Alternative handbrake
Posted: Fri Feb 12, 2016 4:23 pmLike many people I've been frustrated by the handbrake system of the Elan, and furthermore my wife could not reach the umbrella handle under the dash, no matter what - she's not very tall!
So I resolved to make it work and to install a lever by the side of the driver's seat. I looked at the MG Midget / Sprite arrangement but thought that might be too complex to fit, and in any case I thought a slim handle and mechanism could fit between seat and transmission tunnel. A quick root around in a junk yard found a suitable handle on a 1990's Honda Accord. As made it had "feet" to bolt it to the floor, but I cut them off and drilled holes so I could bolt to the tunnel. Actually, I couldn't bolt directly to the tunnel as one of the holes lined up with one of the tunnel's lightening holes, so I used 3 perforated mild steel strips, one inside the tunnel with nuts brazed to it, another on the outside of the tunnel but inside the insulation,and a third outside the tunnel insulation. I brazed washers to the strips so that when bolted up they didn't try to crush the upturn on the lightening hole nor the insulation.
Turning to the actuating mechanism, I noted that, as others have, the holes in the arms of the compensator tree were elongated. Instead of drilling them out I brazed washers to each side and reamed them to size. I also fitted a helical return spring. I fitted a short length of bundy tube through the rear bulkhead, behind the driver seat and in the corner by the tunnel, and use a length of 1/4" dia. rod with clevis rod ends to operate the tree. I also used 3/16" dia. threaded rod, with similar rod ends, from the tree to the callipers. The callipers were treated to new pads, cleaning and inspection. The clicky-nuts are long gone, so a couple of new Nylocs were fitted instead, with a couple of spacers to make the nuts more accessible..
Inside the car, the connection of the handbrake to the actuating rod is made by a swinging link. The handbrake has enormous mechanical advantage, hence very little travel and the link reduces one and increases the other very effectively.
An aluminium panel covered in vinyl covers the mechanism and keeps all looking neat. The new handbrake is easy to use, doesn't get in the way, and works. I can easily lock the rear wheels on dry concrete at up to 20 mph; I haven't tried higher speeds.
They say a picture is worth 1,000 words so I hope these'll help explain it all. Was it worth the time and effort? I think so, but then I like doing this sort of thing anyway. There's nothing complicated about it, and I deliberately used things I either had on hand or could get from my neighbourhood hardware store.
So I resolved to make it work and to install a lever by the side of the driver's seat. I looked at the MG Midget / Sprite arrangement but thought that might be too complex to fit, and in any case I thought a slim handle and mechanism could fit between seat and transmission tunnel. A quick root around in a junk yard found a suitable handle on a 1990's Honda Accord. As made it had "feet" to bolt it to the floor, but I cut them off and drilled holes so I could bolt to the tunnel. Actually, I couldn't bolt directly to the tunnel as one of the holes lined up with one of the tunnel's lightening holes, so I used 3 perforated mild steel strips, one inside the tunnel with nuts brazed to it, another on the outside of the tunnel but inside the insulation,and a third outside the tunnel insulation. I brazed washers to the strips so that when bolted up they didn't try to crush the upturn on the lightening hole nor the insulation.
Turning to the actuating mechanism, I noted that, as others have, the holes in the arms of the compensator tree were elongated. Instead of drilling them out I brazed washers to each side and reamed them to size. I also fitted a helical return spring. I fitted a short length of bundy tube through the rear bulkhead, behind the driver seat and in the corner by the tunnel, and use a length of 1/4" dia. rod with clevis rod ends to operate the tree. I also used 3/16" dia. threaded rod, with similar rod ends, from the tree to the callipers. The callipers were treated to new pads, cleaning and inspection. The clicky-nuts are long gone, so a couple of new Nylocs were fitted instead, with a couple of spacers to make the nuts more accessible..
Inside the car, the connection of the handbrake to the actuating rod is made by a swinging link. The handbrake has enormous mechanical advantage, hence very little travel and the link reduces one and increases the other very effectively.
An aluminium panel covered in vinyl covers the mechanism and keeps all looking neat. The new handbrake is easy to use, doesn't get in the way, and works. I can easily lock the rear wheels on dry concrete at up to 20 mph; I haven't tried higher speeds.
They say a picture is worth 1,000 words so I hope these'll help explain it all. Was it worth the time and effort? I think so, but then I like doing this sort of thing anyway. There's nothing complicated about it, and I deliberately used things I either had on hand or could get from my neighbourhood hardware store.
- Reinforced tree
- Tree in position, nut removed for clarity
- Actuating Rod
- Off position. Sorry it's blurred. License plate covers hole in fibreglass.
- On Position
. I drive on hills and TOH drives on flat roads... suits us!!