Line Lock Parking Brake
 

Well I've thrown in the towel, I've HAD IT with the stupid Jag e-brake that is impossible to adjust to keep the e-brake working. Fed up, done, I could just scream and throw wrenches at it. I was "this close" to pulling out the entire rear end assembly just to work on the $%J*x@ e-brake system.

Then, an epiphony, why not use a Line Lock? I only need the e-brake occasionally and typically for just a few minutes. But it sure can be a hassle if you haven't got one sometimes!

Plus, I think it will be interesting at the drag strip for burn-outs to heat up those slicks (boy are they slippery when they are cold). So I'll put it on the front brakes only.

I ordered the B and M "kit" from Jegs. You can order the solenoid alone and bring your own fittings, brake line, wire, switches, fuse, etc. etc. for about $45 bucks, or buy the "kit" for about a $100 bucks, which comes with most of the stuff your going to need/buy anyway.

Here's a link, note the part number. Not recommended for use AS an e-brake stand alone long term (more than a 1/2 hour) type e-brake. Perfect for my intended use!

http://www.jegs.com/p/B-M/B-M-Launch...FSAxiQodzmuHSA

In case the link fails the part number is:
130-46076K

NOTE: Apply only enough pressure to the brake pedal to secure the car from rolling, DON'T overdue it!! To much pressure, not good. DON'T leave the pressue on for to long, temperature fluctuations can raise brake line pressue making it difficult to impossible for the solenoid to release.

Only problem with using a line lock for a parking brake is when your battery goes dead. No power to the solenoid no line pressure for the proposed parking brake. Line lock solenoid needs constant voltage (ie: power drain is constant from the battery), so you had better make sure you do not leave the car for long periods of a time.


Bill S.

Have seen mechanical valves you can plumb into your brake lines to serve as E brakes.Once installed Step on brakes,push valve,let up on pedal,done.OR,you could use a wheel chock.

Will not work, kills the battery, what's bending??
 

Excaliber Ernie Mr Mustang has it right with killing a battery in 8-10 hours. I don't think you want to see the cobra rolling down the street empty. You should not need to keep adjusting you parking brake unless you are pulling YOUR HANDLE too tight or hard. All you need is enough to hold the car in position. Leave the trans in gear too. If on a hill, back in and turn the right tire to hit the curb. Line lock will bleed off pressure over an hour or so. It gets low pressure and the car rolls. Other thing is if the rotors are hot, pads will get burnt and glaze. May effect the rear brakes over time with material bonded to the surface of the rotors.

It sounds like you are stretching out the cable or bented the arms on the parking brake levers. Either way too much muscle. Try this test, car on flat ground. Have the parking brake adjusted. Pull up on the lever until the car will not move with you pushing it. 1 more click on the hand brake arm. that's it.The other thing is how much material is left on the brake pads for parking??If less than 1/2, get new pads and retry.

Currie ent. sells a parking brake assembly that goes to the yoke of the differential with a motor cycle size caliper and brackets. I just don't think there is enough room to fit this inside the tunnel and clear the rearend frame.It might be modified to work with some engineering. Rick L.

Ernie,
Look around there are sytems that use something similar, actually I think the service brake pedal is depressed and then a key is inserted in a small box on the floor which houses a valve that locks the hydraulic brakes. It is intended to be an anti theft device. I have heard some good things.

I bought one from JC Whitney a few years ago. It does not have a key, but you press the brake pedal, push the line lock, and it is set. Then you just push the pedal again to release it. I think it was all of $20 or so and works great.

My brother has the key style for his street rod. It also works excellent and works as a secondary anti-theft device.

There are lots of different style line locks, mechanical and electric. "Mico" being the big dog in that area and big money too! The B and M unit is dirt cheap, simple, easy to install. I leave the car in gear when I'm parked, rarely if ever on a hill, don't need an e-brake. E-Brake is just for that quick trip to the trunk when you don't want to shut off the motor and the car might roll. The mechanical line brake systems are generally to big and clumsy to install in a Cobra. We need something small and electric.

The stock Jaguar e-brake systems are well known for "not working". The problem is the "self adjusting" mechanism within the separate e-brake caliper, it doesn't self adjust over time. The handle and cable system offer limited adjustment. The only way to service the inboard e-brake self adjusters (or change the pads) is to drop the IRS out of the car!!! Which I was just getting ready to do when the solution dawned on me.

Even with electric you STILL push the brake pedal, build up pressure, THEN hit the switch to hold that pressure, or you can use a mechanical knob, lever, cable (with or without a key) type actuator.

Excaliber,

I really can relate to your frustration with the Jag system. I spent a long time woking on mine before I figured out how to make it work well. I had hoped to use it to make handbrake turns on the solo2 course, but the rear tires are too big and will not slide. It will absolutely hold the car in place on any hill, though.

