I've seen several pics of speedsters that have a modified brake lever with no quadrant or pawl. I'm copying a car that had this setup but, I can't figure out what they did and don't have access to an actual car to check it out. Can anyone please shed some light on this?
I would assume it's that rod sticking up at an angle next to his left leg.
To me, that is a racer rather than a speedster. As such, it would not need a handbrake; neutral would be engaged by the pedal; the car would be push started with the driver in place; that lever is probably just an auxiliary brake which only operates while the driver is yanking on it.
Change that to ....not need a parking brake..... .
William, the OP was asking about the "quadrant & pawl", not the lever (which is obvious).
I see that...now....
I tried to adjust the picture but it's too dark where the lever ends in the shadow. There seems to be a button on top of the ball. Perhaps it operates a pawl. Or, for my next guess, it simply operates by going over-center and there is no quadrant.
Jim the the brake lever your looking at locks the left rear wheel when it's pulled. POWER SLIDE!!I'm assuming this car has a regular standard transmission of some type and no emergency brake or T neutral. It does have some kind of rear mechanical brakes.
In everyone I've seen a pic of, the lever is still connected to rear brakes. I've also seen it on the right hand side and it was connected to the right side brake as well. The thing I can't tell from pics is how the shifting in high was done. Trans is stock T. Has anyone seen how they did it?
Probably with the pedal if it was stock T.
M. Fahnestock's Fast Ford Handbook gives some different means too.
P.53 'for stopping lined rear hub brakes can be used, but some drivers remove even the rear hub brakes and rely on the low speed band for stopping the car'.
p.63 shows a Craig Hunt T engine with nifty linkage of the low speed pedal to the clutch lever, eliminating the hand brake lever. Press on low pedal to start the racer, then lift off the foot and slam into high gear.
Would think on a racer that lever outboard is for controlling one or more of the rear hub brakes.
Our car No. 33, was the first car to be run with front wheel brakes, and the side hand lever controlled that, and the lever could be used on either side, depending if you were left, or right handed.
The clutch was the in, and out High of the Model T transmission.
Car was built by Barney Kloepfer, and raced by him, and Erine Triplett, and raced at Ascott, and other tracks.
LOL I see how they made the blue #33 go fast!!
It was done with rubber bands!
Like Dan said the lever would probably only have been for rear brake control. Whether the brake handle was on the right or left may have been either personal preference or due to what kind of OHV head you running that put your exhaust on one side or the other. If it was a true race car I would think that the brake rod would only run to the left side drum, but who knows. Dan does the car you pictured have rods to both drums. With a T transmission I would assume they just used regular high and low or just one of them with various rear end gearing. Having an emergency brake and neutral were not priorities.
Fred
Those aren't rubber bands, but power extension cords, the Blue #33 racer uses an electric motor.