if its pushbutton it should go in this order from thumb down: pushbutton itself is held to the rod by a pin, under the button is the spring and the other end of the spring is supposed to catch on a lip inside the potmetal "teardrop" shaped piece thats pressed into the steel handle itself.
I have seen several times that lip is broken (potmetal cracks off) so your spring wont catch anything and is probably stuck inside the handle itself.
Thanks for the replies. I'll try and grind a washer to fit the hole and dig up a spring. Lever is in front and can't get it apart, nut is frozen.
Thanks again, George
Macs has them on eBay. Look for Model A Ford Emergency Hand Brake Rod Spring, part number 28-22382-1. $1.25 plus shipping. I found one at a hardware store that worked, but at least I had a backup plan!