How To Rebuild the Parking Break in your 1967-1982 Corvette
How To Rebuild the Parking Brake in your 1967-1982 Corvette
When you apply the parking brake in your 1967-1982 Corvette, you expect that the car is going to stay put…or so you hope. Unfortunately, that’s not always the case. A typical problem in all 67-82 Corvettes, the design of the original parking brake allowed the cables to stretch and the shoes and levers to become rusted, grease covered or even frozen so that the whole system was inoperable.
Fortunately, a relatively simple rebuild can fix the problem. Follow along with our technical article 1967-1982 Corvette Parking Break Rebuild for step-by step rebuild instructions and photos.
Start with a new 1967-1982 Park Brake Rebuild Kit to replace worn cables, pulleys, brake shoes and levers. All of the brake shoe levers, springs and brackets in the kit are stainless steel, so the problem with rust is eliminated. No more frozen levers or adjusters.
A complete rebuild including cables, shoes, levers and pulleys will take approximately 3 to 5 hours depending on your ability. *But it’s time well spent when you can have the peace of mind that your Corvette will stay where you parked it! It’s also a good idea to have a shop manual for your particular year available before you start the rebuild.
In addition to your new Corvette Parts, you’ll also want to gather a Phillips and flat blade screwdriver, electric drill, 2 pair needle nose pliers, 1 pair standard pliers, nut driver, sockets and ratchet, masking tape, marking crayon, and lubriplate or white lithium grease for this project.
Once the rebuild is complete, don’t forget to burnish (break in) your new parking brake shoes. Here are two different methods:
METHOD 1:
With the car traveling at 50 mph, apply the parking brake lever until a light drag is felt 6 to 10 notches. Operate the vehicle for approximately 50 seconds at this speed. Now return the handle to the full released position. Your new shoes are burnished in. When you park your car, apply the parking brake to see if it holds sufficiently after it has been burnished. Sometimes you may have to readjust the shoes after break in.
METHOD 2:
Apply the parking brakes three to five times at approximately 40 mph, slowing to 20 mph each time. Allow a cooling period between applications. As the applications progress, apply the brakes more gradually, since the brake effectiveness improves and wheel lock-up will occur more readily. Readjust parking brakes after the burnishing operation.
For other great DIY projects, visit Zip’s corvettemagazine.com, your online source for Corvette technical articles and how-to’s.
Purchase online at Zip*Corvette Parts
Read more Corvette Parts news...
When you apply the parking brake in your 1967-1982 Corvette, you expect that the car is going to stay put…or so you hope. Unfortunately, that’s not always the case. A typical problem in all 67-82 Corvettes, the design of the original parking brake allowed the cables to stretch and the shoes and levers to become rusted, grease covered or even frozen so that the whole system was inoperable.
Fortunately, a relatively simple rebuild can fix the problem. Follow along with our technical article 1967-1982 Corvette Parking Break Rebuild for step-by step rebuild instructions and photos.
Start with a new 1967-1982 Park Brake Rebuild Kit to replace worn cables, pulleys, brake shoes and levers. All of the brake shoe levers, springs and brackets in the kit are stainless steel, so the problem with rust is eliminated. No more frozen levers or adjusters.
A complete rebuild including cables, shoes, levers and pulleys will take approximately 3 to 5 hours depending on your ability. *But it’s time well spent when you can have the peace of mind that your Corvette will stay where you parked it! It’s also a good idea to have a shop manual for your particular year available before you start the rebuild.
In addition to your new Corvette Parts, you’ll also want to gather a Phillips and flat blade screwdriver, electric drill, 2 pair needle nose pliers, 1 pair standard pliers, nut driver, sockets and ratchet, masking tape, marking crayon, and lubriplate or white lithium grease for this project.
Once the rebuild is complete, don’t forget to burnish (break in) your new parking brake shoes. Here are two different methods:
METHOD 1:
With the car traveling at 50 mph, apply the parking brake lever until a light drag is felt 6 to 10 notches. Operate the vehicle for approximately 50 seconds at this speed. Now return the handle to the full released position. Your new shoes are burnished in. When you park your car, apply the parking brake to see if it holds sufficiently after it has been burnished. Sometimes you may have to readjust the shoes after break in.
METHOD 2:
Apply the parking brakes three to five times at approximately 40 mph, slowing to 20 mph each time. Allow a cooling period between applications. As the applications progress, apply the brakes more gradually, since the brake effectiveness improves and wheel lock-up will occur more readily. Readjust parking brakes after the burnishing operation.
For other great DIY projects, visit Zip’s corvettemagazine.com, your online source for Corvette technical articles and how-to’s.
Purchase online at Zip*Corvette Parts
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