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MG MGB Technical - stretched handbrake cable

hi----

79 mgb
my handbrake cable has stretched a bit.
my haynes manual tells me how to do it, sort of.
but it dosn't tell me where the adjusting fitting is.
it is not under the car, i think.
there is something burried deep at the base of the handbrake lever, is that it?
is there any trick to its adjustment?
thanks a heap.
john
john sutter

John. Yes, it is under the car. Look at the underside of the car and find the hand brake cable. Follow it to where it joins the underside of the hand brake lever. The cable will enter a round section of the lever. At the front side, there will be a round section of brass, having a hexagonal forwards section so that it can be turned with a wrench). This is the adjustment mechanism. It requires a 7/16" wrench as I remember it. Behind the hand brake lever, the cable is hexagonal, allowing a wrench to be used to hold it in place and prevent it from turning as the forwards "nut" is turned onto the cable to tighten it. I use a pair of Vise Grips on the rear portion of the cable extension as it seems to hold it more easily than a small wrench.

Les
Les Bengtson

The back of the adjusting nut has a groove machined in it which stops it moving in use as there is no lock-nut or similar. You have to turn this nut at least 1/4 turn or it simply flips back to its original position when you let it go.

The cable can stretch more than you can take up with this adjuster. If the cable is still sound then you can put a 1" clamp on the other end of the long inner, i.e. at the pivot on the diff, to shorten it.

But the first thing to do is make sure the rear shoes are adjusted correctly, if they are slack it will make the handbrake slack.
Paul Hunt 2

A drawing of Pauls solution is here http://home.zonnet.nl/carclub.ij-v5/brake-servo.html
wim

A drawing of Pauls solution is here http://home.zonnet.nl/carclub.ij-v5/brake-servo.html
On my 78B i did it also.
wim

....and here is a translation from an on-line free translator:

UITGEREKTE HANDREMKABEL USEFUL MAKE
The hand brake cables stretch in the long run this way far from that there with the stelmoer in the cardantunnel nothing be adjusted more can. (key 9/16)
A new brake cable is an option, but metal busje of ong. 2.5 cm long 9mm around and 5mm internal (I used a bit rood-copper tube) where you slaughter a saw cut lengthwise ensures there that
the brake cable can be adjusted. Turn the stelmoer in the tunnel this way far possible and remove the clevis tenon no. 2 from the brake drum to get space in the outside cable
Brian Shaw

This thread was discussed between 25/07/2007 and 28/07/2007

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