[Brendan]

Re: parking break

> There's no way to unfreeze a
> parking brake cable on the 280ZX. The front
> and rear cables are sealed assemblies which
> can only be serviced by replacement.

Actually, you may be able to get a repair or a replica from a specialist cable builder. You'll find one in your phone directory, often they're associated with boat or aircraft repair shops. Certainly they can fix the most common Z parking brake problem which is when the tab breaks off the end of the cable.

Anyway, get a quote from Nissan and if it sounds like too much then check the alternative.

 

[jeff]

Re: parking break

> Actually, you may be able to get a repair or
> a replica from a specialist cable builder.
> You'll find one in your phone directory,
> often they're associated with boat or
> aircraft repair shops. Certainly they can
> fix the most common Z parking brake problem
> which is when the tab breaks off the end of
> the cable.

> Anyway, get a quote from Nissan and if it
> sounds like too much then check the
> alternative.

i just had to replace both cables on mine, nissan wants @96.30 for the rear and 35.00 fr front. their new front cable does not include the clevis pin replacement piece,you have to destroy the pin to remove front cable from handle assembly.the pin kit costs extra.

 

[Doug Dawson]

Re: parking brake

> i just had to replace both cables on mine,
> nissan wants @96.30 for the rear and 35.00
> fr front. their new front cable does not
> include the clevis pin replacement piece,you
> have to destroy the pin to remove front
> cable from handle assembly.the pin kit costs
> extra.

Try Courtesy Nissan ( in the Links section supposedly, ) or Motorsport Auto, both of which can beat that price. I don't remember paying nearly that much for them last winter.

Yeah, you have to break out the pin on the lever assembly. The way to do it is to drill it out with an electrical drill ( or preferably a drill press ) with an increasingly sized set of bits until the top of the rivet pulls out without damaging the lever. I don't remember the exact size of the rivet shank, IOW. :^)

Last time I checked, the replacement front-cable mounting pin was no longer available as a service part, Nissan is now only selling the whole lever assembly together, which is not very kind. Let us know if this pin kit is actually available somewhere, with a part number if possible.

This is a very simple R&R, BTW, provided you remove the rear cable from its mounts and THEN detach it from the rear caliper adjusters, and vice versa.

Doug Dawson
[email protected]

 

[jeff]

Re: parking brake

> Try Courtesy Nissan ( in the Links section
> supposedly, ) or Motorsport Auto, both of
> which can beat that price. I don't remember
> paying nearly that much for them last
> winter.

> Yeah, you have to break out the pin on the
> lever assembly. The way to do it is to drill
> it out with an electrical drill ( or
> preferably a drill press ) with an
> increasingly sized set of bits until the top
> of the rivet pulls out without damaging the
> lever. I don't remember the exact size of
> the rivet shank, IOW. :^)

> Last time I checked, the replacement
> front-cable mounting pin was no longer
> available as a service part, Nissan is now
> only selling the whole lever assembly
> together, which is not very kind. Let us
> know if this pin kit is actually available
> somewhere, with a part number if possible.

> This is a very simple R&R, BTW, provided you
> remove the rear cable from its mounts and
> THEN detach it from the rear caliper
> adjusters, and vice versa.

> Doug Dawson
> [email protected]
Nissan dealer out here can get them, I didn't go to the counter
and look at the picture,but the guy I deal with is a Z guy, should be P/N 36511-21000.
$2.13 availibility on earlier models is sketchy, jeffm

 

[jeff]

Re: parking brake

> Try Courtesy Nissan ( in the Links section
> supposedly, ) or Motorsport Auto, both of
> which can beat that price. I don't remember
> paying nearly that much for them last
> winter.

