Parking brake stuck in disengaged position

[tgall595]

I have a '69 D200 with the park brake at the rear end. The lever in the cab is stuck in the "disengaged" or "released" position. I am unable to pull the lever to engage the brake at all. I tried PB blast on the lever/joints/adjustment screw in the end but to no avail. I decided to remove the lever/handle altogether and found that the reason for being unable to engage the brakes seems to be far too much tension on the brake cable. Has anyone ever encountered this problem? Any suggestions for why/what may be going on and what to do about it? I'd like to use the stock components in the cab. Pictures of properly assembled park brake lever would be appreciated as well, in my frustration I disassembled it all and did not pay close enough attention to make sure I reassemble it properly. Thanks

[martincom]

That is very common up here in the rust belt. The inner cable rusts tight to the outer sheath. I always replaced the axle cables when I did a brake job on our business step vans. The front cable was usually OK. Once you have the handle mechanism re-installed, you can check the front cable for freedom of movement, with the axle cables disconnected.

I'd recommend you purchase a factory service manual for your truck. It will have the illustrations you seek. It'll be the best investment you make in your truck.

https://www.faxonautoliterature.com/

http://www.autobooksbishko.com/repair-manual.html

[tgall595]

Thanks for the tip, got lucky and found the service manual on eBay for $10!

[martincom]

Thanks for the tip, got lucky and found the service manual on eBay for $10!

Yes, that was indeed a bargain.