[DeTomaso] GT-5 parts - where to find GT-5 handbrake parts?

[JDeRyke at aol.com]

In a message dated 2/4/09 7:35:59 PM, Jesper at Sahlberg.info writes:

> my (GT-5) car is also equipped with a hydraulic parking brake system and I 
> am also looking to convert it back to the original manual / cable driven 
> handbrake calipers that used to be bolted on the rear wheel calipers.
> Any advise on how to source these parts would be much appreciated.
> 
Depends on what stock parts you have left. The actual Girling rear calipers 
with factory parking brakes were adapted by DeTomaso from '80s Rolls-Royce 
brakes. But in the Rolls, the rear rotors were 11" in diameter while the wide-body 
Panteras used 11-1/2" rotors. To make them fit, DeTomaso cold-bent the 
connecting clevis/J-bolt into a shallow curve around the slightly larger rotor..... 
and that Rolls bolt was high-carbon steel! The predictable result was, many of 
those altered J-bolts have cracked and broken- or soon will break, and are 
not reliably repairable. If you make your own bolts (or have a local shop make a 
few), I suggest you not use high-carbon steel, or heat an OEM bolt red-hot 
with a torch before bending it for rotor clearance, then let it cool normally to 
anneal it. Stresses seen by the bolt don't call for heat-treated high-carbon 
steel.
Second point: the OEM parking brake pads are small, peculiarly-shaped and 
have a taper in two directions, due to the way the arms move. The DeTomaso 
factory in Italy may have replacement pads, or Roland Jaeckel in Germany or Panteras 
by Wilkinson in California may have them in stock. If no one has any and the 
actuating arms are still on your car, you can look for a local shop that does 
clutch and brake work, and ask them to bond 1/4" thick pieces of their best 
brake lining to the arms in the correct locations, then hand-contour the results 
with a disc grinder so they contact the disc properly. Otherwise, your 
rebuilt e-brake- not very strong in the best of conditions- will not work well 
enough to pass an official inspection. Locally-built pads will likely not be 
cheaper due to the hand work needed. Finally, Girling brake spares and mfg rights 
were sold to an Englishman in the late '90s, but we haven't heard from him for 
many years. Maybe someone in the DTDC club has more info? I    will attach an 
exploded view of the GT-5 Girling rear calipers for you. Good luck- J DeRyke



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