Zee-ing the parking brake lever.

[Duey_C]

Dare I do this? Been awhile since last talked about perhaps but maybe it's time to drag it to the surface again?
Greg (Richard G) physically moved his lever OUT for ease of use. If I make it to 80+ years. I'm gonna do what the heck I want too.
I had the honor of talking to Greg on the telephone and what a treat! Good guy. I can't figure out how to duplicate the DVD's. Yet!
Another fella pondered Zee-ing on Greg's thread so here I go.
This delves into non-original but more functional/comfortable in my eyes.

Forming the control shaft handle into a Z shape. They bugged me poking at my leg incessantly! One for 20 years! Ahhh. Better now.
Tools: Two Monkey wrenches/adjustable spanners, Stillson's?, 90 degree railroad wrenches and not Crescent wrenches.
A fella could weld some bits together and make his own forming wrenches also.
No torch. No muss-no fuss. Shown is the short box '24 Runabout pickup. Please do not chastise me for the details in the background.
If you feel the need to throw up at said background details? Turn away from your keyboard.
Maybe I'll run across the pics from the original '18 with the PsychOdelic paint. That one is way nicer.
I borrowed a railroad wrench from a friend for this. Mine is the taped-up, wooden handled NPR wrench. Not National Public Radio.
Start at the bottom and work UP. Go back and Z the 1/4" rod for the pawl. Larry, these may not be correct part names. Sorry.
Bend yours to suit your T. Remember, the books ask us to turn our left hand around and grab from the inside of the lever so...
Voila!

[tdump]

Thank you for posting this. I am going to look at the pickup in the morning and see if I can do this without ruining anything.UNless I am out on the road,I keep the lever in the middle so it can't jump into high gear by accident. But that lever is right under my knee.Makes working the peddles hard to.

[Allan]

Instead of zedding the handle outwards, on my speedster I zedded it to the rear to make it easier to reach. Needed heat to make those bends. The linkage to the pawl was bent to follow the lever.

Allan from down under.

[Duey_C]

Mack, do a little at a time if more comfortable. Uh huh, it got in the way of movement of legs, pedals and the like for me too.

That's just cool Allan! Ya, some heat would be welcomed there perhaps.

Side note: Allan, remember back when I was in a quandry with my new seat spring not fitting in the seat frame on the '18 here?
It took me two weeks to figure out what you were saying. I did adjust it to suit.
Hey! IF your new seat spring doesn't fit real nice in your frame, GENTLY adjust the bottom spring frame in the same fashion as Zee-ing the brake lever.
GENTLY with the seat frame! K?

[A Whiteman]

nice to see the job done 'periodly' with tools that the car would have been familiar with

[A Whiteman]

I 'zeed' the Ruckstell lever for the same reason - no more pokes in the leg!
(RHD truck)

[RustyFords]

Thinking about doing this as well. Thanks for posting the photos.

[Ed Baudoux]

I have done this to both of my T's. I used the oxy/acetylene torch and heated it just shy of red. I first bent the upper part of the rod inward, then bent the lower part outward. I bent them in the car, bending both the lever and the release rod at the same time.

[RustyFords]

I have done this to both of my T's. I used the oxy/acetylene torch and heated it just shy of red. I first bent the upper part of the rod inward, then bent the lower part outward. I bent them in the car, bending both the lever and the release rod at the same time.

Ed...can you post a photo of yours?

[Ed Baudoux]

This is the woody wagon T built from a Fordor cowl.

[RichardG]

