For my handbrake, I have a ratchet/dog lock/release mechanism design based on reliable VW handbrake levers, but got sidetracked into the old Stanley brake levers, and my historical/technological curiousity got the better of me.

I like the coffin-nose Stanley handbrake lever design, and have been able to figure out most of its characteristics from published photos and my own snapshots. The "release squeezer" is a bell crank, with compression return spring at its end, and a rod down to a sort of ring around the freestanding locking quadrant, which passes _through_ the lower part of the lever.

What stumps me is that I can't see any ratchet teeth on the underside of this quadrant, in any of the photos or illustrations I have. Are there any? Are they just really tiny? Are the photos too grainy to show them? Or does it lock via wedge action, something like a caulk gun? Also, is there anything that keeps the locking ring (or whatever it is called), which surrounds the quadrant, against the front face of the brake lever while pulling the lever back to set brake?

Is there a hidden dog somewhere to grab the ratchet teeth (if any)?

Wish I could remember hearing a brake lever clatter on my handful of Stanley rides, but there were too many other distractions. The ratchet lock on the old VWs makes a real racket when you pull it. It locks solid, and tells you so. Once I was stopped in a traffic jam on a steep hill for a ridiculously long period of time, and set the ol' rattler parking brake in disgust. I happened to glance in the rear view mirror, and the driver behind me started laughing and giving me a thumbs-up at this loud commentary on the long wait.

And while I'm at it, how did Stanley make the handle on the handbrake lever? They look like cast brass or white metal, sometimes apparently painted. Cast onto the ends of the brake levers? Turned to shape?

Peter



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 12/11/2008 09:33PM by Peter Brow.

Peter this is a photo of an early reattach lock. You push the pedal in and put your heal down and lock the break position, to release you push the pedal a little and the spring pops the link up.

Rolly

Hi Rolly,

Wow, that is _real_ old-time stuff! Congratulations, this won the unofficial Rebecca's Coffee House People's Choice Award for Neatest Gadget of the Week. It drew a crowd around the computer screen. Way cool.

I found aftermarket Old-VW-compatible thumb-button brake levers, complete, chrome-o-rama, $24. New aftermarket, made in USA. More modern-looking than I like, but it does the job, pro-engineered, road-tested, bulletproof, and saves many hours in the shop. I think these have logged a few billion road miles. Mounting bracket and cable routing -- "so easy even I can do it" -- and it's done. Beats the modern under-dash dingles that most hot rodders use. Not as cool as a Stanley-type lever, though.

Peter

Check for model T aftermarket,,,haha,,Ben

Hi Ben,

For T's, Bugs, and a few others, the aftermarket is more of an afterlife. Seems like nearly every part is still available, newly-made. Except the T handbrake lever, only originals are available for some reason. Well, I guess if there's a mountain of originals, why make new ones. No great loss; I think the Model T brake handle looks like the car fell over and bent it anyway. Apologies to any T fans out there. When the VW Bug came along, they just recycled all the old T jokes. Like the truck driver who hung magnets in front of his tires to catch nails and avoid flats. After one trip, he removed 8 nails, a thumbtack, and a half-dozen Model T's [or VWs].

Thanks to your comment, I checked again on repro T steering wheel prices. $325-400! For a bent stick on a piece of metal! This has me thinking of a steam box for wood bending ... or a modern wheel ... nothing too sleazy tho ... some parts pay to get off the shelf, some ree-hee-heeely don't. Takes a while to figure out which is which.

Anyway, I think that there are more important issues to consider in designing/building a steam automobile. Run first, then get fancy.

Peter

Peter to really answer your question yes there are teeth on the underside of the Stanley handbrake quadrant and the bottom edge of the catch hooks into the teeth. I'll post a picture tomorrow. The brass knob on the top of the lever is machined and screwed onto the lever. The most difficult part is the operating trigger which is a casting. John Goold can do these.

Mike

Peter, If a person is doing an authentic Stanley, then he has to use all of the correct parts from the start. Somethings just cannot be fixed later. If he is building just a home built steam car, looks are important but he has the freedom of using any parts that pleases him. Attached is Stanley hand brake lever on a 1909 Stanley.

Thanks Mike, I figured there had to be teeth, but I could not find any photos which showed them, and I have "figured" wrong on lots of things before. Machined brass handle screwed on; good solid construction, not to mention beautiful.

Hi Pat, Thanks for the photo, best I've ever seen of a coffin-nose Stanley handbrake lever. There's the teeth and everything, and looks like a nut & bolt (in slot?) to keep the catch against the front of the lever. Really a good design. Also very different from anything I was previously acquainted with.

I keep reminding myself that what I am building is not a Stanley, and it doesn't have to look like one. My goal in this project is a reasonably economical, roadworthy, and attractive/nostalgic new steam car, which can be designed and built in not too many years. This sometimes means accepting design features which I don't particularly like.

Thank you gentlemen; my Stanley brake lever questions are answered.

