Repair 1973 Emergency Brakes

[6foot4]

My emergency brakes are not working, and here in Alberta, Canada, a safety inspection is required to register a car over 10 years old. Mostly brakes steering and tires, the steering works OK, I am getting new tires (Mickey Thompson ST), and I need to fix the E-brakes to get the car on the road.

I bought the E-brake cables locally, all 3 of them, a short driver's side cable, a front cable that connects to the E-brake pedal, and a very long passenger side cable that loops all the way around, over the driveshaft, hooks onto the front cable and connects to the driver's side short rear cable.            

[JTS71 Mach1]

Yeah that looks like the cables best as I can remember. Now were you able to get the clips that hook the cables together and the stuff that attaches them the the chassis points? JTS 71 Mach1

[6foot4]

I started on the driver's side installing the short cable. Slide the cable in the hole in the backing plate, remove one "nail" retainer, and hook the cable end on the lever. At this point the cable fell out of the hole in the backing plate. The clip with 3 legs is not crimped like a Ford cable, it is loose. Removed the cable and adjusted the clip with a screwdriver, hammer and a metal table. The other cable was the same so I adjusted it too. Now the clip fits tightly and stays in the hole. I did not have the connector, so I made one out of some square tubing, drill some holes, saw a slot, and it works.    
Next I tried connecting the long cable. On the driver's side it hooks onto the front cable, I installed the new front cable, no issues, the adjuster is coarse thread and not fine thread , but still works. The cable came with the return spring, and now the brake pedal does not fall to the floor. On the passenger side there is this hook.     The problem is was I replaced the floor pans, and I think there was a bracket with a hole in for this hook to hook into. No problem, I just got some more of that square tubing, and drilled a hole in it for the hook. Then welded it under the car ( without starting the carpet on fire) carefully with the MIG welder. I tightened up the adjuster, and working E-brakes. I am missing one retainer clip, and I will get one at the pick-a-part, but too much snow for that right now.    

[JTS71 Mach1]

Cool Deal looks like you're pretty handy. JTS 71 Mach1

[Steven Harris]

Congratulations.

I can appreciate your ingenuity.