What's the secret for tightening the Deuce Park Brake cable?

[houdel]

OK, what's the secret for tightening the Deuce Park Brake cable adjusting nut? I'm talking about tightening the nut at the apply lever on the park brake assembly on the transfer case. I've run out of adjustment by cranking the handle on the in-cab park brake handle.

I've crawled under the truck and can see and feel the tightening nut and even get a 3/4" wrench on the nut, but there is not enough room the crank the wrench to tighten the nut. Between the cab and braces, I can turn the wrench about 1/6 turn, but all that does is twist the cable slightly. I suppose I can use a vise grip in the cable ferrule to minimize cable twist, but I still can't get enough swing on the wrench to move the nut, even though I still have plenty of adjustment length left on the threaded stud.

Can't do it from above with a 3/4" deep socket, there is a brace it the way so there is no way I can even get a socket it there. So what is the solution? Buy a stubby 3/4" combination wrench and hope I can get enough swing with that? I've dosed up the nut & threaded rod with carb & choke cleaner to loosen up the accumulated crud, but how do I turn that da!m nut?

 

[Djfreema]

I sprayed WD-40 on it then held the cable part with vice grips and slowly tightened it. Make sure you take all the adjusting slack back out on the incab adjusting handle so that you can start adjusting it again as it wears down.

 

[MATT]

Use a short wrench like you said. What I do is take the lock nut all the way off and grind the locking part off the nut(the top part). Then I install with ease and then get another nut to use as a jamb nut, tighten the 2 nuts together and next time you need adjustment wal-ah. You will have to use a pair of pliers or vise grips to hold the cable. Kind of a pain. Like Dj said, take all the adjusting slack back out on the incab adjusting handle so that you can start adjusting it again as it wears down.

 

[Westech]

hmm i never had a problem adjusting that, and i rebuilt mine. like they said use a stubby wrench and dont forget to hold the base of the cable from spining.

 

[Dieselsmoke]

The hardest part to me is having to use seven elbows to reach up in there. It's usually not that hrd just time consuming. Once you get it set up right shouldn't need to be readjusted for a long time. Just about every truck I've had though, the GIs were too lazy to take the time to adjust them properly.

 

[JRBAMATEX]

here's the trick. Just loosen the brake handle spinny adjuster thing on top so that the nut on the side of the handle bar is about 3/4 of the way or just a bit more toward the bottom. Then release the handle. (put it in the down position). Then climb up under the truck. There should be two nuts on the threaded end of the cable. they will be locked together. Get two 1/2" (i think) wrenches and put one on the top and one on the bottom nuts. (One Stubby (short) and one regular wrench should work fine) undo or unlock or unloosen those two nuts from one another depending on where you are from. Then get a vise grip (the small version 6") grab those nuts (the ones on the end of the cable) with one hand and pull the lever that the cable runs through with the other hand. The cable end that is threaded should expose its unthreaded piece that runs through the hole in the lever some. The part that is exposed needs to have a 6" vise grip applied so that the vise grip just is barely on the part that is attached to the all-thread piece and NOT the cable or the threaded part (it will be the unthreaded part closest to you and on your side of the leaver). So just on the edge. Once the vise grip is attached start tightening the nut on the bottom of the two nuts on the end of the cable/all-thread (The one closest to you). Tighten that nut down several times. Then undo the vise grips and let everything normal up. Climb out from under the truck and go to the emergency break handle. Flip it up. It should get "kind" of hard to pull up as you engage the brake. If it seems kind of wimpy let the handle back down and go back under the truck. You need to turn that nut some more. If not then let it be. You can make the rest of the adjustments at the brake handle spinny adjuster thing on top of the handle. Once it all seems good and tight be sure to run that other nut down onto the nut you used to adjust the cable then run the two together hard in order to lock them together. Be careful NOT to adjust the break so tight that it rubs excessively when it is not engaged. I think the TM calls for .015 of play between the pad and the drum. Yeah OK. Most times the drum is out of perfect round and it will pick up a little rub here and there. Just make sure that it doesn't rub very hard and that it will not make a bunch of heat and ruin your break pads.

