixed point - so if you yanked on the handle - wouldn't it potentially turn?

Also - it's a nice piece, but i think it would look better in the classic silver, instead of red or orange. My $0.02

Cory,

I am just keying off the "914 brake cable" part of your opening. 914 brake handles are the weirdest in the history of parking brakes. You have to pull up further to engage the release. With my 914's I can't tell you the number of times a parking lot guy or a service guy (not familiar with a 914) has told me "the parking brake is broken" when I returned. The handle flops up and down not engaged with the release until you pull up hard on it to engage the handle again. I don't know if that is what the opening problem is but I thought I would mention that.

Fred
San Diego

Paul, it's a 550 brake handle. I've mounted it to a three-inch piece of my front beam, pretty much where the old handbrake used to be. It was handy at the time the car was built, since the clearance between my seats is about four inches and it was fabricated at the same time as the car got narrowed.
It stands off the tunnel on steel legs with just enough space under it for the cable connections to clear. The 550 had the brake in front of the seats, on the floor, mounted in a way I couldn't use, so I thought replacing the old brake and making the spoon a convenient place to rest my right hand was a good idea.
The ratchet side is on the other side of the mechanism, with serrated teeth for about two-thirds of the arch. It works pretty well, but it's mild steel and will flex if you yank on it. The spring is good, and as long as it's oiled once a month, it's pretty reliable.
Silver was a thought for this, but the aluminum paint I like to use goes flat and lets rust grow a little more quickly than engine paint seems to. If I have to take it off again for corrosion control, I'll be making a copy out of better metal, maybe stainless, and I'm sure it'll look good in silver.

Fred, this releases just fine. The problem was that it was twisted slightly from abuse. I took it off because the 914 rear calipers had an emergency brake connection that's different from the drums my friend Mark and I put on last week. Since I don't have the VW brake cables in the car yet, it was a good opportunity to clean the handle up and paint it again.

Well, here it is.
The colors seem to be consistent with the rest of the interior. I'm not absolutely happy, but it works for now.

OK, convert to brake drums, CHECK! - refurbish e-brake handle, CHECK!

How many more projects to go...?

Peace - Out, my fabricating/painting/EMSing/Hooptying BRUTHA!

I like it but then, I'm partial shade color blind and amaze myself when I power up a car I wired it doesn't send out smoke signals. Sucks rocks to have to place a piece of white 'puter paper behind some wiring to see what color it actually is. ~ Alan

OK Alan, this is a test....what color bathing suit is this girl wearing

Thanks, guys!

Coral, orange, kinda pink but, it's difficult to focus....doesn't that one fall into the "Things I gotta do category? :)

bucket list...

man - TC - you sure like the blond ladies, eh?

I'd have to chrome it.. or at the least silver chrome powder coat.

Who gives a flip about the bathing suit. Im lookin at the Lady.

Ummmm.... bathing suit?