Still another 911 e-brake thread, there are many like it but this one is mine.... Options

[John]

Eric, since you asked so nicely in the thread that we hijacked, here are some pics of my e-brakes using stock 914 brake cables. I just finished them up, and there are some slightly fuzzy pics, but here they are..... (pre-blog even)

[John]

5 clicks and they are SOLID.

I wanted to utilize standard cables so they can be replaced if required and so others may benefit from this approach.

I created a pivot by drilling a hole in the trailing arm and welding a nut over the top of the hole (so that the threads could extend into the trailing arm. I am using a shoulder bolt with a bronze bushing as the pivot. The belcrank I designed is as thick as would easily fit inside the stock 914 cable ends (3/16"?) .

I played with the geometry until I felt comfortable that the stock brake handle would provide enough travel to actuate the e-brakes, and came up with the location of the pivot point.

I made one modifications in the middle that didn't show up well in the pics.

The 40mm anchor block that I originally welded to the backing plate was cut off of the backing plate and welded to the trailing arm for strength.

Through trial and error, I decided not to utilize the small helper spring for the bow-ties.

I am also only using single bow-ties to expand the shoes. I read somewhere that some later 911's were done that way (but I didn't verify that).

So far, they work well beyond my expectations. They feel as solid as the ones in my 911 Turbo.

(I know I need to touch up a few scratches I made in my paint. Luckily I didn't scratch through the POR-15 anywhere.

[andys]

Through trial and error, I decided not to utilize the small helper spring for the bow-ties.

I am also only using single bow-ties to expand the shoes. I read somewhere that some later 911's were done that way (but I didn't verify that)

I opted not to do the conversion because of my fear of using just the single bow-tie. Not sure if it is strong enough by itself.

Also, that helper spring aids in pulling the cable back, otherwise the shoes could drag. As on my Wilwood spot caliper setup, I found I needed a helper spring for this purpose to ensure the cable pulled back to it's at rest position.

Andys