97 XJ e-brake with Ford 8.8

[JustEmptyEveryPocket]

I have been trying to put in a 97 XJ e-brake handle and so far getting it working is beyond me. Here is a run-down or what I have done.

 

Read all the basic threads including this one, and this one, and this one, and also this one. So I thought I had a pretty good grasp of it.

 

Putting the handle in wasn't bad. Drilled and used a piece of angle iron. Note that I plan on putting in another bolt to hold the angle iron from twisting. Just put it together to test the concept. I used the original front e-brake cable that was in my MJ and just looped the extra under the driver's seat like Alexia did.

 

I used ZJ rear e-brake cables (can't remember driver or passenger side, whichever is longer). I think how they attach to the lever in the Ford 8.8 is self explanatory. btw, sorry for all the mud. I live on a gravel road. Also apologies on the blurry photo. I can take a better one if needed.

 

Finally I noticed a complete lack of tension on the ZJ cables. So I began to tighten the *don't know the name of it thingy* inbetween the front e-brake cable and the two rear e-brake cables. But I ran out of adjustment before there was any tension in the lines. I can pull the handle in the cab and see no reaction on the lever in the axle's backing plate.

 

 

 

Note that I can be really stupid, so assume nothing. What am I missing?

 

My only thought is the I need to find some way of mounting my angle iron piece further back (away from the e-brake handle) to shorten the side in the *don't know the name of it thingy* inbetween the front e-brake cable and the two rear e-brake cables, pictured above. But in THIS THREAD it looks like his mounting point is CLOSER to the handle than mine even (picture below). So I must be missing something basic here.

[AZJeff]

For my MJ to use an XJ brake lever, here is what I did:

 

For starters, the piece you don't the name of is called the "equalizer bracket".  It equalizes the pull to each of the two rear wheels.  The threaded rod, as you noted, does the preliminary adjustment to get the cables tensioned.

 

I took the cables off of my rear wheels, and cut the cables  at the equalizer end by the amount needed to allow the threaded equalizer rod to still have some adjustment into it.

 

 

I then then brazed a new ferrule onto the cable and reinstalled them into the equalizer.

 

The other option is to cut the existing equalizer bracket assembly that is bolted to the chassis, and weld in an extension into it.  THe idea behind this is to lengthen the distance between the hand lever cable anchor point and the wheel cable anchor points, thus repostioning the equalizer bracket back closer to the middle of the threaded section of the adjustment rod.

[JustEmptyEveryPocket]

AZJeff, thanks for the input, but I can't say that I am comfortable with welding on a new ferrule and trusting it. If that is my only option I will figure it out I guess. However, I want to see if anyone came up with another solution? Maybe a different set of rear brake cables? If I remember right, Hornbrod did something with the stock MJ cables, but I can't seem to find that thread back. Anyone have the link?

[AZJeff]

40 minutes ago, JustEmptyEveryPocket said:

AZJeff, thanks for the input, but I can't say that I am comfortable with welding on a new ferrule and trusting it. If that is my only option I will figure it out I guess. However, I want to see if anyone came up with another solution? Maybe a different set of rear brake cables? If I remember right, Hornbrod did something with the stock MJ cables, but I can't seem to find that thread back. Anyone have the link?

The ferrules are only crimped (swaged) onto the cable end.   Brazing or welding would be just as strong if not stronger.

 

If you are not confident in your own skills, do you know someone with a brazing torch or welder that you can take the cables to and have the work done?