Hand Emergency Brake?

[jeepn4evr]

Has anyone installed one? What did you use & where did you install it? Pics would be nice.

I have a roll cage in my 74 CJ5 which of course gets in the way of the foot emergency brake lever. It was ok as my lever was frozen in place & I needed to replace it anyway. However I thought a hand brake would be great but just cant figure out how to put it in & the best spot. There really isn't enough room between the drivers seat & the side of the Jeep or between the console I put in. I like the console but if its a choice between having an emergency brake or not I geuss I can put a smaller console in or something.

Also am wondering if I can attach the hand lever to the stock cable (as it still there & moves freely) or should I pull that out & get a different cable.

Due to the seat frames & mounting points being attached to the cage I would assume I need to put the hand brake on the cage somehow also as it would hit the cage & wouldn't work if it was attached to the floor.

 

[csuengr]

I put a TJ lever in my 7 between the seats. I also did an axle swap for a SJ Dana 44 so I had equal length brake cables. I did have to weld tabs under the tub to do this. I would take pics, but it's dark right now. Another thought is the pull type handle. If you put a lever on the cage to the left of the wheel, it will be in the way of getting in or out.

Nobody says the brake handle has to be in the middle between the seats. Maybe you can find a way to squeeze a parking brake and console between the seats.

 

[Les]

If you really want to relocate the existing emergency brake, this probably won't be a good suggestion, however, if you wouldn't mind leaving it in place, I have another idea, and would give you the option of only having to have a simple on/off switch in the panel for your parking brake function.
Have you ever considered installing a line locker? If you are not familiar with it, they are basically an electric servo valve that can be closed with a switch to lock the fluid in the brake line and therefore provide a parking lock to the main brakes. Drag racers are quite familiar with them and usually the ones they utilize require constant power to be engaged, however there are models that do not require constant power to be in the locked position, so they can be used as a true parking brake.
To operate, you just step on your brake pedal, hit the switch and the brakes are locked til you turn off the switch....here is a link below, in case you are interested.

Chevs of the 40s: EPARKBRAKE - Electronic Parking Brake

 

[jeepn4evr]

Huh never knew that was an option. I like it with the exception of the price. Granted i might spend the same amount in parts to mount a hand brake. I will keep it in mind. Thanks

 

[mtnwhlr]

The Cherokees had a hand break that fit in the console you might look into what it would take to transfer both into a CJ. I don't think it would be that hard if you get everything from cable up from a doner Cherokee.

 

[mylittlecj5]

IIRC, any braking system that requires the use of hydraulics to activate the emergency brake system is not DOT approved due to the chance of bleed-down of the hydraulics. Line-locks are good for short-term usage, but not for any extended time.
I used to have one in a tow truck I drove, worked great, but never trusted it completely. The best part of it was it will lock up all 4 wheels to hold the vehicle a lot better.