E-brake handle-what to do?.

Licensed to kill

Licensed to kill

Well-known member
Still with the 1935 truck, I'm undecided what to do with the E-brake handle. Most of the plating is gone, I don't want to rechrome it and don't really want to replace it with a repop but can't just leave it rough looking when the rest of the truck will be restored/upgraded. I could powder coat it black or silver or something (silver would look cheap IMO). Doesn't have to look like it just left the showroom floor but want it to look good and not out of place. Any suggestions??.
 
Black powder coating would look pretty good and be very durable. If you want it to have a low profile, make it matte or flat black (powder coated).
 
Nickle plate it. I like that yellowish look of tarnished nickel. My dad nickel plated his '29 woody grille shell. It made it look authentic which it was but it had to be constantly polished. Shiny chrome reminds me of a cheap Chinese repro part.

Its not called an emergency brake anymore. I went to a factory Ford ABS brake training class years ago. The instructor made it clear that in modern Ford literature it is referred to as the "Parking Brake" If we still called it an emergency brake that would mean we were anticipating the brake system failing. Also a firewall is an "engine bulkhead". Here at Ford never mention the word "fire". This is what happens when the lawyers start writing the repair manuals.
 
The original emergency brake handle that came with my 35 was much like you describe, with the plating flaking off. I bought another handle that was in similar condition. I bead blasted the two handles and primed them. One I painted black using single stage with hardener, and the other I painted using rattle can Aluminum. Both look good, both have a clean appearance to them, both function as they should. I don't have $5 in redoing either.
 
Check with you local appliance stores. When they replace a stove they usually haul off the old one. You can probably get a working one for free as the store usually takes them to the dump to be recycled.
 
I have a powder coating set-up with a converted home oven, and it works great for my purposes. I have used the Eastwood "chrome' powder on some brackets. It produces a finish much like "regular" aluminum you see on a lot of things (e.g a pot in the home store). I like it a lot for my purposes, but it's nowhere near chrome.
 
Sand off the remaining chrome, sandblast clean and smooth, then clearcoat. It MIGHT work. Try it on a scrap piece of steel first.
 
Semi-gloss black powder coat would look good as long as the lever was prepped well.
How about your shift lever; it should be done in a matching finish to look right.
 
I used Eastwoods Tin-zinc electroplating kit on the one in my A. Looks like cad plate. Also very durable. You can keep the basic matt plate finish, or, buff for gloss if you desire.
 
Flathead Fever said:
Nickle plate it. I like that yellowish look of tarnished nickel. My dad nickel plated his '29 woody grille shell. It made it look authentic which it was but it had to be constantly polished. Shiny chrome reminds me of a cheap Chinese repro part.

Its not called an emergency brake anymore. I went to a factory Ford ABS brake training class years ago. The instructor made it clear that in modern Ford literature it is referred to as the "Parking Brake" If we still called it an emergency brake that would mean we were anticipating the brake system failing. Also a firewall is an "engine bulkhead". Here at Ford never mention the word "fire". This is what happens when the lawyers start writing the repair manuals.
Click to expand...

It's always been called a hand brake down here in New Zealand "handbrake" is also a coloquial term for the wife and sometimes it referred to as a park brake. Bulkhead is often used down here also but I've always referred to it as a "firewall" because of my connection with US vehicles. European terms I suspect, with "world platforms" for cars now the literature may be written in Europe.....I don't know, sorry guess I should not hi-jack this thread.

GB
 
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