Howto: short handbrake (e-brake), (and custom leather handbrake grip) Options

[BloodyStupidDave...]

This how-to describes modifying your existing handbrake by shortening the handle and optionally wrapping the handle in leather. To some, this gives the centre console a more sporty look - a handbrake that better suits the styling of our Celicas.



Difficulty: 2 (easy with the correct tools, easier then fitting a short-shifter)
Time required: 1 hour disassemby/assembly, Around 2 hours to modify the handbrake, another 1-2 hours to make the leather grip depending on prior skills

Tools needed:
Long no. 10, no. 12 and no. 14 sockets and ratchet wrench
No. 12 spanner, open-ended.
Junior hacksaw with fine metal-cutting blade
An M6 x 1 die and T-wrench
Thread lock
Posidrive screwdriver, medium size head
6.5mm drill bit and drill
Rotary cutting tool such as Dremel and cutting discs, small diameter for metal
Thin-nose (snipe-nose) pliers or heavy-duty non-locking forecepts
Scalpel, Stanley or X-Acto knife with brand new blade
Various medium to super-fine metal files and fine-grade wet and dry (emery) sanding papers
Masking tape
Epoxy glue
Super glue
Bench vice

Optional:
Sticky-back foam, at least 100 x 160 mm, 1 to 2 mm thick
Good quality leather, semi-rigid, 1 - 2 mm thick, ideally sticky-back
Waxed thread for leather stitching (eg waxed sinew thread), 1 m
Needle. Choose one with a large eye and fairly large body, suitable for leather stiching

Procedure:
Removing the trim and handbrake
Gently pull the plastic shifter trim directly upwards to disengage the retaining lugs at the base of the trip. Now gently pull the trim aftwards to remove the lugs below the aircon. Once free (except for the shift gaiter), turn 90 degrees so it is out of the way.
Unscrew the two black self-tap screws that are now exposed.

Lift lid on armrest / centre glove box (cubby hole). Remove contents and felt liner/mat. Remove the two bolts. It should now be possible to completely remove the aft section of the centre console trim. Carefully lift it up and aftwards a little until you can get a hand in to unplug the ashtray/money box light. Now completely remove the trim and put somewhere safe.

You should now have the handbrake exposed and should clearly be able to see the two no.12 bolts that hold the lever in place, the no. 10 cable adjusting double locking nuts, the handbrake switch and the plastic lugs that hold the plastic weather shield / guide for the handbrake cable in place.


Image by coomer, originally created for his TRD QuickShifter howto.

Remove the two bolts. Using two spanners or a spanner and wrench, remove the black nut while holding the golden-coloured (the lower) nut in place. Now remove this nut also. Use the snipe-nose pliers to squeeze the plastic latch together so you can remove the handbrake, leaving the plastic weather-shield in place. Turn the handbrake over and notice the lug that holds the handbrake cable in place. Use the snipe-nose pliers to bend the lug out of the way, releasing the cable from the handbrake and finally freeing the handbrake from the car.

Altering the handbrake
Remove the handbrake switch by undoing the posidrive screw
Turn the handbrake upside-down and carefully inspect the vinyl for the seam created during manufacture.

If you are going to be using a leather handbrake grip and gaiter:
Using the scalpel, carefully cut all the way through the vinyl on the underside, approximately 10mm away from the seam (reason: when we put the handbrake grip on, we don't our new seam to line up with the seam in the leather as that will be a point of weakness and wear

If you are not going to be using a leather handbrake grip and gaiter:
Using the scalpel, carefully cut all the way through the vinyl on the underside, right along the seam.

Now remove the vinyl handbrake gaiter completely, being careful not to rip it where it is stuck down. Clean up the metal handbrake with goo-gone, other glue solvents, sandpaper or whatever until you are happy with the surface.

Remove the handbrake button. You can either do this by easing/forcing the button to unscrew while prizing the handle apart slightly, or by removing the little lug on the underside of the button that prevents it from unscrewing during normal use. Remove the spring.

Mark exactly 55mm from the end of the handbrake lever, place the handbrake lever into a vice and cut off the end, being careful not to cut through the rod onto which the handbrake button screws.

Mark exactly 55mm from the end of the handbrake button rod. Place the rod in the vice in such a way that the vice can support the weight of the handbrake lever while clamping the actual rod, not the handbrake lever. Cut through the rod where marked, ensuring the cut is square. Using the files, remove any burrs from the end of the rod and file a taper (chamfer) onto the end, again taking care to ensure the taper is square and consistent around the rod.



Cut an M6x1 thread onto the rod, using the die and T-wrench, continuing to cut until the thread is 25mm long. Clean the thread and remove and cutting burrs using the emery paper. Use the files to remove any burrs from the cut end of handbrake lever.

