[QUOTE=B0ZWELL,Nov 3 2009, 10:03 PM] with a fly off hand brake you pull the lever then press the button to lock the lever ratchet. to release just pull the lever then it "Flys off" (no button pressing needed). ideal for handbrake turns

 

I am feelin' the Dave, many thanks for your kind words they mean a lot to me, and sum up how I felt on many occasions as I worked on the car, and especially as I would check myself on occasion, so much intense concentration and then when I finished ... well the pictures show in my face what i was feeling.


Thanks to those of you who know about these things, the handbrake info is impressive ...

I should like to tell you all that I MAY be detailing the Yellow Ferrari to help get it ready for the concourse d'elegance show, this car will be there along with the red you see in the pic and the mcqueen car, if I do it I will post up some more pics too, of all three of them before they go to the NEC.

For your information, and I know you will know more about the car than I it is a yellow Ferrari 275 GTB/4 from 1967

 

A friend of mine has a 275 GTB/4 another beautiful car.
Enjoy your time with it and I will check out your work at the NEC.

 

 

I think Boz is right about the XJS, but I remembered it like you did. Maybe not correctly, but I though there was a push button. Mind you, IIRC, people did accidentally knock off fly-off handbrakes.

Maybe there were different systems?

 

There definitely is a button on the TR. BOZ has made me think that you depress it when you want to engage the handbrake but release the brake by just tweaking it towards you with your fingers without touching the button.

I'll go and check later and report back. Mr Q has gone out with the keys to the potting shed in his pocket.

Be interesting if some Fezza enthusiast could enlighten us to how the one in the Fezza operates. The gearstick on that car is very lengthy too. Was that the norm for the era? We have become used to much stubbier ones of late.

 

Have just read that the design of the handbrake on the 250 Lusso is not foolproof. Chris Evan's wife Natasha owns one and the handbrake has had to be replaced twice because it has not completely released. He advises that one should check every time.

 

Long gearchanges were the norm - they went directly onto the selectors, rather than having a 'remote control' unit on top of the box.

Also, the Lusso had its engine set farther forward to the benefit of space and NVH, compared to the sportier 250s where the emphasis was on handling. So the lever had to be lenghtened.

 

Nice to be back in the driving seat of the TR, though I was going nowhere. Dread to think what Nut will think when he sees this pic. His Fezza has aged rather better. Think it would be more a candidate for BOZ as there is plenty of authentic rust.



To engage the handbrake depress the button which engages the ratchet, pull towards you and release the button to fix in position.

To release you only have to tickle it with your fingers which fit beautifully into its pleasantly ergonomic shape.

The handbrake is not failsafe. Mr Q tells the story of when he was visiting a former girlfriend and had other things on his mind. The car rolled about 200 feet down an incline and demolished a woman's garden wall. She knocked on all the doors in the street to try to find who the car belonged to. He was oblivious.

Maybe these fly-off handbrakes were more trouble than they were worth? Does anyone know if they are ever fitted to Ferraris or other marques today?

 

they are strictly an MOT fail for modern cars. although iv'e seen conversion kits to change a normal h/brake to a fly off.


drove a Ferrari Californian Spyder many years ago (ex Bob Hope car) but i can't remember if it had a fly off though. all i remember as it was a bloody awful car. i drove it to the rolling road to set the carbs up then gave it beans on the way back.

it was a bit like the S2000 in that it had to be revved high to make any headway. 7000+ IIRC. so not a relaxing drive. ( owner didn't keep it long but has stuck with his Jaguars for years )

bizzarly i hate working on very tidy cars. i feel that one has to be so carefull that you cant get a proper experience of sitting in and getting comfortable and getting a feel for the car. probably just me but there is something magical about standing on a 'D' type seat and sliding in without a care in the world. iv'e driven high value cars through narrow busy streets pushing my way through and not really worried about possibly getting a scratch. (though i do actually try my best not to get damaged.)

most of the cars we look after are 'used' for the purpose they were designed for. although the owners try not to damage their cars it can and does happen. this is called continuous history though and in todays world most parts will be repaired rather than replaced.