{Chrysler 300} Parking Brake Diagnosis Help

Hi All,

I got the rebuilt differential and new Eaton Springs installed in the 300K. Three days on my back, at time with rainwater coming into my San Francisco garage with its 1920’s internal drain, nice working conditions with water soaking my back!

In any event, I got the work done. Took it for a test drive and this is what happened.

The hydraulic brakes are working fine. Perhaps a bit spongy. There may be some air still in there. Or perhaps I need to do a few more back-ups and sharply hit the brakes to take up any last adjustment in the new shoes.

There is a very steep street not too far from me. Very, very steep. I have used it for decades to test the parking brakes especially on my 1940’s cars with the band on the transmission.

That street has two sections. The first one is steep. The second is really steep.

On the first one, I stopped the car and put it in neutral and press on the barking brake hard. The car did not move.

I then when down to the second section that is very steep and stopped the car. I put it in neutral. I presses the parking brake and as I took my foot off the hydraulic brake, I heard a noise, like a cable snapped or such and the parking brake felt like it may have gone down more. I carefully took my foot off the hydraulic brake and the car started to mush down the hill. I stopped the car and disengaged the parking brake. I head down the hill gingerly and drove home. The hydraulic brakes worked fine.

In my driveway the parking brake seems to be holding fine. I bent under the car before I put it in the garage and tugged on the cables and nothing seems amiss.

Before I get my dirty clothes back on and jack up the car does anyone have any thoughts? Does the ratch in the cockpit ever “jump” a tooth that can cause a cable “snap” sound? I have never had any issues on any of my other 4 or 5 1964 Chryslers with respect to the parking brake.

If anyone has any ideas, I would like to hear them before I have to pull the hubs off yet again.

Thanks, James.

PS. The change from 3.32 to 2.76 in around town driving does not seem to be too much of a deal. One odd thing is that the car seemed to accelerate better with modest throttle from a traffic light. Of course, this makes no sense with the gear change. However, the odd sound that I thought may be a wheel bearing is now gone and perhaps it is a lot worse than I thought and it was causing a lot of rolling resistance. I would have to tear down the other differential to find out. Nice and quiet now with new bearing and good grease.