4RnrRick Posted November 1, 2004 Share Posted November 1, 2004 I was wondering if anyone has ever tried retro fitting the ebrake to a independant system. So when you are spinning the tire that doesn't have traction, you can pull a the e-brake lever for that tire and sent power the othe other tire which probably has traction? So basically it would be like turning brakes but for a different purpose....... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
All_talk Posted November 1, 2004 Share Posted November 1, 2004 Thats an old VW dune buggy/baja trick, it works good for them, cant see why it wouldn't work for a Subie. Most of the VW guys have went to hydraulic style turnning brakes, which on the Subie would require a complete re-plumb of the "X" brake circuit. The cable type should work fine with enough leverage (did in the old VW days). Gary Note: wouldn't be legal for road use. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WoodsWagon Posted November 1, 2004 Share Posted November 1, 2004 i had thought of that, and I've been considering making a braket to hold 2 Ebrake handles nad heave each of the cables run by its own handle. I'm sure its been done before. Take off the trim pannel right under the lever and look at haw its hooked up. A little creativity could enhance front traction greatly. Why isn't it leagle sp? Pull both handles at the same time and it works just like the origional. Good for burnouts too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
4RnrRick Posted November 1, 2004 Author Share Posted November 1, 2004 .....Note: wouldn't be legal for road use.Why do you say that? I know a hydraulic ebrake would be illegal because in most states since the laws require a functioning mechanical ebrake. But if you just modifiy the cable system, it would still be a mechanical ebrake. You would just have to pull two levers instead of one ....... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheSubaruJunkie Posted November 1, 2004 Share Posted November 1, 2004 Yeah. MikeW has done this with his Hatchback. Its a very simple mod since the front e-brake handle has the 2 cables leading right to the handle itself. He just mounted a 2nd handle and uses one for each cable and is able to lock either front tire. When I drove with him last, he just had it installed and was having trouble juggling the clutch, gas, gears & ebrake while steering through the obsticals. A while ago I brought the topic back up cause it was something I was intersted in doing to my Wagon. Skip came up with some brilliant ideas on using large servo's to operate the braking mechanism and having it enabled at the push of a button... for either right or left tires. His idea's made it sound easier to operate the front ebrake while keeping the majority of your attention on the trail. I dont think anything ever came of it tho -Brian Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
4RnrRick Posted November 1, 2004 Author Share Posted November 1, 2004 Yeah. MikeW has done this with his Hatchback. Got a link? Its a very simple mod since the front e-brake handle has the 2 cables leading right to the handle itself. SWEET - Thats what I wanted to hear! I've seen dune buggy drivers use them and I can see how it would take some pratice to get it down...... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bushbasher Posted November 1, 2004 Share Posted November 1, 2004 They would be very useful for situations were it is one wheel in the front that keeps spinning consistantly on a certain obstacle. Ive been thinking about doing this too but its a little project that can always be done later. Id like to just get my wagon in perfect working order. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheSubaruJunkie Posted November 1, 2004 Share Posted November 1, 2004 I had a picture of the setup Rick, but i cant find it anywhere. If MikeW still reads the USMB im sure he'll post here and supply a picture. If I can find the pic I have i'll definatly post it. -Brian Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike W Posted November 1, 2004 Share Posted November 1, 2004 With a little practice I did learn to work the dual ebrake locker and it does work as long as the cables are nice and tight. Not sure if I can dig up pictures but I do have some somewhere. Simple mod though. I just moved the existing ebrake handle over a little and bolted on a second handle next to it. Then I made a couple of little hook like gizmos that go on the threaded shaft. The hooks pull on the lugs on the end of the cables. Definitely not a ARB air locker....but better than nothing at all if one front wheel is just sitting there doing nothing while the other spins. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
All_talk Posted November 1, 2004 Share Posted November 1, 2004 Why do you say that? I know a hydraulic ebrake would be illegal because in most states since the laws require a functioning mechanical ebrake. But if you just modifiy the cable system, it would still be a mechanical ebrake. You would just have to pull two levers instead of one .......Not sure about two handles being legal... might be. But I would assume you would want to remove the locking button (I think it would be very tricky and possibly quite dangerous it you didn't), and I'm sure the law requires a locking park brake. I could be wrong... its happened before Gary Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
4RnrRick Posted November 1, 2004 Author Share Posted November 1, 2004 .... and I'm sure the law requires a locking park brake. Didn't think about the locking part. I would assume the law refers to a emergency brake so that if your hydraulic brakes fail then you have a back up mechanical braking system. and for that you won't need that to lock into place, It would just have to operate the brakes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
All_talk Posted November 1, 2004 Share Posted November 1, 2004 Didn't think about the locking part. I would assume the law refers to a emergency brake so that if your hydraulic brakes fail then you have a back up mechanical braking system. and for that you won't need that to lock into place, It would just have to operate the brakes. Actually just the opposite (at least in Washington), I’ve never seen anything about “emergency” brakes in the traffic codes, I think modern dual circuit hydraulic systems have that covered (good thing too, have you ever tried to stop the car with the hand brake). In fact all manufactures now call them “parking brakes” and I know the law requires a mechanical parking brake that can hold the vehicle loaded at full GVW up to a certain grade (cant remember). I think the ideal system (for mechanical anyway) would be two non-locking levers for right and left (placed for quick access), and one center locking lever that actuated both of the others (tucked out of the way). I’ve thought about building something like this for my VW dune buggy. Gary Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NorthWet Posted November 1, 2004 Share Posted November 1, 2004 Not sure about two handles being legal... might be. But I would assume you would want to remove the locking button (I think it would be very tricky and possibly quite dangerous it you didn't), and I'm sure the law requires a locking park brake. I could be wrong... its happened before Gary My old Triumph had an ebrake handle that locked only when you pushed the button in... bassackwards to "modern" handles. But a whole lot of fun doing bootleg turns! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike W Posted November 2, 2004 Share Posted November 2, 2004 Well I got home from work and can't find those pictures so you'll just have to visualize the setup or see if Brian has a pic. As far as the removing the buttons goes, for me it works fine as is. A few times I tried driving with the ebrake partway applied to see if it'd help with front end traction. Can't say it worked miracles but in theory it should work as well as putting one foot on the brake pedal. Sure it looks funky having two levers there but for everyday driving (or parking) it actually wasn't that weird or awkward pulling up on two levers at once or pushing in two buttons at once to release the brake. Just different. I'm not going to preach that dual ebrakes are the ultimate ghetto mod, work better than a true locker or whatever. But if you're bored and want to try a quick McGuyver project, it's cheap entertainment and might just help sometime you're sorta stuck. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
4RnrRick Posted November 2, 2004 Author Share Posted November 2, 2004 It sounds super easy to do so I think I'm going to have to try it...... Once I get a Subie........ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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