> Yeah, you have to break out the pin on the
> lever assembly. The way to do it is to drill
> it out with an electrical drill ( or
> preferably a drill press ) with an
> increasingly sized set of bits until the top
> of the rivet pulls out without damaging the
> lever. I don't remember the exact size of
> the rivet shank, IOW. :^)

> Last time I checked, the replacement
> front-cable mounting pin was no longer
> available as a service part, Nissan is now
> only selling the whole lever assembly
> together, which is not very kind. Let us
> know if this pin kit is actually available
> somewhere, with a part number if possible.

> This is a very simple R&R, BTW, provided you
> remove the rear cable from its mounts and
> THEN detach it from the rear caliper
> adjusters, and vice versa.

> Doug Dawson
> [email protected]
Nissan dealer out here can get them, I didn't go to the counter
and look at the picture,but the guy I deal with is a Z guy, should be P/N 36511-21000.
$2.13 availibility on earlier models is sketchy, jeffm

 

[Doug Dawson]

Re: parking brake

> Nissan dealer out here can get them, I
> didn't go to the counter
> and look at the picture,but the guy I deal
> with is a Z guy, should be P/N 36511-21000.
> $2.13 availibility on earlier models is
> sketchy, jeffm

YOU ARE CORRECT, SIR! THAT PART IS STILL AVAILABLE!!! THANK you! ( Even though it doesn't show on the fiche. And I've been having pretty bad luck lately with the miscellaneous widgets. )

I hope I didn't just order the last one in Carson.

Aren't electronic media wonderful?

Doug Dawson
[email protected]

 

[jeff]

Re: parking brake

> YOU ARE CORRECT, SIR! THAT PART IS STILL
> AVAILABLE!!! THANK you! ( Even though it
> doesn't show on the fiche. And I've been
> having pretty bad luck lately with the
> miscellaneous widgets. )

> I hope I didn't just order the last one in
> Carson.

> Aren't electronic media wonderful?

> Doug Dawson
> [email protected]
Glad I could help,I've had to do all kinds of little stuff to my '79zx, last owner wasn't much on maintenance, but I got it for $600,norust,had new brakes,tranny, and engine, his wife wrecked it,took about three days and $300 dollars to fix at home. got lucky I guess.

 

[john]

Re: parking brake

I've been following this thread with the hopes of solving my emergency brake problem - the primary rod is rusted off, the adjuster is still hanging from the bracket & the cable is just rolled up &stuck into the under-carriage. Neat, huh?
My local Nissan dealer is not much help with classic parts - can I order the rod & cable on the net?
You guys seem pretty knowledgable in this area - I'm just getting started on what I hope will be a long & winding road of bliss!

 

[Doug Dawson]

Re: availability of 280ZX e-brake lever repair kit

Earlier it was written,

>> My Nissan dealer out here can get them, I
>> didn't go to the counter and look at the
>> picture,but the guy I deal with is a Z guy,
>> should be P/N 36511-21000. $2.13 availibility
>> on earlier models is sketchy, jeffm

and I had quickly responded,

> YOU ARE CORRECT, SIR! THAT PART IS STILL
> AVAILABLE!!! THANK you! ( Even though it
> doesn't show on the fiche. And I've been
> having pretty bad luck lately with the
> miscellaneous widgets. )

This part arrived last week, and it turns out that it's the wrong part. This is in fact the part number for the bolt on which the equalizer assembly pivots, rather than the desired mounting hardware for a replacement front e-brake cable re. the OEM e-brake lever assembly. I apologize if my ( understandable ) enthusiasm led others to order the same part only to be similarly duped. As it stands, the only way of getting the rebuild hardware _from_Nissan_ is to order the entire front e-brake lever assembly from Nissan, which is priced at something like $150, and which is a really idiotic way to approach the problem.

As it stands, the hardware to remount the front parking brake cable is difficult ( impossible? ) to find in the aftermarket, and you're forced to rely on one of a variety of kludgey-things. They work okay, but they're not very elegant. IMO Nissan should be taken to task for this, it's really silly of them to discontinue a part that nearly every 15-to-20-year-old 280ZX will need simply to maintaining the car properly. <insert spitting sound here>

Doug Dawson
[email protected]