1955-57 Emergency Brake Warning Light

One of the neatest and most highly sought after dealer-installed accessories on the Tri-Five cars is an emergency brake warning light. This neat little contraption causes a red warning light to illuminate and flash when the emergency brake is applied. As the originals are quite rare and expensive, CCI has developed a replacement brake warning light kit that can be installed in minutes and will save you from ever driving off again with the emergency brake set.

Parts List: 57-178590-1 1955-57 Emergency Brake Warning Light Kit

Tools Needed: 12" Wrench, Pliers, Wire Crimpers, Phillips Screw Driver

Time Frame: 1 hour

Image 1: The emergency brake handle is located to the left of the steering column near the driver's side kick panel. With the handle out, the rear brakes are mechanically applied.

Image 2: The emergency brake handle assembly must be removed to install the light. First, remove the front emergency brake cable from the emergency brake lever under the car. The front cable adjuster yoke is held to the lever with a clevis and cotter. With the yoke disconnected from the lever, the emergency brake handle assembly can be removed from the dash.

Image 3: The emergency brake handle is bolted to the lower edge of the dash and to the toeboard. There are two 5/16" bolts at the dash. Usually, these bolts are clutch head bolts. At the toe board are two standard hex head 5/16" X 3/4" bolts. Remove these bolts and remove the handle assembly.

Image 4: With the handle assembly removed from the dash, the cable may be removed from the assembly. There is a ball on the end of the cable that hooks into the shaft on the emergency brake assembly. Pull the handle out about halfway, and the cable can be disconnected from the shaft.

Image 5a, 5b, 5c: Using a pair of side cutters, the roll pin that is into the lower end of the shaft out of the shaft. A new roll pin is supplied with the kit. Drive the new roll pin into the shaft, leaving 1/2" out the top of the shaft.

Image 6a, 6b: The switch that activates the warning light mounts to the switch bracket with two 4" machine screws and nuts. Feed the screws for the switch in from the bottom of the bracket. The switch bracket mounts between the floorboard and the lower emergency brake assembly bracket using the stock bolts.

Image 7a, 7b: When the switch bracket is installed, the new roll pin on the shaft will make contact with the arm on the switch. When the shaft is in, the warning light will turn off. When the shaft is out, the warning light will be on and flashing. The top of the lower mounting bracket for the handle assembly may need to be ground slightly to allow the switch bracket to mount correctly.

Image 8a, 8b: The switch has two terminals. One terminal needs to be connected to a key-on fused 12-volt source. You will need to splice the supplied flasher in-line on this wire using the two female spade terminals in the kit. The other terminal connects to one of the wires on the light socket for the warning light. The other wire from the warning light needs to be connected to a good body ground.

Image 9: If the car had the factory emergency brake warning light installed, the light would have been mounted to the left of the handle. The replacement light can be mounted on either side of the handle as you prefer. If the car has an aftermarket air conditioning system with the NC vents mounted on the kick panel, the light will have to be mounted to the right side of the handle.

Image 10a, 10b: The warning light bezel is held to the light bracket with a nut and serrated washer. Install the bezel through the light bracket and from the back side, install the serrated washer and nut. With the bezel in place, the light socket can be installed into the back of the bezel.

Image 11a, 11b: With the emergency brake released, the warning light should be off. Once the handle is out just slightly, the bright red warning light will illuminate and flash, warning you to release the brake before driving away!