BearKiller

I found a gizmo in the wife's floor-board and noticed the park-brake pedal was all the way up against dash.

I poked my head under the dash of the son's truck and identified where this gizmo went.

It is a little Z-shaped metal bracket with two rubber bumpers, one square and one round like a roller; it's job is to stop the pedal-arm at the top of it's travel.

Chrysler, in their bankrupt hurry to get the truck on the dealer's lot, had merely tack-welded this gizmo onto the pedal mechanism.

To replace it, I had to completely remove the entire pedal mechanism and take it to the drill-press, where I drilled a 1/4-inch hole through both the gizmo and the pedal bracket.

A very short 1/4-inch bolt now holds the gizmo in place; I punched and peened the bolt into the nut, such that it will never ever loosen.


Now that that's accomplished, on to the next situation :


I can't tell for certain, but I believe when the pedal was allowed to slam against the dash, it re-arranged the little copper wing on the park-brake-light switch.

I figured no problem, there are several more Dodge trucks sitting here, I can just poke my head under the dash of any one of them and see how the switch looks on it.

WRONG

That little wing is broken off and gone from every other Dodge truck on the place.

Furthermore, I am having no luck finding a picture of a new switch on any of the internet parts sources; so far, the ones I have looked at do not offer the park-brake switch.


Does anyone have a good picture of a properly functioning park-brake switch ??


Where can I buy a bunch of new ones ??


Has anyone built their own ??


Thanks.

BearKiller

Got it fixed !!!


Like I suspected, when the pedal-arm swung past it's limits, it re-shaped the little copper wing.

I studied the relationship between the arm and wing, and re-formed the wing like I thought it should be.

Now, everything works better than new.


A few little tips, should anyone else ever have reason to remove the park-brake assembly :


The three flanged nuts, two under the hood on the fire-wall and one under the dash above the pedal-arm, are NOT METRIC, but good old born-in-the-USA 1/2" SAE.

The cable assembly is merely friction-fit into the pedal bracket; wiggle and yank and it will come loose.


In order to give enough slack to allow the cable ferrule to be removed from it's holder-thingie, I doubled a short loop of plastic hay-string around the brake-cable divider, located alongside the frame-rail ahead of the rear wheel.

Into this string loop I hooked a small-sized ratchet-strap, hooking the other end onto a stout running-board bracket.

I pulled all the slack from the strap, then ratcheted until the brake-shoes were tightened against the drums.

This gave me enough slack in the forward cable that I was easily able to re-hook it where it goes.



Thanks.

BearKiller

Anyone have a source and part-numbers for the park-brake switch ??

Has anyone creative built a home-made one ??


Thanks.

wannadiesel

4221463 $8 and change from your local Dodge dealer.

It appears Chrysler used that switch from the early '80's and is still using it on many models.

BearKiller

Thank you, kind sir........

Wettstein

I found this one
http://www.moparpartsamerica.com/par...layCatalogid=0

BearKiller

Thanks; I didn't know such a store/site existed.

wannadiesel

There are several dealers who sell online below list price. Find one close to you for minimal shipping charges yet out of state so you don't pay sales tax.

The best thing to do is make friends with the parts guy at your local dealer and get him to sell you parts at jobber rate.

For this part I wouldn't be too upset about paying list.