hey guys stupid question im doing a frame swap on my 55 pickup and just doing the brakes and lines and hose etc. to get the chassis ready to put the cab on. i put the rear drum brakes together and the cables for the parking brake hooked up but my question is how does the linkage work? i have both rear cables from the drums hooked up to the bracket where they tie in but the cable from the pedal looks like once you engage it, it seems like it will only engage the driver side drum brake how does it engage the passenger side drum? am i missing a braket or something please let me know info and input p.s. the frame i am putting my 55 on is a 1984 chevy 1/2 ton c10 2wd pickup thank you kujo
the cable from the parking brake pedal (in the cab) should run to a 'splitter' (just a stamped piece of steel that accomodates the single cable and the two (or sometimes just one long one, coming from each side to that bracket). The cab cable is actuated by the pedal and pulls on that splitter which, in turn, pulls on the actuator levers within the brake drums themselves. Not sure how you have only one side hooked up. Go find an 81-86 Chev/GM C10 2wd pickup and take a look underneath. Make sure it's not running with someone in the cab getting ready to leave.
i have the cheltons manual (probably the wrong spelling) and i have seen the pics on the web and all show the same thing running the cable from the petal through the front of the "splitter" and connecting to the driver side drum cable i will post a pic of in in a little but thank you for the help and the info
http://www.lmctruck.com/icatalog/cc/865w/0167.jpg this is lmc truck diagram of the rear parking brake cables and seems like a pretty good referance but as its shown is how i have it hooked up
the manual (Chilton's) is likely just showing the one side for clarification - usually there'll be a small footnote indicating that the schematic applies to both sides. I don't know whether you have a one piece cable that comes from both drums and goes to the splitter or whether there are two cables (one from each drum) that have an adjusting nut that slides into the splitter on each side of the cable that comes from the pedal. Pulling on that cable (even with your hand) should give you a visual of the slack being taken up on both drum cables simultaneously. I again advise you to 'get out and get under' a similar C-10 and maybe have a cohort activate the parking brake so you can observe how it works. This is probably the simplest mechanical device on most late cars.
OK, I have viewed your schematic. If you have your cables hooked up exactly that way, and only one side is being activated then something is not adjusted properly, or not hooked up. Take off the drum on the side that is "not working" and make sure that the cable connection is intact at the actuating lever on the brake shoe, and that the lever has not lost it's circlip (or fastener) and fallen out somehow.