One thing to note. I do not have the fine adjustment nut that would run down on top of the outer break pad on my truck. SO if you do you will need to adjust this recipe some.

Good luck,

 

[rdixiemiller]

Get a set of the ratcheting combination wrenches everyone has now. They are the cats posterior end for tight spots! I wish they had been around years ago when I was twisting wrenches for a living! They come in short, long, standard, and metric.

 

[houdel]

Thanks all, I finally managed to get the job done - and without a stubby wrench, racheting box wrench, or seven elbows, although any or all of the above would have helped. I actually went out & bought a new 3/4" combo wrench with the intention of grinding it down to a stubby (I didn't want to mess up my good Craftsman set), but as it turnd out I didn't need to do so.

As mentioned originally, I had liberally soaked the adjusting nut & threaded portion of the cable with carb & choke cleaner the night before. As I was fiddling around trying to decide how much I needed to grind off my wrench to make it a stubby, I discovered the carb & choke cleaner had loosened the gunk up enough that I could, with some difficulty, turn the adjusting nut down by hand (mine didn't have a locknut)! I also discovered the ferrule which crimps the threaded portion to the cable was a perfect 5/16" square!

So I turned the adjusting nut down by hand until it got too tight to turn any more, loosened up the adjuster on the E-brake handle, cranked the E-brake handle a couple of times to put some slack in the cable & turned the adjusting nut down by hand until it got too tight to turn again. I repeated the process until I had as much slack out of the cable as I could, and the adjusting nut was as tight as I could get it by hand. At this point the cable was still fairly loose.

For the final tightening, I put my regular 3/4" wrench on the locknut to keep it from turning and used a 5/16" open wrench to twist the cable. I could get a couple of turns in before the cable was twisted so tight I couldn't turn it any more. Then I pulled the 3/4" wrench off the locknut and let the cable unwind itself. I repeated this process until I got the cable fairly tight.

Then I put a couple of turns on the E-brake handle adjuster and I was in business. Now at moderate speeds I can lock up the rear tires in my gravel driveway. BTW, to save stretching my cable, I don't set the park brake when I park the Deuce at home. I just set a couple of 6"x6" chocks between the rear wheels. I leave it parked on a level surface, so it is not going anyplace unless a tornado comes along. It that case, I don't think the park brake is going to help anyhow!

 

[armadillofz1]

my cable is seized, is there a common cable that i can use or do i have to get the specific cable. napa maybe?

 

[cattlerepairman]

my cable is seized, is there a common cable that i can use or do i have to get the specific cable. napa maybe?

x2 ! I ordered my cable from a reputed supplier here at the end of August. Has not yet arrived due to backorder. I, too, am wondering if there is a generic NAPA part that might fit. Anybody?

 

[gimpyrobb]

Not sure. You do know there is 2 types of parking brake levers, and the cables are not compatible with eachother. You should post up which type you have. Does the handle have the adjuster on it or not?

 

[GoHot229]

Erik's Military and Industrial out of SanDiego California area, it lists for $55 , I'v dealt with Him, good guy, search the site and call, I think you'll be happy with the results. ......................................Rich..........................
www.eriksmilitarysurplus.com

 

[actionfigurebob]

my cable is seized, is there a common cable that i can use or do i have to get the specific cable. napa maybe?

Hey Greg,
Bought mine from TNJ Murray in Del. for $47.00.
Lets do a day trip up there. I need some parts from
him and its a good excuse to wander his yard(27 acres)
and climb all over big green things.

 

[armadillofz1]

Any time. I have 6-day weekends now. Just say when.

 

[cattlerepairman]

Not sure. You do know there is 2 types of parking brake levers, and the cables are not compatible with eachother. You should post up which type you have. Does the handle have the adjuster on it or not?

Yes, it is the newer style with the adjuster knob on the handle.

I had good experiences with Erik's, but it is not him I ordered it from. I was just wondering if there is an agricultural machinery cable or such that also fits.