260z seized parking brake
 

Hey guys a have a 74 260z ....my parking brake seems to be seized ...i played with the lever in the car and the linkage just outside the back of the drum but it still didnt release.....im guessing im gonna have to take the drums off and free up whatevers seized in the inside.

Has anyone else had this problem ...if so was it an easy fix ...any guidance would be much appreciated.

thanks

Rob

Check/replace the cable
 

They ain't cheap - but if yours is original, it's probably rusted or gunked up and jammed now. No good way I can think of to re-lubricate it inside its tube housing (though the idea still sounds good to me) so I have replaced two of em so far - one on my original 86na - and another on an 86 turbo I just bought. Works wonders, not much labor involved - but like I said they ain't cheap. Love the feel of a handbrake working right :)

Well I freed it up buy taking the drum off and playing with the spur adjuster ...cars freed up but won't use that e-brake until I find a replacement..
Do you have to drop the driveshaft to change it ?

replacement handbrake cable
 

Not familiar with the underside of a 260Z. On the 300ZX, the cable runs below everything else - which makes it easy to switch out but is probably why it locks up eventually from all that exposure to road dirt and salt.

Let's assume its the same on the 260. Given the age of the car, I am thinking it could be hard to find a replacement, even a used one. You already know how to locate OEM parts, even used ones. I bet it isn't easy.

Assuming the connections are sound and only the cable gets locked up in that sleeve, I would take the whole cable assembly off in one piece (it should branch on two directions to the wheels, so it's a "Y" cable) and either rebuild it or figure out a way to clean the sleeve out and re-lubricate it inside - or maybe even fake a replacement with new stainless cable and sleeves.

It's all pure physics for a typical handbrake. You pull, the cable pulls, the pads lock against a spring-loading somewhere. If the cable is free to move in the sleeve, when you drop the handle, the springs will retract the cable - which retracts the pads.

Let us know what you figure out.