Parking brake on 74 Duster

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Duster2022!

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I bought a 74 Duster with no parking brake to the rear drums.
I am rebuilding the rear end and rebuilding the drum brake system. My question is can I leave out the parking brake? There is no parking brake lever under dash, the guy was using it as a drag car. I would like to leave off the parking brake stuff if I can?
 
A safety Item..............Just like leaving out the seat belts in the eyes of the law.

Plus, putting a lot of confidence in the park lock in the transmission.
 
I rarely ever use a parking brake in an automatic car. I live on flat ground though.
 
What is it about people on this site hating parking brakes? Lack of imagination? Lack of understanding of how the “park” setting on your automatic transmission actually works? No one here that still drives a real car with a manual transmission?

And why do you want to run around on the street without a secondary way to actuate any kind of braking mechanism in the case of a hydraulic failure? The parking brake on these cars is all you’ve got for a brake if there’s a high level hydraulic failure. No, it’s not an awesome way to slow the car, but it’s better than nothing at all.

But yeah, sure, just leave it off. Saves a couple pounds, wears out the park mechanism on your automatic transmission faster, and in the case of a master cylinder failure it might make your not so great day even worse.


Kern Dog said:
I rarely ever use a parking brake in an automatic car. I live on flat ground though.
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Lol. So everywhere you park is perfectly level and the weight of the car doesn’t settle against the park mechanism in the transmission every single time you park it?

You’re supposed to set the parking brake first and then shift into park, doesn’t load the park mechanism in the transmission that way, so when you yard it back into gear you’re not working the shift linkage against the weight of the car.
 
72bluNblu said:
Lol. So everywhere you park is perfectly level and the weight of the car doesn’t settle against the park mechanism in the transmission every single time you park it?

You’re supposed to set the parking brake first and then shift into park, doesn’t load the park mechanism in the transmission that way, so when you yard it back into gear you’re not working the shift linkage against the weight of the car.
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You clearly did not read or comprehend what I wrote. I wrote that I "rarely ever" yet you responded "everywhere you park." Quit exaggerating and misunderstanding other's words to enhance your argument. You want a durability example?
400,000 miles on this....

Ram Jam 1.JPG


....and the only time it gets the parking brake applied is on a slope. Original drivetrain.
I rarely ever used the parking brake in the Charger before I swapped in the Tremec.
Almost everywhere I go and park is level ground. Think outside your own neighborhood. Not everyone lives in the hills. There is no load against the parking pawl on level ground.
Yes, I've used the parking brake when on a grade. Don't make incorrect assumptions.
 
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Everyone has their own opinion, here is a short story of a friend from back in the day, he drove a non-Mopar and never set the parking brake, he told me why bother, one day after work he found his car was moved a few feet and up against the curb with some minor rear bumper damage, someone hit the car when parked and it broke the parking Paul lever, after that he always used the parking brake on all his cars because I still laugh with him as a reminder when he gets a different car.
 
Kern Dog said:
You clearly did not read or comprehend what I wrote. I wrote that I "rarely ever" yet you responded "everywhere you park." Quit exaggerating and misunderstanding other's words to enhance your argument. You want a durability example?
400,000 miles on this....

View attachment 1716112271

....and the only time it gets the parking brake applied is on a slope. Original drivetrain.
I rarely ever used the parking brake in the Charger before I swapped in the Tremec.
Almost everywhere I go and park is level ground. Think outside your own neighborhood. Not everyone lives in the hills. There is no load against the parking pawl on level ground.
Yes, I've used the parking brake when on a grade. Don't make incorrect assumptions.
Click to expand...

LOL! "think outside your own neighborhood" and "everywhere I go and park is level ground" in the same sentence!!! I comprehend what you said, do you? Doesn't seem like it, since your advice is only good for people that always park on flat ground. Seems very specific.

Most parking lots aren't perfectly level anyway, so, even on "flat ground" the weight of the car will still end up against the parking pawl in the transmission. In order for the mechanism to remain unloaded, the car would have to be able to sit where you parked it in neutral with no brakes- without moving an inch. Otherwise it will shift weight against the park mechanism. So yeah, most of the time it will put weight on the mechanism, even on "flat" ground.

Most of my vehicles are manuals, so, I'll keep using my parking brake even when I have to drive an auto. Doesn't hurt anything and it's better for the transmission.
moparlvr166 said:
Everyone has their own opinion, here is a short story of a friend from back in the day, he drove a non-Mopar and never set the parking brake, he told me why bother, one day after work he found his car was moved a few feet and up against the curb with some minor rear bumper damage, someone hit the car when parked and it broke the parking Paul lever, after that he always used the parking brake on all his cars because I still laugh with him as a reminder when he gets a different car.
Click to expand...

Yep, setting the parking brake would have saved that transmission. It doesn't even take a hit big enough to move the car a couple feet to do that either, anything much more than a tap could shear the mechanism in the right circumstance. Some people just have to learn things the hard way.
 
Again, you clearly misinterpreted what you read.
I know that you don't live on flat lands and apparently, have mostly manual transmission cars. This was my point about thinking outside your own neighborhood. I also stated that I...ME...live on flat ground. I stated what I do because of where I live. Others may live in the same conditions.
Being the person that you occasionally are is equally matched by your automotive technical knowledge that you have. You can help people but you always look to jab someone when you feel like it.
 
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While I agree with not removing the parking break, I understand why people don't use them and therefore want to remove them. I live in the rust belt and these cables tended to rust up, not release and cause all sorts of problems. I was amazed that they worked on my car after 50 years, but it came from Florida and the cables weren't rusted soild.
 
I use mine when I think I need them..........But they always work. I had a 1987 Ram (still have) that went through 3 or 4 sets of cables due to seizing. The last set I put on over 20 years ago never seized and work to this day.
 
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