dbsoundman

Hey guys, I just purchased a fairly nice 1988 D21 pickup with the 4 cyl engine and manual transmission. The previous owner did a lot of work in the engine compartment, replacing hoses, fuel injectors, spark plugs, all that, but he never got around to reinstalling the handle for the parking brake. I have the whole assembly as he gave it to me, but I have no idea how to reinstall it, and I don't have a manual on hand yet. Does anyone have any tips, or even links to previous threads where this might have been discussed? Thanks!

-Dan

SPEEDO

under the dash or between the seats?

wilburk

4WD or 2WD?

dbsoundman

It's a 4WD, with the handle that's just under the dash. It appears that it just pulls out, not sure how you get it back off, I don't see a release lever anywhere.

wilburk

You mean how to release it? You just give it a little extra pull, twist it 90 degrees, and it should release. Why exactly are you thinking about replacing it? Is the handle broken or stuck? Or do you just need to adjust the brake tightness itself?

dbsoundman

The handle isn't installed at all right now, the previous owner removed it for some reason and never got around to putting it back in. I simply need to put it back where it was so I can actually activate the brake, there's only so many places I can park in CO by backing up to the curb and leaving it in reverse!

SPEEDO

I cant post pics (at work) but I could e-mail you a diagram of the e-brake system, if you want to pm me...

wilburk

Hmm so it's JUST the handle/lever that's been removed? Odd...

Here's a diagram from the 1989 D21 manual--maybe you can see which of the actual parts are removed and then go from there, attaching the new pieces as necessary. Sounds like a thorough check to see what's still there is in order first.

dbsoundman

Fabulous, thanks! I'm pretty confident the cable is still there, it's just the handle assembly and bracket that were removed...and I have no idea why. I'm guessing it was in the way of something else that he was doing at the time, but I can't imagine what...

wilburk

Haha that is weird. Feel free to PM me if you'd like the pdf or the link to download it.

Good luck!

dbsoundman

Thanks! I do have that manual but I haven't had time to work through the 1 billion pages, and given what I was seeing in that manual so far I didn't trust that it would have a very good diagram...much simpler than I thought!

wilburk

Haha yeah the pdf isn't terribly user-friendly being all non-searchable and everything!

dbsoundman

Just took a closer look at the diagram, I'm wondering if I'm missing the cable itself as well...That would be super since that stupid cable is like $74 at NAPA...have to see sometime soon when I get it jacked up...

dbsoundman

OK, well I ordered the cable from NAPA, picked it up yesterday, and took a look at the truck today...turns out the cable is there, they just literally removed the handle for some odd reason . What's even weirder, the handle is normally half-bolted half-riveted into the frame (the part that's riveted is around where the cable comes through the firewall...so what did they do? They cut the riveted part off of the rest of the handle, so I have two pieces where I should have one! Fortunately it looks like I can just bolt the rest of it in with no major issues, but I'm really wondering what they were trying to do. I didn't pull the cable tight yet, but so far it seems to move all right, so I have no idea what they were trying to do.

Anyway, here's a picture of the cable and what's left of the bracket still in the truck:


I played with the handle some today to try to figure out how it goes back together, and based on what I could see in the Haynes manual I came up with this:


Does this look right to you guys?

Assuming it is, I'm not sure yet how that little U-shaped bracket works...is it supposed to move, or is it supposed to be bolted down rigidly? It seems to be where the cable is tied into the handle, but I'm also not sure how the cable goes through it. I came up with two potential situations, with the cable being represented by the small machine screw in the picture:

Cable end pointing down through bracket. This seems to have the least stress on the cable, but it also doesn't seem all that secure, as the cable could just slip out the side of the bracket:


Cable end pointing up into bracket. This would place a lot more stress on the cable, as it would have to make a steep angle around the edge of the bracket, so I don't think it's likely, but it's a possibility nevertheless:


Once I get that figured out, I have to replace all the bolts involved here, including those that hold the handle to the frame. What type/grade/size bolts should I use to 1) mount the handle to the frame, and 2) hold the handle together; there are two bolts I need, one for the little bracket for the cable, and the other for the joint near the top. Any suggestions?

And finally, what kind of sensor is used for the BRAKE light, and where does it go? This handle has part of the wiring, including the connector on it, but nothing else...

Thanks!

dbsoundman

No one has any idea how this thing goes together?