So I have the passenger side floor pans done - several sheet metal repairs, welding looks like crap - I'm just learning , but they are solid, hit it with rust reformer.

so on to the drivers side, so I can't for the life of me figure out how to pull the hand brake lever off. Do you grind off the pin at the pivot point?

I must be missing something - any help is appreciated. (I do have a climbers - from the 70's B&W terrible photos etc, but somehow I have misplaced it , so I'm working blind )

Update, got the lever off - it apparently is just a press fit onto a nylon sleeve. but now I'm trying to figure out how to pull the 2 cables of the metal plare. Is that another brute force deal? or do you take the plate off the cable, so you can maneuver it?

There's a pivot pin with clip on both sides of the short cable between the ebrake handle and the plate which balances the load between the two cables. Once you get the short cable undone, you can slip the cable loops off and remove the assembly. Sometimes the pins rust in place. If that's the case, I'd use a Dremel with cutoff wheel. You'll need new pins anyway.

Good luck!

Got it - thanks, gave up - grabbed the grinder, and ground down the pin, that separated the brake handle from the cable, then just crabbed the plate that hooks the 2 cables leading to the rear, and maneuvered it till they popped off. sometimes I'm too worried I'll break something!

Does the pivot piece on the cable move smoothly? It should.