Peter

OOOOPS,,,Brake handle NOT screwd on,,,It is all one piece,,,Pat has a most excellant description of plating just part of the lever,posted here somewhere recently,,,Over all the years I am trying to remember if anyone had a separate hand piece,,so far I cant recall one,,all cast or forged one piece,,Recently we have seen one incorrectly cast in brittle iron,,and it had gotten a side force and snaped,,My preference would have been bronze,,it will bend some while giving an audible objection,,,!!! ,,and it will polish and accept plating,,Now briefly on steering wheels,,If you are going to make a wheel-rim,,copy the Rolls,,silver ghost,, or P-1,,now they work REAL GOOD,,with or without gloves,,What self respecting driver/chauffeur would drive without gloves,,dont answer all at once,,haha Cheers Ben

Hi Ben,

The soundtrack here would have a phonograph needle scratching across the record.

At one point I was looking at casting a tin handle onto a piece of 1x~0.25" cold rolled steel. Holes, maybe threaded, thru the end of lever where handle is cast on, for better grip.

I will check out the Rolls, see if I can figure out how the wheel is made. However, I must warn you that I have a little "perfection problem". I get going on something in the shop, and with no boss to stop me I go on and on towards the perfect line, shape, and finish. I put unbelievable hours into a custom car body once with sandpaper and Bondo. Some body guys saw it and were blown away. Egging on the artiste here with visions of fine craftsmanship is like dropping off a couple gallon jugs with the town wino. In the interest of getting my car on the road some time this century, I am currently on a diet of "self-enforced sleaziness", and it is sometimes like pulling my own teeth with a vise-grip. Inner dialogue: "Oh no you don't. Don't you go there, that is _trouble_ [line from "Hard Drinkin' Lincoln"]. You are NOT going to spend 100 hours and $300 worth of the finest materials hand-crafting something that you can buy for $24 and bolt on in an hour. Uh-uh-uh. Interstate, not Guggenheim."

If I were restoring a Stanley or other antique car, it would be a whole different story. Tempermentally I am probably better suited for that, and it is always a pleasure to see fine workmanship. But the reality check is that my current project is a 21st century "beater", designed for road miles rather than custom car shows or the Concours d'Elegance. Esthetics are important, but the old saw: "sooner or later you have to shoot the engineer and build it", also applies to the artistic designer & craftsman. Simplicity and economy have their own esthetic.

For a bit of modern automotive esthetic hedonism, check out the 2002 Ghia Focus concept car by Taru Lahti. Biomorphic meets techno and retro. Looking at that interior, I need either a lobster bib for the drool, or a hair shirt and chain mail. Maybe a wood board to the forehead like the throwaway-gag penitents in "Monty Python and the Holy Grail". Expletive deleted.

I enjoy the creative tension between practicality and artistry. Ever seeking the balance.

Peter

Not sure about the chain mail,,but I would reccomend Jim Lee of Batley Yorkshire for a good fit on the helmut and brest-mail,,,suit,,whatever its called,,,gee I thought I was outdated on the fire in the box car thing,,,Jim comes well reccomended as he built a prototype Vincent twin for Mack McConney and myself back in 1966,,the one Jay has now I think,,,I hate modern tiny cross section s/wheels,,,the R-R wheel is about 2" section,,,AND has cutouts onthe bottom to get at least 1/2 of your fingers right INTO,,REALLY,,,i SUPPOSE,,COME TO THINK OF IT,,WE DONT NEED SUTCH AGGRESSIVE WORK AT THE WHEEL, WITH POWEER STEERING,nowadays,,

Hi Ben,

Ditto on those anorexic "slim-line modern" steering wheels of the late 20th century. Often 3/4" diameter or a bit less. The trend for the past 10 years or so has been to much fatter steering wheels -- the more things change, the more they stay the same. A fat wheel 20-30 years ago would have been laughed off as "silly outdated", now all the rage. Alas, the new fat wheels are spongey vinyl. Blech. Plastic, hard or soft, cracks and crumbles in time, and wears/fades badly long before then. One way or another, my s/w has to have a real wood rim. I'm looking for a decent-looking modern wheel with fat/wood rim at non-obscene price. I may yet end up making my own.

Power steering, no way for a sub-3000-lb vehicle. Electric-assist steering is now available for custom vehicle builders. Haven't checked prices or technical details. This might save some hassle in a new steam car needing power steering. Just wire it up, instead of adding a hydraulic system. For power brakes, where needed, plug-in electric vacuum pumps have long been available. Hot rodders use them with "blown" engines, also used in diesel conversions. Said to be very reliable, despite being electric. First time I drove a '60s Dodge Dart, I noticed the far lower brake effort, relative to (much lighter) Bugs of the same vintage. "Power brakes?" I asked the owner. Answer: "Nope. _Good_ brakes."

I am _not_ trying to get you started on juice brakes. That's one thing I had to reluctantly compromise/modernize on. A good cable setup is very feasible with equalizing levers, and I agree with Lizzy's dad on that, but it's a big project all by itself and brake experiments can be hazardous. I have considered a dual-master system with an adjustable lever for true f/r proportioning/tuning. Dual masters (separate plungers, not dual-circuit) are made for brake-steering in dune buggies, decent prices. Just add proportioning lever (instead of 2 hand levers) and plumb f/r instead of port/stbd. Far from a new idea, of course, just a way to do it with new off the shelf parts.

Peter

Peter

PS, beautiful mahogany T steering wheel rims are ~$160. I figured out an easy way to make a great-looking custom "X" spider/hub to fit it, for peanuts. Nothing is as classic and timeless as a fat solid wood steering wheel. Speedometer in middle of dash for visibility.

Peter

Are you in need of an early style ratchet type brake setup? Allen Blazick