FYI FORD MustangSteve's Ford Mustang Forum / Explorer caliper E brakes

**Posted by Steve69** 5/02/2024 3:08 PM

Hey Guys,

Having a hard time with the explorer E brakes to work on my son's 68 Mustang. He has new drums and parts for the calipers E brakes. He has fox body E handle. Seems like there's play in the E brake system on the calipers. Had had adjusted so the pads are slightly rubbing the rotors. Seems like the lever on the caliper wiil pull halfway before it starts to engage the shoes. Are we missing something. Were using cable clamps to tighten the cables together. We even preloaded the lever a bit and tightened the cable clamps and it still didn't work very well.

Thanks for the help!
Steve69

**Posted by BobE** 5/03/2024 7:50 AM

Not sure this will help but I usually pull the parking brake handle like 5 'clicks', or so, for the shoes to hold the drum while I try to turn it by hand. Then release the brake handle all the way and verify the drums turn freely. This way I felt when I pull the brake handle fully it will hold the car on a hill. Then I verified that it will hold on a hill, which it usually would.

**Posted by Steve69** 5/06/2024 7:48 AM

BobE wrote:
Not sure this will help but I usually pull the parking brake handle like 5 'clicks', or so, for the shoes to hold the drum while I try to turn it by hand. Then release the brake handle all the way and verify the drums turn freely. This way I felt when I pull the brake handle fully it will hold the car on a hill. Then I verified that it will hold on a hill, which it usually would.

Thanks!

**Posted by Nos681** 5/06/2024 9:27 PM

Is there an adjustment on the park shoe?

**Posted by Bullet Bob** 5/07/2024 6:08 AM

I went through similar issues with our's, Steve. 96 Explorer rear in the Heap, all new brake stuff. First, I adjusted the shoes just like I used to adjust drum brakes...tighten the shoes until the rotor is locked then back off five or six clicks. But I still had a poor park brake even with the cables tight. I'm using the stock park pull lever but I added a couple of inches to the cable lever under the car. that gave the system a lot more leverage. Still no joy.
Last year I tightened the cables more, and then more, and finally, even more. Now I have a decent park brake with no drag when released. It seems that system just needs to have that lever moved quite a ways before it actually moves the shoes. Crappy system IMO. If I ever get the energy I'll swap to the Mustang rears which use the service pads for park function and work very well, I'm told.

**Posted by Steve69** 5/08/2024 7:54 AM

Bullet Bob wrote:
I went through similar issues with our's, Steve. 96 Explorer rear in the Heap, all new brake stuff. First, I adjusted the shoes just like I used to adjust drum brakes...tighten the shoes until the rotor is locked then back off five or six clicks. But I still had a poor park brake even with the cables tight. I'm using the stock park pull lever but I added a couple of inches to the cable lever under the car. that gave the system a lot more leverage. Still no joy.
Last year I tightened the cables more, and then more, and finally, even more. Now I have a decent park brake with no drag when released. It seems that system just needs to have that lever moved quite a ways before it actually moves the shoes. Crappy system IMO. If I ever get the energy I'll swap to the Mustang rears which use the service pads for park function and work very well, I'm told.

I was thinking the same thing Bob being a crappy system. If you had to use them in a emergency I dont know if they would stop you. Ill try some of your tips and hopefully makes it better. I have the MS brackets and 2019 Mustang rotors and calipers on my 69 rear. My E brakes work really well. Thanks for the info! Steve69