One More Longtime Dragon Slain

Got my parking brake pretty much done today! Did it all with factory parts too. Or more accurately, stock replacement...

I haven't had a parking brake since I took the old drivetain out of the car 7 years ago. It just wasn't a priority. Plus, I needed to track down this impossible to find bracket that a guy on Facebook finally had for me this winter.

I'm waiting to get this brake line fitting I need so I can finish my braided hose project from a guy on the Corral, so I thought I would give the parking brake a shot today! I'd been collecting cables, so I pretty much have everything I need now. I had to improvise some brackets from the front of a Fox T-bird for the rear Mark VII cables, and then I ran the cables and bolted everything in. So now, all that's left is final adjustments! I want to wait until the hydraulic brake system is functional before I wrap things up with the parking brake. It's going to be so cool to have a parking brake again! Especially having a manual now!

Well done you lucky devil!!! it's a great feeling getting a long time project resolved, whats next after the braided lines?

i've got lots of things i want to do, but dont have the time.

i hate to cobble something together, but lately if i'm lucky thats all i can do, i still havent fixed my AC plenum gasket, however i did get some camper tape, and with summer aproaching, i need to get on the ball.

it's hard working from 7-5 or 6 every day and every other weekend, there's just no time.

if you have the time, and take a vacation in AZ, i have plenty of things you can do on mine. i know you do very good work.......i have plenty of parts..........plenty of sunshine........

Well, I would but y'know... my car doesn't have A/C, so I think Arizona would just be intolerable without it.

Next up is the Ford club cruise, so I have to have the car driveable for that. After that though, I'm going to pull the trans and replace the speedo gear, and get that working. I should probably get the car aligned too with the different spindles and c/c plates I put in the other week. Or maybe I should wait on that until after I get the subframe connectors welded in.

Nice Brad, I am hoping after working on the Taurus that I get to work on my Futura. I want to go on that cruise too, maybe with the Fairmont, maybe with the Mustang....either way I want to go !!

i hate to display a complete lack of knowledge, but are you talking about front or rear subframe connectors. ive seen torque boxes on the rear, and various devices employed, but mostly on the convertibles.

you guys have a good time on your cruise, how far do you go, do you stop along the way and enjoy the sights.

These are Maximum Motorsports subframe connectors that go from the rear k-member mounting points, along the frame rails, across the gap to the rear frame rails by the torque boxes. I think they included torque box plates too, haven't looked in a while. There are seat bolt crossbars too. I'm not worried about twisting the car, I'm just hoping they make the ride less sloppy. The tubular k-member made a big difference in the ride and i think this will too.

The cruise goes from the south side of town along the Mississippi and St. Croix rivers to just north of the Twin Cities. Should be fun! I hope my car can make it. Got a few leaks to address in my brake line fittings today. I hope it's just loose nuts.

Sounds like a good trip. You do good work, so you shouldn't have to worry. The chances of anything breaking are probably as close to nonexistent as you can get.
I’ve seen some cars cobbled together in a terrible fashion, and they seem to always get there. I hate to see someone pop a hole in the body and run a bunch of wires thru it, it just makes me nervous, some people don’t even use the corrugated tubing, "yeah; I'll do it later......

Are you using AN fittings. If I’m not mistaken, (and have been in the past, but rarely acknowledge it) i seem to remember that the AN fittings use a different flare.

I think standard flares are 45 degrees and AN are like 37 or 37.5 degrees. i just remember having some leaks.

Good luck with your cruise, it sounds like fun.

If you want a/c let me know what you want if i have it, I’ll send it to you, just pay the shipping.

Just be aware that e-bay sells a lot of a/c stuff at reasonable prices, a few guys at work have used their stuff with no problems.

I am using some AN stuff, but not mixing it with regular fittings. The leaks were just some loose nuts like i was tihnking. Added some teflon tape too just to be sure.

I do want A/C eventually, but it's pretty far down the list of priorities. I've got my accessory drive all reconfigured with an underdrive kit and i don't have an evaporator in the dash, so I'd have to redo all that, haha. That's really nice of you to offer! Give me a year or so.

Yeah, I think the cruise will probably go fine. I'm just used to things happening with this car. Not so much that i get stranded somewhere, but just new large projects/repairs tend to pop up quite a bit.