To set the handbrake up properly, you need to work on the rear end with the body off the frame! All those little self adjusting parts inside the handbrake arms must be clean and well lubricated. I used fairly large coil springs (4" by 1") from a hardware store to pull them back. The outside end of the springs are attached to "L" brackets on the inside of the frame rails. These are important to fully release the brakes. Forget that ridulous hairpin spring.

The BIG issue is the bellcrank. It is does not provide the leverage you need to actually hold the car. I welded a steel strap to the center member that the handbrake attaches to. It effectively doubles the length and the leverage of the bellcrank. I used turnbuckles to attach the bellcrank to each handbrake arm. That way I could get exactly the right length so that the brakes fully release. Note that the handbake handle will pull up to 5 or 6 clicks now.

I mounted the handbrake lever onto the top of my transmission tunnel and used a steel rod (and a small turnbuckle) to connect it to the bellcrank. I hate cables, they will always let you down!

I have enough confidence in my hand brake that I regularly push the car out of the garage and let it roll down the sloping driveway. I walk along side, then reach in and pull the handle to stop the car on the slope. If it didn't work, I'd only have one foot now!

Paul

So, if your worried about the pressure bleeding down over time, Mico has you covered with this little auxillary booster pump. For only $850 or so. Add this puppy and "set it and forget it". :) Good tips Paul on how to modify the worthless stock system! I might follow up on that next time I drop the IRS out.

http://www.mico.com/uploadedcontent/...1PowerUnit.jpg

I have used the mechanical type valves on all types of vehicles. The biggest being a 1 ton 4x4 custom built Ford with extended bed, pulling 15k trailers. Worked flawlessly. I personally don't trust the electronic solenoids.

Not all the solenoid/electric type line locks require constant voltage. After you've pumped up and locked the system you can remove power to the solenoid. Simply use a momentary switch for the initial engagement. Some even have a system that alerts you via a light, your horn, maybe a buzzer that the system pressure has dropped below a certain threshold.

While the lawyers and the Government won't allow them from a legal stand point, never the less, many "Motor Homes" use them for a long term auxillary holding system.

Put it on your driveshaft...
 

Driveshaft parking brake, or, just chock your wheels when you get out....

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1254291542.jpg

Ernie, check around soem of the local scrap yards. Forklifts use a mechanicl line lock. Easily plumbed and one lever. Apply brakes then move lever to set. Release lever and braks are off. Been using them in the cannery I worked at for over thirty years without a hitch......

To bulky for a mechanical setup in my opinion. More hydraulic line to deal with, mounting the handle/device on a bracket of some kind. Limited room under the dash and in a Cobra in general. The solenoid is very small, minium tubing mondifications, takes almost no room and all you need is a switch on or under the dash. Cheap, easy, quick! Plus, I want one for "burn out's" to heat up my drag slicks by locking the front wheels only. I looked at a couple of trick Line Locks for drag racing with a shifter mounted release button and virtually instant brake release, but kind of expensive.

I also considered a drive shaft e-brake. Like the one I had on my '61 Plymouth (factory stock) that got stuck and caught on fire "back in the day". Plenty covered with grease from all the oil leaks the car had, it went up in a nice fire ball. :) Bummer, I loved that $15 car...

We rebuild very "used" emergency brake mechanisms all the time. Some of them are sorely in need of service (30 years of neglect), but when they work, the self-adjusting mechanism works well. It's pretty complicated inside the lever arms.
http://www.erareplicas.com/427man/ja...plodedview.gif
The arms must be disassembled, cleaned, and lubricated with silicone grease.

This may sound like some serious Jethro thinking. But why can't you use a second master cylinder plumbed into your rear brakes and mechanicaly attach it to your e brake lever? The whole thing would be light, tucked under and would seem fairly fool proof. Or would the fluid bleed into the res.?

Here is what I was looking for. I remember seeing something like this on an old boom truck.
http://www.chircoestore.com/catalog/...oducts_id=2113
http://www.dealparts.com/product/00-3155-0.html

I have a cushman truckster that uses this type of emergency brake. Its the first time I've seen something like this. Seems to work really good.

EDIT: I don't think my cushman has hydrilic though. Mine is mechanical.

Just a thought…
Using a line lock braking system would have the main brake pads locked against the rotors. If the braking system was really hot when the car was parked, wouldn’t the hot pads on the hot rotors contribute to warping of the rotors? Not necessarily because of the hot pad against the hot rotor, the normal pad/rotor clearance is very small when the brakes are not engaged, but because of the clamping action of the hot brake pads on the hot rotors and the movement (expansion/contraction) of the hot rotors as they cool?
Cool-down laps at the track cool down the engine, exhaust, and the braking systems. Though admittedly much more severe heat conditions at the track, but more often on the street.

Unique uses the Jag IRS. My Unique came with such an in-line pressure brake. Call Allen at (256) 546-3708 http://www.uniquemotorcars.com/ I am sure he could sell you the parts and tell you how to set it up. No point in re-inventing the wheel, or the wheel brake :)