Dick Brannan drove Fords for Romy Hammes Ford, an Indiana Ford dealer and a month or so ago Lakeshore, the local NW Indiana PBS station ran a feature on Brannan. One of the stories told was about Brannan’ ‘62 Galaxie with Dick blueprinting the engine, setting up the suspension and fabricating traction bars, but his most revolutionary modification was adapting a Studebaker “hill holder” to the car. Obviously the idea was to be able to control the throttle, clutch and brake pedal for the quickest response off the line. They never mentioned George Hurst on the show but I guess he saw the concept and refined it around that time and brought it to market as the line lock.
My Roadster when found was an old drag car. It had an electric switch from a semi truck for a line lock. The switch was from a 48 or little later Mack Semi.
My high school auto shop teacher had a 47 Dodge pickup that had what he called a wrecker brake lock on it. Worked the same as a line lock. I discovered it when another guy and I drove the truck down to a dealership's storage lot/wrecking yard to pull a part off a car and one of us pulled the switch to lock the brakes and we walked back to school because we couldn't get the truck to move. Walked back and drove it back after he got done laughing at us too. I'm thinking That I saw adds for them in the mid 60's just as Fordors suggested above. It's one of those things that damned few people under 60 are going to know hasn't been around since day one anyhow. If you are under 60 they have always been around.
My 46 Chevrolet 2 1/2 ton wrecker had a hydraulic micro brake on it...step on the pedal flip the lever to lock let off the pedal it stayes locked... My 50 Studebakers have hill holder brakes on them ...works basically the same way. Before line/loc's the method of holding the car at the line was done with a lever that hung from the dash and a rod went from that to a peice that was attached to the brake pedel arm . Sent from my SM-T387V using The H.A.M.B. mobile app
This is from my 1967 Midwest Auto Specialties Catalog Sent from my SM-T387V using The H.A.M.B. mobile app
The Hurst Line/Loc system was first introduced to drag racing about the same time that Miss Linda Vaughn was hired by Hurst as the Hurst Golden Shifter Girl. The system was , after being told of its up coming release, used in the wild Hurst Olds 442 twin engined all wheel drive drag car.. So to answer your question..i would say about 1964/65 the Hurst Line/Loc system was introduced in drag racing. Sent from my SM-T387V using The H.A.M.B. mobile app
I had one of those manual drag brake set ups on my 57 Nomad C/MP in 1967. Mine was home made . Used an old slot machine handle.
Ok ...one more ,just saw this ad in my 1967 Honest Charley's catalog Line/Loc....Hill Holder... I'm gone... Sent from my SM-T387V using The H.A.M.B. mobile app
If I remember correctly the Ala Kart had a line lock type system on it off something industrial. It was on the car in 58/59 when it won its AMBR's. The Rodder's Journal Article had more detail on it.
A hand actuated brake? Iv'e seen other variations of it for those who dont want to cut brake lines or wiring. A must if your staging a manual trans car.
It bolts to the bottom of the dash and when you pull the handle it pushes the brake pedal down. Worked great for staging a stick shift car. Bump it in and hold the handle, when the tree came down release the handle and reach for the shifter. A lot of guys couldn't let go of that handle and find the shifter. That's why the went away ,that and the electric line lock.
Did't Studebaker have what they called a "Hill Holder"? Used with a manual transmission so you did't have to slip the clutch while trying to coordinate the brakes, gas, and clutch pedals. Then the manual hand operated brake holders came along for drag racing, followed by the Hurst Line Locks. I'd say mid to late 60's is when the Line Locks came on the scene. I am Butch/56sedandelivery.
The '48 Chrysler had a hill holder more or less. you could depress the clutch and the brake with the car in gear (it was a semi auto) then step off both and when it was time to roll you tapped the brake and hit the gas. I doubt that it was used to race professionally but someone may have tried it. This is not going to be the first racing application of a line lock. The Oregon State Patrol used a E brake system (mechanical) to their front brakes on some of their cars in the '60s. It was so that they could bootleg it and get after ya if you were going the opposite way. There was a fella that lived up near North plains when I was in highschool who captured a setup off a cop car and set it up on his street racer. He would line up set the tires on fire and let it loose when the hanky dropped.
That's a cool piece for sure. Great idea for the person with a stock ride that doesnt want to cut brake lines, re-wire or have the clutter under the hood. After your done racing it would take a couple minutes to remove. I would think you could still get passed tech with one also.
Thanks guys I been having some trouble holding my gasser on the line .the has no parts newer than 65 . I don't think I would to out of line to use one
If it really bothers you they have been using micro locks since the '50s that I know of on work trucks. I am not sure that I would try and source one that old but they do still make the older style that runs the brake line to the lock and then back to the brake.
You can sometimes find a Micro Lock for cheap money in the pic-a-part. The one near me has a section with bigger trucks and equipment.
Micro locks have been used on fork lifts for ages. Used to run an old Taylor made in the 1950's that had one. Thing had a 272 Y block Ford for power with a 4 speed transmission and a reverser, 4 forward and 4 reverse speeds!
another use for the Line -lock.racers would hide them in the front crossmember and use them to shut off the right front brake on circle track cars.most rules required you to have 4-wheel brakes so it wasn't legal to dis-connect the RF.
The Jalopy Journal
