BrownsfaninMN

My '94 4X4 pickup's emergency brake cable recently broke back by where the cable from the cab meets the rear axle assembly, I'm sure the connection just rusted out, my question is it possible to rig up a repair just so that in the "oh shoot, no brakes" emergency situation I have at least one pull on the handle... Thanks.

GSGALLANT

I did the ghetto emergency brake cable repair in the exact same spot you're talking about while I was looking for a replacement cable. I took a threaded eyebolt (maybe 3" long or so). I threaded on a nut (not too far up the threaded section... maybe an inch). I then put a washer on there, and I passed the broken section of cable (the end that goes back to the cab... not the end that is left on the rear axle assembly) in through the hole in the washer (between the threads of the eyebolt and the washer). Next, I threaded on another nut, and tightenend the two nuts against each other (to sandwich the washer and the end of the cable.)

Then, you fasten the "eye" part of the eyebolt to the rear axle parking brake assembly (I forgot how I did this... I think there was a pin that I took out at the assembly, put the eye of the eyebolt in where the pin was, then installed the pin back in through the eye of the eyebolt to hold it there. I'm pretty sure it was just the same mechanism that held the old cable on there, if I'm not mistaken.)

I gave it a couple of really good pulls and it never slipped at all. You might want to consider double-nutting both sides of the washer to make sure it doesn't loosen.