Jan 21,2014

"How I Do It"

1964 Chrysler Parking Brake Cables

I am restoring a 300K and while going through the brakes, I discovered the parking brake cables were beyond repair. On advice from Jamie Hyde, who had been through this with his 300J, I contacted Inline Tube since they have new parking brake cables available for the 63 and 64 Chryslers. The cables are perfect reproductions of the original parts and are available in the original steel construction or in Stainless Steel at additional cost. Inline can also supply you with the hardware kit. See the chart here for Inline Tube's part numbers and pricing as of January 2014.



Replacement of parking brake cables is not likely to be the biggest job you tackle, but now that new parts are available, it is a job that should be done.
Removal of the old cables can be difficult since the cables are likely to be stuck and corroded. Fortunately, we need to save only a few parts, such as the rubber seal and clip at the floor for the front cable, so if cutting the old cables makes the job easier, so be it.





A note on removing the front cable from the parking brake pedal: the end of the cable has a "bullet" end which fits into a "keyhole" in the pedal mechanism. It can be a bit difficult to get the cable end out of the keyhole. I found it is easier to do if the parking pedal is depressed about 75% of its travel.








There are three cables in the system. The left rear, the right rear and the front cable. The left rear is the short cable and has a direct path from the rear brake to the frame anchor. The right cable, by comparison, takes the scenic route. It exits the backing plate, runs through a clip on the rear axle housing, up through another clip by the rear brake line, and then to the anchor on the frame.
There is nothing special to say about routing the cables, the usual things apply; make sure their route is away from exhaust pipes and drive shafts, make any bends as gentle as space allows.

























The hardware kit includes a new adjuster plate, adjuster screw, and retaining clips for the cables at the frame anchor.














Here the cables are loosely connected to the adjuster. I will adjust the brakes and the cable adjuster to finish the job.







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