Later Sprint Handbrake Lever?

[slowsprinter]

Hi All

I am currently sorting out the dash wiring and am making decent progress, however, I have now arrived at a difficult bit. The handbrake switch that brings the park light on, on the dash. I think my switch is broken even though it still works. With the switch in my hand it brings the park light on with the ignition on and when I depress the plunger in the switch the light goes out. All good so far. However now I need to fit the switch to the handbrake mechanism behind the pedals close up to the footwell bulkhead. It is very difficult as I get older working here! I cant seem to locate the switch into what I think is the hole in the handbrake mechanism where it goes. The thread on the switch I reckon is 1/4 UNF. The plunger sits about a centimetre proud of the thread in my switch, but now I am thinking some of the thread has broken off and is probably stuck in the hole. The plunger was bent slightly. I have never seen my car complete so I have no idea how it should all go. I think the switch should locate into the 3 o'clock position on the square profile of the handbrake lever up towards the footwell bulkhead? It is just about visible on my photo, looks like a small nut on the side of the lever?

My handbrake seems to be a different type to the ones I have seen in various workshop manuals and I understand that later Sprints may be fitted with a Jaguar or Ford pull and twist type.

My question is this. Is it feasible to remove my handbrake lever onto the bench so that I can see what I am doing with the switch? I had a local garage help me get some jobs done like fitting the body to the chassis and connecting up clutch, brakes and accelerator. The handbrake was fitted by them but I think the switch must have taken a hit in this process!

Also my handbrake does not work particularly well. If I pull on the lever it does apply the brakes as the rear wheels are then difficult to turn. But the handle does not lock with the brake applied. The pull and twist does not work. On top of the mechanism there is a twin lever affair that is spring loaded that must be part of the locking mechanism that seems to do nothing. Should this lock into the serated surface of the inner sliding rod of the handbrake. Therefore I am thinking to remove the mechanism to check this out too. So can I remove the handbrake cable from the rear of the lever and remove the lever to the bench? Any advice gratefully received.

Hopefully I have added a photo to explain these words.

[slowsprinter]

The handbrake switch which i think some of the thread has broken from exposing the switch plunger.

[slowsprinter]

Another view of the handbrake lever with what I think must be the mechanism that locks the handbrake on? This does not seem to work!

[richardcox_lotus]

Yes you can remove it. It’s been a while so I’m going from memory.....

The handbrake has a shaft within a sleeve.

Twist and release the handbrake so it is off.
Unhook the cable at the handbrake tree.
Remove the sleeve retaining bolt that pokes through into the engine bay. I think it’s a captive nut or a thread on the sleeve.
This will give you some slack as the whole thing drops into the footwell.
Then, in the classic Lotus footwell position, the cable end into the shaft has a ball retainer that will be visible in the end of the handbrake shaft, which can be prised out. Maybe coated in grease.

Once prised out you will then have the shaft and its’ sleeve available to look at.

The normal operation of this handbrake is a straight pull to apply and it should self lock. It is retained by the 2 pawls in the sleeve (which are sprung) which dig into some grooves on the shaft.

To unlock it’s a tug to spring the pawls to release and then a twist.

Mine started to fail when the grooves started to wear around the shaft so that when I twisted it, there were still (newly created) grooves for the pawls to lock into.

Hope this helps.
Regards
Richard

[slowsprinter]

Richard

Many thanks for the reply! I'll get onto it!

Ian

[slowsprinter]

Update
It's funny how somehow jobs you think are going to be a nightmare turn out to be easy and easy jobs can go on for ever! My Lotus has been fighting me all the way! Happily this job one turned out to be in the former category.

I simply unbolted my handbrake lever from the underside of the dash and was able to drop the lever to the floor and pull it forward enough to access where the handbrake warning light switch locates into the lever shaft up very close to the bulkhead. On shining a torch into the hole I could see where part of the thread of the switch had broken off into the hole. I was able to remove this by poking a correct size flat-blade screwdriver into the hole and unscrew and remove the broken thread.

Then it was a case of ordering a new switch (not cheap!). When this arrived I added a correct size nut onto the switch and located the new switch in place. A bit of trial and error then followed checking when the switch operates with a multimeter and locking and unlocking the handbrake. Once set up I tightened the nut already placed onto the switch up to the side of the handbrake lever to lock the switch in place with the correct orientation of Up/Down as space is very limited where the switch is up against the bulkhead right behind my brake pedal.

Then connect up the wiring and test. This successfully brings on my amber park warning light on the dash (with ignition on) and the handbrake applied and it goes out when handbrake off...result! I have put a 3-way connector in on the wiring so I can disconnect the footbrake switch and handbrake warning wires (green, light green/dark green and green/purple) from the dash loom and will tie this wiring in neatly around the pedal unit in the footwell. I can then leave this wiring in place and remove the dash in future if needed.

So that is all my dashboard electrics working now. Lights work with new pop up electrical lifters. I have added a hazard light circuit that didn't seem to be on my original car but I want as peace of mind. I have added a manual override switch for the cooling fan too. I have added a blue warning light onto the dash that comes on when the fan cuts in or when I override it on the switch.

I am waiting for a new dash to be made and have requested three warning light holes below the temp/oil pressure gauge for Park(Amber), Fan(Blue) and Hazard(Red)

Next job is to refit the temperature gauge sender and re-attach the oil pressure feed to the gauge, top up water and oil and see if I can fire up the engine to then get the tacho working. Once new dash is in I can think about ordering bits for a new hood and hood stowage tray. I also have two non operational doors to sort out. Now that is a job I'm not looking forward to.

Ian