Aluminium Handbrake Handle

Leven Technology

Further to my never-ending quest to add more shiney bits to my car, I got hold of a new Leven Technology aluminium handbrake handle. The handle is a very stylish bit of kit indeed; as with most of the other Leven items, it is precision machined from a solid bar of aluminium, hand finished and then anodised.

Handbrake kit		Leven handbrake handle

It comes with all the necessary instructions, tools and ancillary items required for fitting, all in a presentation box. The handle has a sort of ‘stipple’ effect along the underside of the handle giving extra grip (other finishes are available). To complete the effect, it also comes with a matching aluminium brake release button to replace the original TVR plastic job.

The aluminium handbrake is a direct replacement (albeit much more stylish) for the rubber one supplied by TVR. The old handle (if not already loose) can be simply held firmly, rotated and worked until it comes off the end of the handbrake lever.

Leven advise that in extreme cases, if the old handle is very stubborn and does not want to move, it can be cut off using a sharp knife. Mine did take a little effort (it had been on since ’89 after all!) but was easy enough once the initial purchase had been broken.

For the next steps, it is wise to ensure that the car is either on a level surface, in gear or the wheels are chocked, just in case the handbrake button is accidently released.

Once the old handle has been removed, the original plastic handbrake release button is unscrewed (anti-clockwise) and pulled out. It is quite important to ensure that the spring (and washers - if fitted) that tension the back of the button don't fly off and get lost (or have your eye out!). My release button was very tight and required a pair of pliars.

Removing the old handle		Getting 'nasty' with a stubborn button

The spring is put back in the end of the lever, the washers are then pushed over the spring. The new aluminium push-button is lined up with the hole and then screwed back into position. The new handle is positioned over the lever and can then be lined up. Leven advised us that sometimes the metal ‘lip’ at the end of the lever can be slightly too big to ensure a perfect fit. In these situations the lip can be filed down slightly until the new handle seats correctly. Fortunately, the handle seemed to fit on my lever OK on the first go, and did not require any modification.

After the final ‘driving’ position of the handle has been decided, The grub screws at the bottom of the handle are then gently tightened using the supplied allen key, until the handle is held firmly. Care must be taken not to over-tighten the grub screws, as this can lead to stripping the threads (which is a bad thing!).

Once the handle has been fitted, it is obviously quite important to ensure that it operates correctly, especially the release button. It is also important to ensure that the tightness of the handle is periodically tested, just to make sure that it does not come loose unexpectedly, (which is also a bad thing!). It may be a good idea to keep the little allen key in the car’s toolkit just in case.

The button, spring & washers		Tightening the grub screws

I was really pleased with the handle, it does look the business (especially with my matching Momo gear-knob). More importantly though it also feels good, it’s ergonomic design fits the hand very well and should be suitable for any hand size. I have used the car now several times since fitting and have experienced no adverse vibrations, rattles (well not from the handle anyway!), or any other problems.

The only issue that might be worth mentioning, is the fact that the aluminium handle (and the gear-knob for that matter) can get quite cold to touch first thing in the morning, especially if you leave your car outside. With winter coming this could become bothersome until the car has warmed-up – the ‘high’ price of style I suppose!

Apart from the minor comment above, the handle is an excellent addition to the interior of the car and really enhances the look of the cockpit. It may also be worth mentioning that Leven also produce several other finish options for their range of handbrake handles, including a plain, polished, scotch and a blasted finish. Check out their website for more details. The handle should fit all of the wedge series cars, mine is a 1989 TVR 350i and it fitted perfectly.

The handle can be purchased mail order from Leven Technology The cost of the handle (HBH4 shaped finish) is £56.00 at the time of review, although I believe they are currently on special offer at £48 without the presentation box.