70 emergency brake and wiring in a 68 firewall

[pwdcougar]

My donor truck is a 68 and I'm looking to swap in the wiring and ebrake from my 70. Anyone done this? I can see that the firewalls are different from my tear down pics. The green/blue is the 70 and the saddle is the 68

[dagnabbitt]

Interestingly enough the problem is actually with the location of the 68's fusebox, you will need another hole for that cause it needs to move over.

I would make a template of the firewall for the 70 but start with that particular mod before worrying about the brake placement.

[BigBird05]

Instead of a template I would cut out the firewall from the 70 and weld it into the 68.

[pwdcougar]

Originally Posted by BigBird05

Instead of a template I would cut out the firewall from the 70 and weld it into the 68.

Unfortunately the 70 firewall is long gone! I'll have to find a source for a template

[dagnabbitt]

If it were me I’d remove fuse box, install e brake, then eyeball the new location for fuse box. Then weld up old fuse box hole.

If you want it to be perfect, as has been suggested a later firewall would be handy, you might be able to find a garbage cab at the junkyard to cut it out of.

Good news is it is quite doable, the e brake itself should need no modification.

[pwdcougar]

Originally Posted by dagnabbitt

If it were me I’d remove fuse box, install e brake, then eyeball the new location for fuse box. Then weld up old fuse box hole.

If you want it to be perfect, as has been suggested a later firewall would be handy, you might be able to find a garbage cab at the junkyard to cut it out of.

Good news is it is quite doable, the e brake itself should need no modification.

Thanks

I didn't take great pictures of how the ebrake goes in though. Between the two pics I'll take your advise and eyeball the fuse block location.

[dagnabbitt]

Wes at classicheartbeats (?) did it to a suburban but that part of his build doesn’t seem to be available online anymore, maybe he can help. Good luck!

[BigBird05]

Why do you want to run the 70 harness? Is it because of the P.B. taking up the space were the 68 fuse block is now?

[lugnut]

I put a 72 brake assembly in my 67. I just rotated the fuse block 90 degrees so it sits the long way up and down. It's a tight fit next to the brake assembly but it fit. Just drilled two new holes for the fuse block once it was rotated. I had to drill holes for brake assembly and install that first.

[pwdcougar]

Originally Posted by lugnut

I put a 72 brake assembly in my 67. I just rotated the fuse block 90 degrees so it sits the long way up and down. It's a tight fit next to the brake assembly but it fit. Just drilled two new holes for the fuse block once it was rotated. I had to drill holes for brake assembly and install that first.

Great information thanks. Is the installation of the 72 e brake pretty much intuitive?

Thanks

Paul

[lugnut]

Originally Posted by pwdcougar

Great information thanks. Is the installation of the 72 e brake pretty much intuitive?

Thanks

Paul

For the most part it is but I did some other things along the way that made it easier. I was replacing the full dash anyway f to install AC so I used one from a 72. That one has the hole on the bottom just above where the new foot pedal brake handle will be. Then I just made a template of cardboard from the 72 firewall to make sure my two bolt holes lined up for the assembly. A bit of trial and error but it is solid and functions great. I also got a new cable for a 72 while I was at it.

[pwdcougar]

Originally Posted by BigBird05

Why do you want to run the 70 harness? Is it because of the P.B. taking up the space were the 68 fuse block is now?

My 70 harness is in much better condition compared to the one from the 68. The main reason for the ebrake swap is the 68's was mia.

[Accelo]

A picture of a 72, possibly it will help?

[pwdcougar]

Originally Posted by Accelo

A picture of a 72, possibly it will help?

Thanks!

Can someone take a pic of the placement of the ebrake assembly under the dash?

[lugnut]

Originally Posted by pwdcougar

Thanks!

Can someone take a pic of the placement of the ebrake assembly under the dash?

Here is my 67 converted with the fuse block rotated.

[pwdcougar]

Originally Posted by lugnut

Here is my 67 converted with the fuse block rotated.

Thanks! The pictures will be a big help!