69-72 Parking Brake Assembly Removal

[drbeeper17]

I recently purchased a 67 short bed chassis / 69 cab and am in the process of restoring and modifying it. Since the cab is a 69, it has the foot parking brake assembly. The cab is completely stripped down and want to paint the interior, but I can't figure out how to remove the emergency brake assembly. It appears to be a single piece of steel that runs from the firewall to the dash. Since the studs going into the firewall appear to be either pressed in or welded in, it doesn't seem that it is possible to remove the assembly because you can't angle it.

I've tried to search this forum but could not find an answer. Does anyone have any insight as to how to remove the parking brake assembly? I tried hitting the studs from the engine compartment to 'un-press' fit them from the assembly, but it did not work. If I hit any harder, I risk denting the dash where the assembly bolts to. I don't want to unbolt the bottom of the dash, because the probability is high that the bolts will break off and will be a PITA to remove them. Any help would be appreciated.

[suspect]

Sorry no one more experianced than me has responded. It's been 2 yrs since I removed mine. I believe I just had 2 nuts bolt to the firewall and 1 bolt under the dash. 72 C10. It sounds like you may have missed a nut or its rusted in solid? Have you tried spraying some PB Spray incase its rusted in?

Surely someone else will respond with better insight than me.

[1972SUPERSB]

Mine was the same had 2 nuts on firewall in engine compartment and 1 inside under the dash. You also have disconnect to parking brake cable which is a pain to do.

[drbeeper17]

So I did remove the two nuts from the firewall and the one screw from the dash. The problem is that the assembly attaches to the firewall with studs that are pressed or welded in. Therefore when you remove the 3 fasteners, the parking brake assembly is still wedged in place. You can't pull it forward because of the dash and you can't angle it out sideways because of the firewall studs. So my question remains of how you remove it? Do you just pull inward on it and deform the firewall? Break the studs off?

[1972SUPERSB]

Ok I know what you are saying no room to move it around to pull it out. I thought I pushed up from the front where it bolts to dash and slid it up that way. Make sure you take off parking brake handle and cable. I'll look at mine and see but it did come out fairly easy.

[Katrina/10]

I remember having that problem too, I think it might help if you remove the bolts holding the lower dash panel to the kick panel. That should give it enough flex to move the brake assembly out of the way.

[72bowtiestepper]

I did mine the "caveman way"...took a cut off wheel & made a slot in the dash panel & bent it up for clearance. After putting it back in, I welded up the slot.....done...no one will ever see it...dash panel is getting painted anyway.

[68gmsee]

I took mine off last year and I also had some trouble but don't remember having to cut or force it out. IIRC, the cable is a problem, though.

[leftybass209]

Make sure you unbolt the entire drivers side of the dash. It is a little difficult to get out but by no means needs anything cut. I pulled 2 of them out so far.

[drbeeper17]

Thanks for the help everyone. I ended up unbolting the 3 driver's side dash bolts and was able to just barely remove the assembly. I was hesitant to remove the dash bolts because on a 72 C20 I parted out, 2 of the bolts snapped off while unbolting them. Lucky my 69 is rust free and they threaded in and out with no problems.