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Handbrake Woes https://ausmini.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=5&t=1636	Page 1 of 2

Author:	MrBob [ Tue Aug 24, 2004 1:27 pm ]
Post subject:	Handbrake Woes
Can anybody help me with handbrake troubles?? The handbrake holds the car fine on a hill, but fails to lock up for motorkhana etc. I have newly machined drums and oversize shoes, everything is adjusted properly and nothing appears to be obviously wrong with the mechanism. Is this just how well mini handbrakes work? I maybe want to look at putting in a hydraulic system, but not sure how to go about it or cost etc. Does anyone have any tips for either how to make the standard bastard work a bit better or how i can put in a hydraulic system without taking out a second mortgage??

Author:	thommo09 [ Tue Aug 24, 2004 2:37 pm ]
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i think it's probably just how they work......have u tried pulling REALLY freakin hard when you;re trying to lock them up? ..........otherwise i dunno, if its all in good nik and working fine on a hill then i'd say maybe just keep practising yanking it on at the right time...a mate can lock his up and it wont hold it on a hill atm

Author:	redfive [ Tue Aug 24, 2004 3:13 pm ]
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Hi MrBob! I can't lock my handbrake on the motorkhanas easily either. I've adjusted it so that it engages as quickly as possible, but I have to pretty much pull a muscle to get it to lock. Hydraulic handbrakes are the way to go. But for now, try increasing the tyre pressure in the rears a fair bit to cause them to have less grip for the motorkhanas and use the least grippy tyres you have. Next time I go I'll probably put my stock pizza cutter wheels on instead of my 12"s. Cost of a hydraulic handbrake setup I think you're looking at around $400-$500, hopefully less, depending on how much you do yourself.

Author:	Anto [ Tue Aug 24, 2004 3:24 pm ]
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I don't know what you guys are complaining about. I can get mine to lock quite easily. I was trying to do a 90* park brake turn yesterday to line me up to reverse up my driveway. I 'accidently' got it 180* right round pointing back the way I came.... and I wonder why the guy down my street threatened to call the cops on me

Author:	drmini in aust [ Tue Aug 24, 2004 3:38 pm ]
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Anto wrote: I don't know what you guys are complaining about. I can get mine to lock quite easily. I was trying to do a 90* park brake turn yesterday to line me up to reverse up my driveway. I 'accidently' got it 180* right round pointing back the way I came.... and I wonder why the guy down my street threatened to call the cops on me He's just jealous- doesn't own a Mini, obviously. Yeah I can lock my rears, even with the 34 year old cables.. make sure the cables are greased where it goes round the subframe, and the quadrants on the rear arms aren't jamming up.

Author:	Anto [ Tue Aug 24, 2004 3:41 pm ]
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He's a boring old bloke with a ~1981 Toyota Corona hatchback. He bitches at me driving fast round the corner yet with all four tyres 'gripping', but didn't bitch at my brother for drifting his commodore round the same corner. And I mean drifting!

Author:	Gareth_1330 [ Tue Aug 24, 2004 7:23 pm ]
Post subject:
Kevs right, cable greasing and moving quadrants are all important, i also believe the handbrake arm (the one that the cable connects to, it goes through the backingplate where there is a hinged T joint, with two unequal length arms coming out to the shoes) can wear where it meets the shoes.... A good trick if you have an old mini is to put clubby arms in it, there longer coming out of the backingplate, more leverage! I have trouble locking mine with 6 inch rims, I will stick some clubby arms in as soon as i can, but i fear the cable is knackered..... So Cable must be greased, to make sure the quadrants are moving freely release the handbrake, WD40 the quadrant and get the cable either side (one hand will be "behind" the subframe gripping the cable, the other on the cable between quadrant and brake), yank it each way, more WD40 and repeat, until the quadrants are free, my left side was a bastard, i had to do this procedure at least 5 times before it freed up properly.... The way the HB works is simple, you yank the lever in the cabin, which pulls the cable, the cable routs 90 degres on the subframe, sliding through some bent over metal tabs on the subframe, then the cable turn 90 degrees again on the quadrant, except unlike the previous turn the quadrant swings with the cable, the cable is attatched to the handbrake arm we previously spoke of, the pulling force from the cable is transfered to a pusing force on the drum shoes via the t shaped lever arm.... Thats it in a nushell... Just a thought, did you take the handbrake pins out when you adjusted the rear brakes? could impact, if you did, and you adjusted your brakes correctly and have done all the other things you mentioned and its not something silly like you have been given incorrect pads or something i could only suggest you tighten the cable a little more, get the rear wheels of the ground and get the handbrake set so you cant turn the wheels by hand on two or three clicks of the handbrake. If you cant achieve this your cable is probly stuffed or some other mechanical problem exists Another thought, your handbrake lever (in the cabin) could be buggered, wouldn't be hard to try another and eliminate it as the cause, and wrecker that has a mini will probly have a handbrake arm to sell you for quids, also where the hanbrake mounts are welded the the floor could be snapped... Well this is a bit incoherant... I hope you can glean something useful from it G

