[Lang]

Tony,

I presume you removed the whole thing as a unit to refurbish it with the bolt hanging there and forgot to put the bolt back when you bolted it all up again.

I assume you tried putting the hook upside down into the bottom of the hole then running the bolt in a semi circle until it stands upright. You might need to widen the hole a little to get it around the corner.

Best thing to do and only about 20 minute's work is to drop the universal. Unbolt the output shaft flange and pull the brake bracket unit off, drop the bolt in and put it all back.

I wouldn't do that but I am a bit rough. The hole is not critical with the hook so I would just get a drill of the bolt diameter and run through the hole and elongate it at the same angle you have the bolt jamming. By the looks of your photo it will not take much. You could also try a bar beside the bolt on the floor to prise it up, not so much that you permanantly bend the floor (but you could tap the lump back down again if you did). It is amazing how much movement you will get and as I said it does not look like you will need much.

Last choice is to just get another bolt, threaded a both ends and slide it up fom the bottom and put a lock nut and heavy washer on it in place of the hook.

The whole exercise is a basic waste of time because only one jeep in a thousand has a handbrake that could be described as working effectively. Your new modern brake linings are likely to be much too hard to work properly, despite perfect mechanical operation, anyway.

Keep at it you will get it back together.

Lang