When the gits presenters from Top Gear built a Caterham 7 in about 8 hours (Season 8, Episode 7), they left out the part where they had to disassemble the handbrake, cut a couple of cm’s out, and weld it back together. When I try to explain that this is one of the factors causing my build to take 2 years instead of 8 hours, I get told I’m just making excuses.
Given this glaring omission in the otherwise highly informative episode, I thought I’d fill in the blanks. If you are racing against the clock (or the Stig) you might want to bear in mind that the handbrake shortening will slow you down somewhat (unless of course, you’re building a Caterham; for you it will just magically be the right length). However, it might be a stretch to claim it’ll add 2 years to the build.
Step 1: Get a handbrake (from a Sierra, in this case)
Step 2: Remove the rubber handles
They just pull off. They might be sticky with years of jelly-baby-slobber, sloshed coke and other unmentionables. Soak in warm water if necessary.
With the handles removed, measure the handle length from somewhere near the button to somewhere near the back of the handbrake lever. Make clear marking points, for reference. You’ll use this length to determine how much you’ve shortened the handbrake.
Step 3: Cut a piece out.
Now be careful here – there’s an important piece of metal in the center, so you want to carefully cut your way around the handle.
Now a confession – I actually split the handbrake first. I can’t remember if that was necessary to take it apart, but I don’t think it is (assuming you cut the piece out as shown above). If you want to split it, I did it by forcing two chisels into the groove (under the handbrake) and then clamping them together. This leveraged the tips apart, and cracked the weld:
Step 4: Widen the groove.
I used a grinder with a thick disk. Works well, lots of sparks.
The purpose of this is to allow the handle to slide over the rest of the handbrake, providing considerable shortening. Unfortunately I don’t have a picture of this, but the final welded picture gives you a pretty good idea. I did quite a lot of testing and filing to make sure I was happy. Then I did Step 5, cut too much off, and so had to do more cutting and filing.
Step 5: Shorten the button rod (that’s the technical name, trust me)
Remember that measurement you made in Step 2? Now measure again to figure out how much you’ve shortened the handle. Warning, don’t forget that you still need to fold the end over, so leave enough for that!
Step 6: Reassemble.
This can be quite tricky, especially to get the handbrake button back in. Test first without the handle on, so you know what you’re trying to achieve. I had to slide the handle back further than first expected, to make the button catch.
Step 7: Weld back together.
The metal is quite thin, so be careful and possibly practice a bit first on something similar. If you’re MIG-welding, make sure to clean the metal thoroughly prior to welding.
Step 8: Put the handle back on.
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I chopped quite a lot of rubber out from inside the handle, as well as the end that linked to the rubber sleeve. A Stanley knife helped, but the dremel ultimately was the answer.
Step 9: Behold the beauty in context
Beautiful might be a strong word, but I was rather pleased.
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