Handbrake cables too short. What to do?

[SV1CEC]

Folks,

My 1984 XJ currently stands at 6" (with Rusty's 4.5" kit). As the subject says, the handbrake cables are too short (brand new, I changed them a few months ago), they fit and operate but are a tight fit and I do not like it.

I think I remember somewhere I read that you can relocate the brackets on the frame, but my brackets are welded to the frame, not bolted.

Any ideas or someone who has faced that before and solved it?

Many thanks and kind regards

[Eagle]

Most of us use cables from the passenger side of a YJ Wrangler.

[SV1CEC]

Originally posted by Eagle
Most of us use cables from the passenger side of a YJ Wrangler.

Are you talking about handbrake cables or E-brake cables? I do not have e-brake (I always wanted to know what this is, but anyway).

What YJ years should I get?

Rgds and many thanks

[ChuckD]

Here's mine, I took a piece of 2x2x1/8" angle. Bolted it accross the end of the center hump. Then drill two holes for the emergency cables, 5/8", clip them on the other side. Then pick up a coupler nut and threaded rod and a nut. Extended the original rod about 8" and still have about 4" of adjustment. I tack welded the coupling bolt to both rods so it would not come loose. I' try to post a picture.

I think I got the Idea from Jeepin or madXJ.

[ChuckD]

Here's some pics of mine.




http://home.attbi.com/~cdutke/ebrake/DSCF0067.JPG

http://home.attbi.com/~cdutke/ebrake/DSCF0068.JPG

http://home.attbi.com/~cdutke/ebrake/DSCF0069.JPG

[Eagle]

Originally posted by SV1CEC
Are you talking about handbrake cables or E-brake cables? I do not have e-brake (I always wanted to know what this is, but anyway).

What YJ years should I get?

Rgds and many thanks

"E-brake" is shorthand for "emergency brake." That's the same thing as the hand brake. With automatic transmissions that have a Park position, I'd guess that 98% of Americans do not use the parking brake (hand brake) when parked, so it must be in the vehicle as an emergency brake. :D

I think YJ brake cables are the same for all years, but the ones I used were for the passenger side of a 1994.

[Rags]

Cables................need 2............Longer E Brake Cables from YJ.............#52007522...........need 2 ....pre 96 XJs only :D

[ZPD]

Yep, I used YJ parking/emergency brake cables too. I bought them from carparts.com but you can probably get them anywhere. They are very long. Probably too long.

[SV1CEC]

Gentlemen,

Thanks for the specs, I appreciate them.

Also Chuck's mod is nice. Tnx.

Rgds

[SV1CEC]

Originally posted by XJCHUCK72
Here's some pics of mine.



Chuck,

May I ask you a few clarifying questions?

Am I correct in assuming that you used that angle steel bar, and the standard XJ e-brake cables?

So in reality, all you did, was to relocate the brackets to a new position, and lengthen the threaded part, accordingly. Am I right?

The reason I am asking, is because I got new XJ brake cablesabout six months ago, so I am -kind of- reluctant to pay for new ones, if I can avoid it. And your mod is very easy to do, so I just want to make sure, in order to go your way.

Rgds

[ChuckD]

That's all I did was relocate the brakets. I had an 8.25 and now an 87' D35, both had thier own ebrake cables. you do have to do some drilling, but otherwise it is very accessible. I used 5/16" rod, but I know the OEM rod is metric. I know it's really close to the 5/16" size.

[SV1CEC]

Originally posted by XJCHUCK72
That's all I did was relocate the brakets. I had an 8.25 and now an 87' D35, both had thier own ebrake cables. you do have to do some drilling, but otherwise it is very accessible. I used 5/16" rod, but I know the OEM rod is metric. I know it's really close to the 5/16" size.

Thanks Chuck,

I think I'll go your way, the two Wrangler cables will cost me around 150 US$ here, so I am not willing to pay this (a second time).

Many thanks and rgds

[ZPD]

The threaded portion is 8mm (just .002" larger than 5/16") I think that it is 1mm thread. If I recall correctly, I first tried to use a M8x1.25 nut and it didn't fit. I could be wrong though. Either way I would assume that those would be easy parts for you to locate John. Good luck!

[SV1CEC]

Originally posted by ZPD
The threaded portion is 8mm (just .002" larger than 5/16") I think that it is 1mm thread. If I recall correctly, I first tried to use a M8x1.25 nut and it didn't fit. I could be wrong though. Either way I would assume that those would be easy parts for you to locate John. Good luck!

I hope so, fishing put 150 US$ for newe cables is not my ideal, especially right now, that I am paying for new shocks as well as drop brackets and braces and adjustable LCAs!

I'll probably take out one of the nuts already on that rod and take it to the hardware store, hoping to find that all-thread (or whatever you call it). Since I do not have access to welding equipment, I'll probably go with a double nut (a method I've seen described somewhere).

