1966 Continental Parking Brake Issues

Bill,
I’m in the middle of restoring my Dad’s 1966 4 door sedan. He was so proud of this car.
On several occasions, I was able to manually release the parking brake, like I never had a problem. ( I found out later that there is a vacuum release when bringing the transmission out of park. ) After working on the engine and changing fluids, I try to manually release the parking brake, and it doesn’t budge. I’ve released the line going to the rear wheels thinking it would relieve the pressure to no avail. Even starting the vehicle and taking the trans out of park doesn’t release it. Any ideas? Thanks in advance, sir.
Steve
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Hi Steve –
Sometimes these cables if not used for a long period of time can become seized inside of their casings and that may be the problem, but if you have been releasing it manually with success it is possible that the pedal actuator assembly has developed a mechanical problem. I would begin by carefully inspecting it closely to view the release mechanism to find out how the manual release lever trips the mechanism. Is it possible that the parking brake has been applied too tight and locked up ? You may find that a little lubricant at the right spot may correct the issue. Another tip is to apply further pressure on the pedal while using the manual release. After you correct this problem you can test the automatic release if necessary for a vacuum problem.
Sincerely,
Bill