Ideas for routing emergency brake cable to C4 rear eBrakes

[WagonCrazy]

I have one of CNut's C4 frames, with the Corvette Dana 44 rear end. I need to figure out how the eBrake cables should be configured to work with a single line eBrake cable coming from under the dash.

Anyone built a custom frame or body mount for routing/attaching the cable?
Anyone figured out how to hook up the 2 rear eBrake cables?

Pics would be great for inspiration....

[Rick_L]

I don't know what problems the C4 conversion offers, probably few with regard to my solution, but what you need is a sheathed cable setup as opposed to an open plain cable setup that is stock on a 55-57. This is what even some 60s model Chevys have, an example is my 67 Nova.

What this will do is eliminate "line of sight" cable routing. The other thing it will do is allow you to choose where the cable run goes from a single cable from the actuator to the two cables to run to each e-brake at the wheel. Using sheathed cables means you can route them pretty much anywhere as long as you don't have tight bends.

The other half of this setup is you have to pay attention to stroke and force requirements because you lose the mechanical advantage of the lever arm that's in the stock linkage - the one that's under the driveshaft. You have two choices here - either provide your own lever arm with a similar geometry to the stock one, or use an e-brake actuator that has more mechanical advantage than the stock one. An e-brake foot pedal from Lokar will work well, as will a hand operated lever. The Lokar stuff is nice and looks good, but you can also use either a foot pedal setup or a lever setup from another car.

I would suggest Lokar cables for this even if you don't use their actuator, because of their versatility and ease of terminating. They are not dirt cheap, but they are not outrageously expensive.

The Lokar foot pedal setup is pretty easy to install also.

[WagonCrazy]

Thanks for your comments Rick. I ordered a foot operated Lokar eBrake and it's sheathed cable. Also ordered some C clip style cable connectors and a few other parts for bringing the 2 ebrake cables (in the rear) together so they can be pulled in unison.
More to come including pics when I get this all fabbed up.

Got to take a day off this weekend for the big Cruisin' for a Cure one-day show in Costa Mesa on Saturday. Taking the 9 passenger wagon there and hanging out with a bunch of other tri-5 guys. Something like 3000 cars will show up.

Then it's back to the Nomad build. Weather got hot again...back up to 104 tomorrow.

[Rick_L]

3000 cars?

104 degrees in Socal? Wow

[chevynut]

Paul, I thought we went through this when you helped me with my rear brake hoses earlier this year?

I used the Lokar foot e-brake with Lokar cables. I mounted the bracket on top of my frame under the seat area. The front cable goes through the original hole, and down the top of the frame. The rear cables go down the frame and the driver's side one goes under the hump, and to the caliper. The passenger side one clamps to the vertical portion of the floor. Both are connected to the caliper with Lokar clips made for a C4 Corvette.

[WagonCrazy]

Both are connected to the caliper with Lokar clips made for a C4 Corvette.

That's the part I'm unclear on. Do you have a part #? At this point I have stock cables coming from each caliper. Each are about 2 feet long. Don't see how i'm supposed to use those...or if I replace them completely for an aftermarket set of rear eBrake cables?

[chevynut]

Paul you replace the entire cable. Here's the prior thread:

http://www.trifivechevys.com/showthr...hlight=e-brake

Here's the parts I used...I'd check eBay and Summit Racing:

http://www.lokar.com/product-pgs/ebr...ke-cables.html
http://www.lokar.com/product-pgs/ebr...evis-kits.html

[WagonCrazy]

Laszlo.
I'm using the Lokar cable setup from the Lokar footbrake, all the way to the C4 rear calipers.
I'm routing it down the outward side of the frame (on the drivers side).
Both rear cables (from driver and passenger rear C4 calipers) will route to the outside of the Drivers Side frame rail and meet up with the cable coming from the footpedal ABOUT 18 inches fore of the rear wheelwell. I'm going to mount those cable connector points on the outside of the frame rail (not on top as your pic above shows). That way I can get to them easier for adjustment, maintenance, etc.

With all of that said, I'm having a difficult time routing the rear passenger cable "across the underside" so that it looks good. There has to be a few curves there and I don't want to mount the cable sheeth to the underside of the floorpan. I want to mount the cable/sheath to either the frame or Dana rear end (which is solid mounted...doesn't move with suspension travel). Mounting it to the frame allows me to lift the body easily (still in that mode of having to lift it frequently for other things I'm still fabricating).

Where/how did you route and mount the passenger side, rear brake cable coming across to the driver side frame rail? Got any pics for inspiration?

[chevynut]

Paul, I mounted the cables to the body. I think going over the differential batwing is going to be too sharp of a bend. Sorry, I don't have any pics of mine from the last mockup. I just made a smooth curve from the e-brake lever on the knuckle, between the dogbones, and to the underside of the body. Seems like it fit pretty good.

[WagonCrazy]

So I ended up routing the passenger cable up over the differential, and along the backside of the body sheetmetal (vertical portion of where the rear seat base sits). That seemed like the best way to get it over to the drivers side frame rail, without seeing much of it from looking under the car from the rear.

So both drivers and passenger cable come together on the outside of the drivers side frame rail, and attach to the foot operated lokar eBrake cable just about under the front driver seat...

IMG_2228.jpg

I haven't tightened up the cables or cut the cable ends down just yet, but will get to that soon enough.

For now, the eBrake cable system is FUNCTIONAL. Check that one off my long list of things to do on this Nomad build...