Chuck, would it be possible for you to snap a picture of the way your cables are routed at the axle area? I just want to get some ideas.

Folks, many thanks to all who took the time to comment/answer, I really appreciate it. My front is flexing fine, but my rear is not doing so well, so I think it should have something to do with those cables reducing my articulation at the rear. Below, I 've attached a couple of pictures for you to check out.

http://www.m1911.org/images/Cherokee/Argyroupoli/10.jpg

http://www.m1911.org/images/Cherokee/Argyroupoli/05.jpg

http://www.m1911.org/images/Cherokee/Argyroupoli/13.jpg

Hopefully, this cable mount shifting will free up my rear axle a bit more.

Thanks again to all and rgds

[95MDCountryXJ]

I've got your same kit and new my e brake lines were close in the back, However I didn't think they were limiting flex. Once I made new brackets one free weekend and went out wheeling the next, it did flex more from the rear. I guess the lines were limiting it. Here's a great article to what I did. Very cheap and not too bad. I just used a standard size coupling nut that fit the threads tighter than a metric woul dhave and it hasnt budged yet

http://web.archive.org/web/20020206212035/http://jeepnorthwest.com/extendedbrake.html

check out that article.

[ChuckD]

That's the one I copied. I remember the fuzzy pictures.

Sorry I can't provide picks of the cables, all I can say is that I reused the springs. Tried to keep them from the exhaust or from just hanging down.


I just welded the rod a couple weeks ago. since the rod is 5/16 and the OEM is metric, the coupling nut is crossthreaded. I just added the weld for percaution sake. Since I have had to actually use the ebrake lately for emergency stopping purposes.

[SV1CEC]

Originally posted by 95MDCountryXJ
I've got your same kit and new my e brake lines were close in the back, However I didn't think they were limiting flex. Once I made new brackets one free weekend and went out wheeling the next, it did flex more from the rear. I guess the lines were limiting it. Here's a great article to what I did. Very cheap and not too bad. I just used a standard size coupling nut that fit the threads tighter than a metric woul dhave and it hasnt budged yet

http://web.archive.org/web/20020206212035/http://jeepnorthwest.com/extendedbrake.html

check out that article.

I already have that article printed, and it was the one which gave me the idea. I'll be going shopping for the parts tomorrow or on Friday, and I'll try to have the mod done during the weekend. My landlord has a welder (I think we are going to be good friends with this guy) so I can even go that route if the coupling nut fails (I think I should have one, but I am not sure if it is the right dimensions, I used four of them to lift the seat up a bit for my wife).

Rgds

[SV1CEC]

Originally posted by XJCHUCK72
That's the one I copied. I remember the fuzzy pictures.

Sorry I can't provide picks of the cables, all I can say is that I reused the springs. Tried to keep them from the exhaust or from just hanging down.


I just welded the rod a couple weeks ago. since the rod is 5/16 and the OEM is metric, the coupling nut is crossthreaded. I just added the weld for percaution sake. Since I have had to actually use the ebrake lately for emergency stopping purposes.

Well, this is one thing I might be lucky with, metric is the standard here, so maybe I get the proper rod and coupling nut.

Again, many tnx!

Rgds

[fatwreck]

Here another link for this subject:
http://www.4x4wire.com/jeep/tech/brakes/xjhoseext02/

I wish I would have seen this before I started mine. I didn't know that with the YJ cables you have to do some other mods. I thought it was a direct replacement....just longer. So, after I got it all apart and reassembled with the new cable....I realized it wouldn't work. :( Damn.

Now I know though...

[Ed A. Stevens]

The cable bracket relocation is the easiest for the 84-95 XJ's, followed by the 91-95 YJ long cable. Using two long side cables works on the 96-02 XJ's (a different brake cable system).

Another early look at bracket relocation. (http://members.aol.com/Stvns/XJhelp3.html) The old pict's are about 2/3rds down web page 3.

I got the idea from Ray Pilli's V8 XJ (a NAXJA Member), and I am pleased to see many more folks have built (and featured) different versions of the same idea.

SV1CEC, good to see you participate in the NAXJA forums (or are there more than one avid XJ fan in Greece).

[SV1CEC]

Originally posted by Ed A. Stevens

SV1CEC, good to see you participate in the NAXJA forums (or are there more than one avid XJ fan in Greece).

Thanks for all the tips and the welcome.

As far as I know, there are three of us with modified XJs here, mine being the oldest (1984) and meanest :-)

Rgds

[98 classic]

You should only have to buy the drivers side. Buy a 94 YJ passenger side and put it on your passenger side. Reroute your passenger side to the drivers side. Hope this helps

[SV1CEC]

Originally posted by 98 classic
You should only have to buy the drivers side. Buy a 94 YJ passenger side and put it on your passenger side. Reroute your passenger side to the drivers side. Hope this helps

Why? Are the two cables different on an XJ?

