PARKING BRAKE CABLE - '94 C2500 - WHICH? Non-removable Molded Pad Cover? Removable Rubber Pad Cover?

[67GMC]

I've done at least three parking brake cables on various vehicles. None were the same. None were as straight-forward as I would have like. A VW one was the closest to easy I could get. I find it better to replace every piece though. In the rust belt, you can't rely on just getting new cables to solve the issue.
Best of luck.

 

[chevius]

Right. interesting. I WILL REPLACE ALL!!! glad you mentioned!
Getting the thing out at the rear is proving tricky.

I'm enjoying doing my first brake drums, though yeah, the parking brake is perplexing. I'll post elsewhere if it get's weird quite possibly.


Right now I'm doing new wheel cylinders on the 13" brakes/drums (whatever they're called) - then getting to the parking brake.

AND, bizarre is that with Duo-Servo I learned there's a primary and a secondary pad - on mine there's two primaries on one side and two secondaries on the other. NICE!!!!!! WRONG.

Haven't driven it yet - good that!

REALLY really enjoying working on it - it's all kinda new to me, the actual DOING parts, and not just watchin videos and thinking. heh-heh

I guess this threads pretty much complete!


Great season to everyone!

 

[67GMC]

Sounds good. Just a note when you do the cables, it's sometimes easier to just cut them with bolt cutters instead of trying to getting them off if they're really rusty. They were almost welded on to my backing plates. Once you cut them, you don't have to fiddle around trying to flatten the fins that hold them in place since you can pull them in the opposite direction. Since you're using new parts, no sense trying to save the old stuff.
Not sure if you have the same Parking Brake Equalizer connector that holds both Left and Right cables for the rear. Keep that if you can. The aftermarket part (at least the Dorman unit I had), was too flimsy and gave out when I floored the parking brake. Not a comforting thought! I cleaned up the GM part and it is ok now. I think RockAuto sells the GM part for a few bucks more.

Just my $0.02.

 

[chevius]

-------
TOP-LINE (on delays in reply/finding post): I now have a folder with bookmarks to all my forum posts ~> that i can open with one click!
-------

67GMC !!!
AWESOMELY useful reply.

1) YES, I cannot get the parking brake cables out (at very end of cables) Neither the left rear or the right rear.
Also wondering... as really need to understand better. THOSE FINS! they're a hassle to get out AND in? Maybe there's a fin compressing tool or tip/trick to it?

If i were NOT to cut the cables, and did manage to free the rusted ends, I'd be wondering how hard it is to get the FINS out?

AND THEN: Once the rear cables are out, I'll be wondering how hard the FINS are to get back in place with new cables.

BASICALLY, I've been theorizing and pondering and NOT actually trying more than a few minutes on getting those rusted rear left/right cable tips out.

Been on other truck stuff though, which I'll likely post on soon enough. heh-heh.

2) And, totally spot-on with the Dorman I'm thinking - Might write them and ask about that. I have the dorman and it feels a bit off perhaps. Might be helpful to write them and let them know. I'll clean up the old one too!

Huge thank for the Fins/rusted cables bit. YEAH they are not coming out easily.
Haven't totally tried yet, as was ordering cables and much other truck stuff I'll post about.

Super happy to have tips and be writin' back my wonderings... about those fins getting out, and then getting them back in. That's been the puzzle which has stopped me going for it. Plus, my new rear cables arrive next Tuesday.

FINS! never woulda thought to call 'em that. heh-heh

Having a great time learning and doing.
Thanks to all.

 

[67GMC]

Good to hear your progress. You won't need to worry about the fins on the new parts. When you push them in, the fins will expand and lock in place. IT's designed not to be easily removed. I think there is a tool to compress them. I've seen some people cut the "fingers" off the fins one at a time and then pull it out. Bolt cutters were better for me. Everything is coated in rust on any vehicle that is driven in winter here so we're used to everything being hard to undo. I basically expect nothing to come off without a fight and I'm not far off most of the time. Someday I want to work on an old California truck!!
As for the Dorman part, I have heard people say they put a gear clamp on the end to keep that captive nut in place. The old unit didn't need it though. A wire wheel cleaned it up enough.

 

[chevius]

67GMC !!! SPOT-ON INCREDIBLY helpful.
I have my new left and right rear ACDELCO cables.
Appears they don't have the (perhaps original) much fatter rubber.
I wonder if I'm supposed to use the old fat rubber over the replacement cables.
The old rubber overlay is very cracked up at the brakes end(s).
Figure it'll make sense once i get to it.
Guess it's a new style, thinner rubber and i don't need to feed these new cables through anything.
Replacing the wheel cylinders I noticed all the bold heads are way smaller too, compared to the likely original wheel cylinder bolts for bleeder and hard lines.

AND, it's the weekend! SO, catching up.
My folder of forum posts is proving great remind, to not loose track.

Will write back after getting in there.

And, it's gonna be REAL interesting putting back together the brake spring kit.
Have brake spring pliers. I have the semi-float 14 bolts on diff rear. no easily removable axle, so can't take off the large round plate that the brakes attach to to clean - Figure to spray with much hated brake cleaner. Scary stuff for lungs and all.

I'll start another post I bet after the parking brake. Wanna get the brakes REAL right. heh-heh.

 

[chevius]

UPDATE:
Actually OPENED the parking brake cable's inner plastic bags up... and sure enough, seems to have the thick-enough rubber shielding!
My error in above post.

And yes... designing my ultimate truck in my head part by part kinda.
Might someday be able to get a new full chassis, and even body.
They're out there - though just found out maybe every re-made body is a bit different and not guaranteed to work with old parts found for it to finish it.

Or better, maybe just buy a super clean expensive one SOMEDAY.

Figure i can sort the parking brake now - just the Left and right REAR cables though - happily i don't think I'll be doing the front cable this season. Good that, as tons to do in other areas!

 

[Steve Addy]

There's lots of confusion in the brake cables, and on RA there's not enough info to be able to make a reasonable decision. Some cables appear to be only 1/8 or 1/4" different in length, which based on the amount of slack back there seems weird that 1/8" or 1/4" would make any difference.

I found a Raybestos brake cables catalog here that helped me out a lot.

The above link should open a download window to let you save it to your PC. It's a pdf file, the name is BCI-BCAG19.pdf.

Alternatively if you want to see all the catalog pdfs they have available go here. The one for the brake cables is part way down, scroll down to see it.

I know it helped me figure out the craziness of parking brake cables, at least on the C3500.

Steve

 

[67GMC]

Hmm-Steve is making me think now. I had almost no slack when I did mine a few months ago. Maybe I ordered the slightly shorter cables. My right drum was really tight because as I pulled the main cable to hook up to the front, I had to pull with vice grips to get it into that connector. 1" would have made all the difference and I could have used the nut to tighten things up.

That's a handy guide. Thanks for attaching.