Hi all. I need to drill out the roll pin that holds in the handbrake handle. It is well stuck. Problem is it just laughs at my drill bits as they go blunt. Any thought as to how to get the blighter out?
Drift it out with a pin punch. you need 3 hands.... hold a club hammer on one side of the handle to add mass (so the energy goes into the roll pin & not into bending the mechanism), hold the pin punch & drift out.
It can be done on your own, just leave the swear box behind. One its moved a bit you can get some grips on it and waggle it out.
Don't drill it. It's hardened steel and the drill will get jammed in it. Support the handbrake lever against the floor with a length of wood, then knock it out with a 4mm punch, or even a nail with the tip sawn off. It'll be out in 5 seconds. Chock your wheels beforehand, as you will for sure let the handbrake off!
Cheers Snotty, I was thinking it was hardened. Will have another go at punching it out. I have a 4mm drift punch.
The key is to support the handbrake rod firmly, so you can give the punch/pin a good whack. A length of 2x1 under the rod against the floor should support it enough. If it's not there, the rod will bounce and you'll bend something for sure. You can reuse the pin afterward.
I have been supporting the mechanism, but maybe just not giving it a sharp enough blow. gonna give it another go this evening. Thanks again.
Try wood under the rubber handle itself. With a good whack, the pin will emerge into the wood (you'll then need to spend 10 minutes picking it out of a bit of timber ). Ask me how I know this...
Yaaaay! Did you let the handbrake off accidentally and find yourself rolling backwards down the drive? I did
No. I took your advice and put two quality bricks behind the rear wheels. Wood works for getting the pin back in too.
I once built a hollow tower out of said ceramic blocks and used it to drive a bearing off a Morris Marina rear halfshaft. Whacked the end of the shaft until the bearing fell off covered in broken brick. Wrapped the new one in a cloth to keep the brick dust out and whacked the other end of the shaft. Lasted until it went to the scrappy.