I know that they are different on the Wranglers which have a foot-activated e-brake, but on a Cherokee?

Rgds

[ChuckD]

The Ebrake cables and mounting locations are different on a 98' than an older XJ. SV!CEC, your fine if you decide to relocate the brackets.

[SV1CEC]

Gents,

I didn't had time to work on this, until today. So what I did, was to take an angled piece of iron and make two holes in the middle for the handbrake cables. Then I lied under the truck, trying to find the best place to locate it.

Have a look at the picture below:

http://www.m1911.org/temp/bracket.jpg

By the way Ed, this comes from your site, I just edited to add the arrows.

Now, these two things you see there, should be the seatbelts mounting brackets. They look pretty strong, so I used the two small holes they have towards the front of the truck, to secure the angle to the frame. Do you think this is OK or shall I mount it on the body, as shown in the picture? These two small "ears" there, with the holes. looked as if they were made just for this purpose.

Any thoughts would be appreciated.

Rgds

[Rocky]

I would bolt through the body using a good sized washer to back up the bolts. When I did this mod to my XJ, I drilled 4 holes through in the same location the pic shows. I figured that using an angle bracket like that would put alot of leverage on the bracket and those seat tabs might not take it. That's what I did and it works great, good luck!

[SV1CEC]

Well, here is finally the setup I did.

I didn't use those brackets at the seat belt mounts, the reason being that they put the angle too high up, and the connecting nut was touching the floor. Also, it mounted the angle too far backward for proper positioning of the cables.

Here is where I mounted it:

http://www.m1911.org/temp/bracket1.jpg

Another picture which shows how the cables were routed.

http://www.m1911.org/temp/bracket2.jpg

Shall I pass the cable behind the exhaust hanger? Maybe behind the exhaust tube? I am not sure.

Finally, here is a picture of the connecting nut and the rod.

http://www.m1911.org/temp/rod.jpg

There are a couple of things I am still not sure.

First, the position of the cables. I passed the passenger's one above the muffler and to the passenger's side of the exhaust pipe, as shown above. I hope this will work. Any suggestions (or even better pictures) will be appreciated.

Second, the square piece of iron, where the cables are attached on the rod, is too close to the OEM cable mounts. I might trim the OEM mounts off, as I wouldn't like my handbrake to bind on these things when pulled. I can see on Ed's picture that it is more or less at the same position as mine.

Finally, I have to shorten the rod a bit, too long as it is now.

What do you think? Any ideas?

Tnx and rgds

[Ed A. Stevens]

Looks good, and should feel good when pulling up the handle (more solid with less handle travel).

I would not worry about the OEM mounts, they are too far away from the taught cables to be a problem (mine have never caused any problem).

The cable jackets should be routed to minimize tight bends with wide radius loops behind the body mounts and into the drum backing plates. If this is better accomplished by routing the cable behind the exhaust hanger then make the change.

That long rod makes for a long wrench session... been there too.

Does the cable brake action feel better and work better now with the change?

Happy Trails!

[SV1CEC]

Originally posted by Ed A. Stevens
Looks good, and should feel good when pulling up the handle (more solid with less handle travel).

I would not worry about the OEM mounts, they are too far away from the taught cables to be a problem (mine have never caused any problem).

The cable jackets should be routed to minimize tight bends with wide radius loops behind the body mounts and into the drum backing plates. If this is better accomplished by routing the cable behind the exhaust hanger then make the change.

That long rod makes for a long wrench session... been there too.

Does the cable brake action feel better and work better now with the change?

Happy Trails!

Ed,

Yeah, I think I'll have to lie under there again, and do some rerouting of the cables. As they are, they look too sharply bend, so some more thinking is required.

The action seems OK as it is, I do not know if it is better now than before, I just drove it out of the building basement to a parking spot on the street yesterday, so ... I can't really say.

Thanks for all your help. Your site has been an inspiration when I started the XJ adventure.

Rgds and many tnx

[ChuckD]

Looks great, go out and flex it up again. You'll probably find more stuff limitting you.

BTW
How long and much did it take you, to buy angle and rod and hardware?

[SV1CEC]

Chuck,

I got the angled bar from my landlord's scrap, so I paid nothing for that. The nuts and bolts and the rod were something like 5 Euros (i.e. ~ 5 US$) but I got more bolts than I needed, and some other screws etc. So, the whole cost was maybe less than a dollar for this mod.

It took me about 2 hours all together to complete, most of the time was spend on figuring out how the passenger's side cable should be routed. Removing the cable end from the angled bar was a pain (I did it with the truck on its four wheels, working under a lifted XJ is easier than in a stock car, but still not that easy).

I'll take it out for a ride, maybe this weekend. I do hope I find nothing else limiting my flex, although I am quite happy the way she is now (notice the female character LoL).

Again, thanks to all who spend time answering my question.

Rgds