Author:	998_Clubman [ Tue Aug 24, 2004 10:23 pm ]
Post subject:
when my mini was on the road, few months ago, i really enjoyed driving past inocent bystanders/ cyclists/school kids/ etc, and pressing the brake pedal and pulling the hand brake up at the same time, just enough for the shoes to touch the drums, then pull the hand brake up a bit, i used to be able to get both rears locked up at 60 km'h, it scared the living crap outa them that and roundabouts, especially wet/ dirty ones

Author:	Gareth_1330 [ Wed Aug 25, 2004 5:51 pm ]
Post subject:
pressing the brake would help, heh, never really thought if that..... But if one has to press it to much it means the brakes or handbrake arent adjusted right, my adjustment kept slipping, so what i did until i fixed it was pull up the handbrake a couple of clicks to bring the shoes closer to the drum, then apply brakes, otherwise the pedal went to the floor...dodgy (ofcourse the car has discs on the front...i reckon any mini that doesn't have discs should be looking for some or undertaking honda conversion...4 wheel drums can work surprisingly well, but they require lots of maintainance and just arent in the same leage as discs, even if i had a very original drum fitted car i would pull the old drums of the front, stick em in a box and get some discs somehow, you can always change it back eh?, but as always thats just what i think) G

Author:	Christoph [ Wed Aug 25, 2004 5:51 pm ]
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Make sure if you are going in motorkhanas (or are just handbrake turn happy) that the handbrake mounting on the floor is in good condition. Last week i had my car on the hoist at school and the floor had literally peeled away with the mounting for the handbrake... today i spent my double stripping the interior down, removing the handbrake, beating the metal back and mig welding the cracks up (i found out the tar undersealer crap is flammable strange that as its product crude oil). I then cut a piece of steel plate to shape to use as a sandwich plate (like seatbelt mounting holes etc. spreads the stress over a larger area) and bolted it down. Now my handbrake lever feels nice and solid and i dont have to worry about it coming out of the floor .

Author:	drmini in aust [ Wed Aug 25, 2004 7:06 pm ]
Post subject:
I got a handbrake off kazjim's scrubby clubby a while back, I've converted it to fly-off. Must put it on and relive the `60s...

Author:	Anto [ Wed Aug 25, 2004 7:47 pm ]
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And from what I saw when I drove past the parking inspector wasn't quite as impressed with the quality of your work!! Unless that yellow envelope on your window was a birthday invitation? Anto.

Author:	Christoph [ Wed Aug 25, 2004 9:37 pm ]
Post subject:
Quote: And from what I saw when I drove past the parking inspector wasn't quite as impressed with the quality of your work!! Unless that yellow envelope on your window was a birthday invitation? Are you talking about my windscreen?... when i went to go home there was this big yellow envelope under my wipers. they suggested i parked in the student parks at either end of the building rather than the parrallel park out the front (where people dont do burnouts and drift into the side of your car) they even had a diagram of the school with the parks highlighted lol. What psses me off is a week ago i went and checked with the school if it was ok to park there and they said yeah its fine. f*ked if i know...

Author:	68matic [ Wed Aug 25, 2004 9:44 pm ]
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dr mini what are you talking about i wanna relive the 60's too

Author:	drmini in aust [ Wed Aug 25, 2004 9:52 pm ]
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68matic wrote: dr mini what are you talking about i wanna relive the 60's too Left-foot braking and handbrake turns thru Galston Gorge, in the wet.. Oops I forgot- it doesn't rain here anymore.....

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