The 'E' Type Forum

Fitting the new style SNG Barrett Hand brake compensator

Guys, has anyone has any experience in fitting the new style SNG Barrett Hand Brake compensator?

As part of the rear suspension rebuild I wanted to fit the upgraded Hand Break compensator as I had read lots of good things about it. I ordered it from SNG Barrett but it was on back order. Finally it came but it looked totally different to the previous version. For want of a better explanation it looked upside down (see the pictures).

There where no fitting instructions in the box so I contacted SNG and they eventually sent me a text file with no pictures.

I fitted the compensator but it just does not seam right. The cables foul on each other. The cables go between the diff and the cage which does not sound like a good idea. Also on full adjustment the centre part which attaches to the handbrake cable is at an angle.

SNG Barrett can’t help at the moment as there technical team are furloughed, which I understand.

The only thing I can think of is I have fitted the item wrong, or put it together wrong.

Any advice?

Thanks!!

How do you expect anyone to be able to tell when you provide such small pictures? I suggest you edit the post and present seeable picture.

Apologies I had trouble adding the pictures. Hopefully they are a better size now :-)

That does look different to the item on their website. My initial reaction is that it looks like it has been assembled or installed upside down, which may explain why the cables are inside the irs cage. But I don’t think it has. Can you not route the cables as per below?

I was told its a new design. But to me it does not look as good as the original design.

Allan_R wrote: ↑

Tue Apr 21, 2020 2:44 pm

I was told its a new design. But to me it does not look as good as the original design.

Cheaper to make though. A few bits of flat bar welded together, no need for the extra expense of laser or water jet cut components. Probably saved at least £5 per finished item. Not having a go Julian but why?

Simon

Hi All,
The design was changed so that the part could be fitted to LWB and SWB versions of the E-type as the original could only be fittted to the SWB versions. I think (though i have to check) that part of the modification was also to allow easier fitment.
We made the changes in conjunction with the original designer of the upgrade, who was a member of the Forum. The gentleman in question has now sold his E-type but i will see if he can offer some input into the issue faced in the pictures and i will also our technicial guy to take a look and will report back.

Stay safe.

p.s. You dont need to worry about "having a go" at me on here, i am a grateful for the input of this forum and keen to try and put right what i can..

JulianBarratt wrote: ↑

Tue Apr 21, 2020 4:50 pm

p.s. You dont need to worry about "having a go" at me on here, i am a grateful for the input of this forum and keen to try and put right what i can..

Thanks for the quick reply Julian. On perhaps a more constructive note and something I completely forgot about at the SNG Barratt meeting was the lack of detailed instructions for some of your upgrades or service kits etc. I appreciate these take time to draw up but that must surely be offset by the time taken by your tech guys trying to explain stuff over the phone.

Likewise stay safe,

Simon

Evening all,
Did this get resolved at all? My compensator looks exactly the same as Allan’s - i.e. the part that attaches to the handbrake cable is at an angle, despite how far I adjust it.
Like Allan, SNG only provided text instructions, which are not really very helpful and all and they seem to only be able to provide the ‘sales picture’ as further advice.
Not really very confident about refitting the IRS with doubts over the compensator, which cannot be removed (as I understand it), with it fitted

Many thanks,
Rich

Granted, this wasn’t the most interesting topic or thread. but for a future searcher to come across, SNG have had a problem with this part’s manufacture in that there is a permanent bias on the cables and one of the bends in the main brace is unsatisfactory.
They very kindly sent me an original ‘scissor type’ as a replacement as I was fitting the IRS this week and it will take time to correct this issue...
What a job that was

Hi Rich....great feedback.....thanks for posting...Steve

Years ago I sat down with Barratts (not Julian) in Bridgnorth and discussed a simple, cheap compensator replacement that couldn't possibly create a brake bias to one side,

Basically, it used a bare stainless cable held by one fixed and one threaded, adjustable, clevis between the ends of the two hand brake levers. With the hand brake pads adjusted to a few thou clear of the disc, as per the manual, this transverse bare cable would be tightened as snug as possible without creating pad drag.

The hand brake cable running down the tunnel would terminate in a narrow clevis holding a narrow free-turning vee pulley fitted over the transverse cable. When the handbrake is operated, it tensions the pulley forward, which in turn pulls the transverse cable forward, thus applying the pads to the disc. The fact that the pulley runs free on the cross cable means that when tensioned it would move towards the centre between the two arms and shorten the distance between the two arms and clamp each side equally, without a complex compensator bell-crank mechanism, I'd be interested to see someone try the idea. It's so simple it might be too cheap to make much profit.

Even simpler and even cheaper is the Dave Kerr solution. Cost is negligible and (like yours) the mechanism floats so has to adjust equally no matter what.

kind regards
Marek

Yes that is what I did. Simply cut the support and added a welded on tube, so the outer part would float.

Works well, although I have no idea how well it would have worked originally as I had not driven it.




Paul

+1 on the Dave Kerr solution referenced above. Worked well on my S3
Cheers

A similar version to Dave's is used by Uryk at Evolution E types......