Ah well, the handbrake (emergency brake) assy finally came out after a few hours of struggling. Damn, if I'd have to do this project all over again, I'd buy a car lift first. Struggling with stuck parts lying on your back is no fun. Eye protection definitely is a must!
Unfortunately I'll have to replace the handbrake cable. But there's no way that I'm gonna shell out $280 on the reproduction from the Z-store.
Handbrake options
There is an aftermarket cable for the 280Z (RAYBESTOS Part # BC92952, WAGNER Part # BC122537) which requires minor modding (changing the cable ends). Raybestos cable $57.79 + 6.11 shipping to FL from Rockauto.com.
Overall length supposedly is 74.25", which is about the same as that of my Z's cable.
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Then there's the universal Lokar emergency brake cables. Nice, but expensive (~$115) and it would require more modding than other Nissan cable options.
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Another option worth considering is converting to the 240SX/Z32 style handbrake cables.
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| $5 from ebay :) | Z32 vs 240Z equaliser (balance bar) |
What you need to do is replace the Z-style equaliser with one from a 240SX or 300ZX. Then you can use the two separate brake cables which are more widely available. The 240SX and Z32 cables are a bit different from each other though (see below).
The ZX cables are also a bit longer than the S30 cable, which is why people doing this mod, cross the cables, ie. mount LH cable to RH mounting bracket and RH cable to LH bracket.
The mod is quite simple:
- cut off the cable from the ZX equaliser
- drill out the hole to 6mm
- insert a new bolt long enough (~80mm) to replace bolt #20 (77mm) in illustration below
- in the case of 240SX cables, devise a way to fit the cable to the brackets immediately after the equaliser.
240SX cables are bolted up vertically (see illustration below) rather than horizontally (in longitudinal direction) as is the case with Z32 cables. S30 cables are clamped to the bracket through a U-shaped lock plate. Because of the way Z32 cables are mounted, they can be mounted to the S30 bracket as well.
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| S30 style handbrake | Z32 style handbrake | '91-'94 240SX (US) style handbrake |
I was lucky enough to find a 300ZX front cable incl. the equaliser on ebay for $5 + $10 shipping (to Florida :) But considering the cost of two 300ZX cables (~$115 ea.) versus the cost of the 280Z cable, I've decided to try the 280Z cable first.
With that and the tools I've bought, the remainder of my year-end bonus has been spent. Looking forward to all the boxes I'll be receiving this week :)
