Hand brake tree

[inxs]

Has any one removed the hand brake tree from the rear?

If so can you give me some tips. Looking at the situation it looks like the diff out to me?

A person in our club has a 1968 +2 and it looks like the weld on the upright bolt of the hand brake tree has broken and no hand brake!!

I had a look at mine and it looks like you have to take the diff out to get to the nut and bolt that goes back to front of the car that locates the hand brake assembly.

Cheers Darren

[rjaxe]

Darren, the horizontal chassis pivot bolt goes through a seperate spacer tube as well as a tube welded to the tree, it should be possible to withdraw the bolt far enough to remove either the spacer or the tree which will then give enough wriggle room to remove the rest.
The picture below shows the tree assembly removed from the car.

[inxs]

Thanks for the photo Richard.

I had a look at my +2 and I think if you drop the A frames from the chassis it will give you just enough room and make accesss a little easier.

I will pass this on to the chap in our club with the problem, looks like small hands will be an advantage!!!

Cheers,

Darren

[stugilmour]

Gordon Lund makes mention of a modification to make to the tree to make access easier in his restoration book. HE may be able to help you with some details. I was having difficulty visualizing exactly what he did, and whether it was more applicable when you have the body removed, or whether it could be done in place.

HTH

[martinbrowning]

Darren,
Not sure whether it is any help but last time I removed the tree I cut through the
horizontal pivot bolt on each side of the spacers.This allowed me to remove the tree without removing body,diff or A frames.The cars were originally assembled with the pivot bolt head at the front-no problems if the body is off.
To replace the tree I cut a 5/8 diameter hole in the base of the boot bulkhead in line with the tree mounting.Easy job then to insert the pivot bolt through the bulkhead and into the tree pivot mounting holes.Also means that I can remove the tree at any time for servicing etc.
For anybody with the body off the chassis,it is well worth reversing the bolt to ease removal of the tree.

regards

Martin B

[surveyor]

Darren,
This is very awkward but possible - the last time I had a rubber donut let go the half-shaft took the handbrake linkage and part of the tree with it. I had to get the tree out to weld it back together.

I seem to recall working unsuccessfully for a long time from the drivers' side wheelarch, gave up and went round to the other side - or was it the other way round - and had it out in 10 minutes with no other dismantling.

Copious quantities of releasing spray, blood and swearing, but it is do-able.

After that I went to CV joints.

dennis