If your hand-brake gets frozen in the winter, you might want to consider replacing the cables. The delicate rubber boots on the end can tear allowing water to get between the cable and the sheath. Replacing the cable is not that difficult (unless it's really cold) and it's pretty inexpensive - less that $15 per side when I bought them (might as well do them both while you are at it). Other people have reported that the caliper itself can get frozen; this tip will not help in that case.

BTW - mine is a 92 SLC so there may be differences but I doubt it.

STEP 1: remove the center console between the seats:

The handle (cover) for the handbrake pulls off (you may have to push on a small tab from underneath). Also the cover that goes behind the handle slides off too. There are 4 round, plastic nuts(?) 2 on each side of the console where the console ends and the carpet begins. Remove these - you may have to move your seats forward and back to reach them.

There is a Philips head screw underneath the handbrake handle - remove it. Remove the rear armrest (4 screws) and ash tray. There is another Philips head screw that lives just in front of the rear ashtray underneath and out of sight - find it and remove it. When you've loosened all of these fasteners, move one seat almost all the way forward and the other almost all the way back. You should then be able to lift the console out with a slight twisting motion.

STEP 2: you will now be able to see where the handbrake cables connect to the handle. Loosen the jam nuts and remove them from the cables - you will reuse these so don't toss 'em. Make sure the handbrake is in the released position.

STEP 3: time to get under the car. It is pretty easy to disconnect the cables from the levers at the caliper. I can't explain it but it's really obvious - do this next

STEP 4: The cable is held to the axle with a snap on metal connector in one place. I used a sharp metal pick to pry at the tines of this connector to get it off the axle. This is the toughest part of the job. I'm sure you can buy these but I didn't so I had to reuse them. With a bit of patience you can get them off and reuse them but it's not what they were designed for.

STEP 5: Get a big set of vise grips and attach them firmly to the cable where it goes into the car. Pull and twist at the same time to remove the cables - this can take a bit of strength but mine wasn't too bad. Some liquid wrench or similar penetrating lubricant will help.

STEP 6: put the new cables in - with the vise grips twist and push the cables into the car. There should be a blue stripe on the new cables where the metal connector should go. Also, on the new cables, there were nice rubber bump stops to keep the cable from rubbing on the axle - orient these flat side up. Connect the cables to the brake calipers.

STEP 7: adjusting - back inside the car, connect the cables to the handle and thread the nuts back on. You need to adjust these so that the brakes are fully released (wheels spin freely) when the handle is all the way down but there is not too much slack - you want the brakes to grab immediately when you pull the handle. For starters, adjust the nuts until they take all the slack out of the cables - fine tune from there (pay attention to the side to side balance too).

STEP 8: put the console back in - no special tricks

good luck

Jesse

92 SLC

PS. If you are ever in a jam, you can usually tap the lever that the hand-brake cable pulls into the release position with a hammer (or whatever you have handy). You don't even have to lift the car. Just look at the caliper from behind the rear wheel. Follow the cable to the lever and tap on it in the direction opposite of how the cable pulls. This will get you back on the road until you can make a permanent fix. Don't drive it with a frozen brake!