Mark exactly 55mm down from the lugs that hold the button spring in place. Mark out the same lug shape. Using the rotary tool, cut two parallel lines where marked. Using the 6.5mm drill, drill a hole at the open end of the marked out lug to form a new lug. Repeat for the lug on the other side of the handbrake barrel grip. Either bend the old lugs out so that the inside of the barrel is perfectly smooth, or drill at the closed end of the old lug to remove the lug completely. Bend the new lugs in, ensuring that they correctly stop the spring traveling too far down the barrel but without fouling the operation of the rod.




At this point, you may want to treat any bare metal surfaces. As my handbrake lever appeared to be made from an aluminium-based alloy, I simply painted the bare metal. As the rod appeared to be mild steel, I opted to give it a few coats of clearcoat. I also de-greased the moving parts (which had got quite yucky from 10 years of fluff and dust sticking to the grease) and then re-greased with lithium grease.

Once you are happy with everything, check the operation of the handbrake button. If all is well, pop the spring back into the handbrake barrel, making sure that it engages with the lugs correctly (we don't cut the spring), apply a little threadlock to the thread on the handbrake button rod and screw the button back on, allowing for any overhang of the vinyl handbrake gaiter (and possibly the leather handbrake grip). Align the button with the mark where the lug was at the bottom. Allow plenty of time for the threadlock to fully harden. I chose to paint my button with a few coats of chrome paint and a quick buff before screwing it back onto the handbrake.



Cut exactly 55mm off the end of the vinyl gaiter and using successfully finer grades of sanding paper, shape the new end to match the profile of the old end. Glue the vinyl gaiter back onto the handbrake lever, taking care to align it correctly. I found that epoxy was best for gluing the vinyl to the metal and I used superglue to stick the seam back together. Use masking tape to hold the two sides of the seam in place while the superglue sets. You may need to place the handbrake lever into a clamp to ensure the vinyl retains the correct shape while the epoxy sets.

Optional leather grip
I decided to make a leather handbrake grip. Here's how you do it:
Stick the leather sheet to the foam sheet. If you are using sticky-back leather, stick the leather to the non-sticky side of the foam, otherwise stick the sticky side of the foam to the underside of the leather. Cut a D shape approximately 160mm x 100mm where the ) arc shape is along one of the 100mm sides and has a radius of approximately 100-150mm. The ) forms the bit around the button. Continue to shape the piece by trial and error (I failed to make a template - sorry). You should now have a piece which wraps around the handbrake where you grip it and where the two long sides just touch underneath. Now take of another millimeter from this seam (it is amazing how much the leather appears to stretch when you are sowing it up.

Tie a knot in one end of the leather stitching thread, thread the needle. Line the leather up on the vinyl (removing the backing from the foam if you used sticky-back leather) and pass the needle through the vinyl and the leather. We pass the needle through the vinyl to help keep the leather correctly located on the vinyl as we continue sowing. I found the snipe-nose pliers useful in holding the needle, so I could forcing the needle to pierce the vinly and leather as I was sowing. Pull the thread really hard to ensure that the knot will hold and to force the leather tight against the vinyl. The threads used for leather sowing are really strong - you can't break the thread using your bare hands.

Now pierce the leather on the other side of the seam and pull the thread hard to pull the two sides of the seam together. Yank the leather aftwards to ensure the piece doesn't slide up towards the button as you sow. Continue to sow up the seam, only piercing the foam and leather (not the vinyl), pulling the thread to pull the seam together and pulling the leather aftwards to keep the leather from wrinkling up towards the button, on each stitch.

When you get to the bottom of the seam, make a couple of final stitches using existing holes then tie a knot in the thread as close to the leather as you can, cut the thread about 10mm away from the knot and tuck the end under the leather. If you are really paranoid, you can even run the penultimate stitch through the vinyl like you did with the first before tying the knot.

I'm probably going to redo the stitching at some point - I'm not completely happy with it. If I do, I'll endeavour to make a template at the same time.

Replacing the handbrake and trim
Repeat the section "Removing the trim and handbrake" in reverse to put everything back together again.
Now take a picture of your work and post it into this thread.

This post has been edited by BloodyStupidDavey: Jan 17, 2009 - 7:45 PM

[Akirad1]

nice write up, sticky

[njccmd2002]

nice, ill see if i pick one up next weekned.

[njccmd2002]

nice, ill see if i pick one up next weekned.

which i never did

[Box]

nice, ill see if i pick one up next weekned.

which i never did

Slacker.

[cheela]

HAHAHAH awesome thread revival.

[njccmd2002]

HAHAHAH awesome thread revival.

i know right, this tells me i need to get my priorities straight,.

[bmj67]

That's my bad for posting in the today I thread haha I had this how to bookmarked for awhile and picked up a spare ebrake handle when I was helping novak so I finally got mine shortened.

[BonzaiCelica]

wow cool, this isn't stickied?