I was given a lot of advices during this build. Most of them are simple: plan your build, then build according to that plan. The beauty of this project is that it's possible to build anything and everything. It is also the problem of the build. There's just no end to all the "good" ideas that "need" to be implemented.
However, sometimes things just don't work out. My hand brake was exactly that. I got all the parts out of the box. Then, I bolted everything in place. Then, I realised that it's all horribly busted.
The hand brake assembly was hitting the mounting bracket.
If you were to look inside the transmission tunnel from the top, you'd see the cable rubbing against the frame.
Also the aluminum panels would not let the hand brake move freely.
I checked with others and it was consistent. Lots of trimming and filing would be required to get the assembly working correctly. And then, some creative tricks to help the cable move around the frame. All that meant the modifications had to happen one way or another. I picked up my cutting tools and ...
The cable bracket was not so complicated and was easy to fabricate new.
After some welding in very awkward poses, it looked like this.
Of course, a double coat of rust proof paint made it look like it was meant to be there in the first place.
And all assembled it looks like so
A side from making the hand brake work, there was another added benefit from moving the hand brake from the passenger side of transmission tunnel closer to the driver. Apparently, the driver with all the harness buckles done up cannot rich for the hand brake. If you are like me and put your seat belts on as a first thing getting into the car without even thinking about it, then you'd find yourself undoing the seatbelts to release the hand brake. It sounds like frustration already. Throw in the five point harness without easy release button and the frustration grows to the whole new level. The new location is just between the driver seat and gear shifter. It's very accessible and looks better too.