THANK YOU DEWEY FOR THE KIND WORDS, I ENJOYED OUR VISIT TOO, VERY MUCH, I'M A WORRY WART, THE ONLY THING KEEPING YOUR FORD LOCKED IN NEUTRAL IS THE TEETH ON THE RATCHET AND THE SHARPNESS OF THE PALL , WHILE I HAD MY SYSTEM IN MY HANDS I TOOK A 3 CORNER FILE AND TOUCHED UP THE DEPTH OF THE TEETH A LITTLE, [MADE THEM DEEPER] SO THE PALL DROPS IN SNUG, MAKE CERTAIN THE SPRING ON THE HANDLE IS STRONG ENOUGH TO HOLD THE PALL LOCKED IN PLACE, THEY DO MAKE A AUGSILARY SPRING THAT ATACH'S AT THE BOTTOM OF ROD THAT FLIPS THE PALL FROM LOCKED TO UN LOCKED, I FOUND ONE AT LANG'S ,VERY REASONABLE AND I FEEL BETTER KNOWING I HAVE DONE EVERY THING I COULD TO MAKE SHURE SHE WOULD STAY PUT WHEN I'M NOT SETTING BEHIND THE WHEEL. EVERY ONE AT THE SHOWS WANTS TO SEE AND HEAR THAT LITTLE 22 HP ENGINE TICK. SO YOUR STANDING ALONG SIDE WITH ON LOOKERS ENJOYING THE SIGHTS AND SOUNDS OF THIS LITTLE MECHANICAL COCKROACH DOING ITS THING. SAFELY.

[tdump]

I finally got around to taking a couple pics.I don't think I have enough lever to zee and still be able to reach down to get it. I could use the room though!

Yes,I know,my shoe bottoms back on! Referring to that frugal thread the other day.

[Allan]

Mack, if the photos are of the same car with which you have a parking brake issue in another thread, it may well indicate that your linings are well worn, or the drums too. Your lever is at the back of the floorboard slot, and touching the seat squab. New linings will see the brakes applied earlier, with the lever much further forward. However, this may not apply in a custom build where the floorboard slot is in other than the factory position and the seat squab is not standard either.

When I put new linings in Henrietta, the handbrake is fully engaged just over half way back.

hope this helps, Allan from down under.

[tdump]

I have to really pull hard to make the lever go all the way back.It holds the car 3 or clics back from midway.I just always park it with the lever at max.I made everything according to the measurements in the plans but the seat cushion should have been shorter. A member with a similar body on a 26 frame told me to do some checking about size and to modify the plans a little but did i do that? No,I had to try to be Mr. Smarty pants and follow the plans to closely on the sizes. Now my horizonaly challenged self is shoehorned in the truck!

[Scott_Conger]

Mack

Allan is right. Your handbrake is at an angle that no mere human should be able to attain. Your linkage is slack or there is something flexing dreadfully. That's far farther back than "3 clicks" from setting neutral, which by the way should already be engaged on the handbrake cam slightly BEFORE it is perfectly vertical. On my cars, the difference between "neutral" or vertical and having brakes hard ON is just a little more brake lever movement...not throwing it into the seat. This is a vastly different scenario than you provided in your "parking brake" thread.

The difference in brakes between vertical (not on) and absolutely socked down should be something like another inch + of travel at the handle. Not progressively more handle and progressively more brake. Your brakes should be either ON of OFF with very little spare movement of the brake lever.

[spadpilot]

Z'd Warford lever

[Duey_C]

David, I bet that helps a bunch, especially with the gas pedal! Cool cruiser. I like your thinking!
Hey Ed and Adrian, thanks for posting the pics. I likeys.
David and Adrian's forming's were a bit warm I'd bet.
I like the fact that threads drift, a fella can get associated and pertinent information! Very true.
I didn't realize the brake should apply a lot sooner in the travel of the handle.
Ya, Mack I agree, get that little turkey off your leg. Bricken-bracken thing...
Great reminder from GREG too. Check your Pawl and quadrant teeth.
I have a spare lever assy somewhere that the pawl is worn back pert-neer a quarter inch.
An update from things read here. I'm guilty of this: Perhaps don't just pull the lever but squeeze the release while pulling back to minimize dragging/wear on the teeth.

[tdump]

The lever is all the way back in that 1 photo because I get on the side of the truck and pull with both hands to get it there.No way I can put it there sitting in the truck.I do that so it won't roll or move and if some some ding bat trys to steal it it will be harder to move.

[Original Smith]

Some hand brake levers were bent to the left from the factory. I can't see bending it at the top, as it doesn't get in the way.

[tdump]

Duey You Da Man! I did the Z thing awhile ago and WOW,I can actually drive in low with the lever in neutral postion and not get gouged by the leverl. I reached in the Metic wrench drawer of the tool box,that is where i keep the pipe wrenchs as they will also fit anything metric and I put the bend to that lever and in 2 minutes I was done and it is much more comfortable to drive. I will continue the park brake issue on my other thread to help slow down the drift.