The parking brake handle requires modification to defeat the self adjusting mechanism. First remove the handle from the car by removing the shifter bezel and the armrest if so equipped. You will then be able to see 4 screws (two at the front and two at the rear) that hold the upper console to the lower console. Once the screws are removed, carefully lift up on the upper console so that it's possible to disconnect the wires to the power mirrors and to the cigarette lighter. Once the upper console has been removed, you will see that the parking brake handle is held on by two screws to the floor. You must first disconnect the parking brake cable before removing the handle. Since the spring holds tension on the cable, you will have to overcome this by physically turning the spring. Be Careful!! The spring is tight but not too tight. If the spring pops back, make sure your fingers are no where near it. This along with the power brake booster will probably be one of the toughest tasks in this kit only because you are stuck in a car with very poor seating position. Once the spring is disconnected, remove the screw that holds the parking brake indicator switch and the two bolts holding the parking brake to the floor. You will now have to remove the small section of parking brake cable that holds the equalizer on from the bottom.
The parking brake handle must be modified by (1) cutting the end of the adjusting spring off, (2) welding the adjuster to the handle itself and (3) cutting the end of the adjuster so that the parking brake handle will sit all the way to the normal position once it is back in the vehicle. One can see the 3 modifications necessary as diagrammed in the photo. You will have to weld the pawl to the handle with the second from the last tooth engaged (a simple tack weld will work just fine). The end of the spring will also have to be removed and I recommend doing it with a cutoff wheel or a torch because the metal is tough. In this installation, I went ahead and cut the entire spring off to save me from a forseen rattling of a loose spring, but it is not necessary. If you choose to remove the entire spring via torch, remember that the end of the handle is plastic (or leather if your lucky) and it can melt very easily. The final step that is not mentioned in the instructions is to remove the overlapping metal on the pawl. In it's original form, the handle would lift the pawl when released but since we have now welded the pawl to the handle, the overlapping metal now will not let the handle sit all the way down. Cut it with the torch while you have it out. I had a muffler shop do the work for me and they charged me $5.00 so don't struggle with simple tools if you do not have a torch and/or welding equipment.
Next step is to modify the equalizer where the parking brake cable connects to the rear cables. You need to first remove it from the vehicle from underneath. There is a rubber boot that keeps water out of the interior of the car so care should be taken not to rip the little boot as I did. Once the equalizer and cable are out, you will need to cut the end that hooked into the parking brake handle off so that the cable can be seperated from the equalizer. The old cable can be discarded as it will no longer be used. You will need to enlarge the hole that the cable ran through to 11/32" so that the new threaded adjuster will fit through the hole. The equalizer and the new adjuster should now be finished.
Once the modifications to the parking brake handle have been completed, you can now install the new cable onto the handle. Care must be taken to fit the cable to avoid putting a kink in it, take your time! I highly suggest doing this before installing the parking brake handle since you will have an easier time maneuvering the handle to where you need it to be. Once it has been installed, reinstall the handle, making sure the threaded end of the adjuster goes through the rubber boot and to the outside of the car. Reinstall the parking brake warning light switch and the two screws that hold the handle to the floor. Now reinstall the rest of the console in reverse order of removal.
The M2300K kit comes with two sets of parking brake cables. One set is for 1993 cars and carries a standard Ford part number, while the other set is sourced through FRPP and fits the earlier model cars. In this installation, we used the FMS cable set. From underneath the car you can now thread the brake cables following the factory positioning. The result will be two parking brake cables coming together at the equalizer. You can now engage the two cables and insert the threaded end into the equalizer and tighten down the adjusting nuts as shown in the photo. It may be necessary to remove the drive shaft (especially if you have the 3.5" aluminum variety) to be able work comfortably as the cables all come together in the transmission tunnel above the drive shaft. Since the cables are new, adjustment may be difficult at first. However, you need to periodically readjust the cables as necessary during the first couple of weeks because the new cables will stretch.
Finally, you should tie down the parking brake cables using suitable clamps. This will prevent the cables from rubbing on the tires and/or getting hung up on any road hazards that may come up. The 2300 kit includes a set of springs for this purpose. In this installation, I did not to use the supplied springs since the car no longer had the stock control arms and hence no where to hook the springs to. Instead, I got a set of 1/4" rubber insulated clamps. I then used the factory mounting points to attach the clamps to the under carriage. This method of attachment turned out very well. It allow me to move the cables into the best position without causing binding problems.
