Good question. My guess would be there's a check valve incorporated into the system.

There is no slave cylinder. Normal brake pressure runs through this. It has an inlet and an outlet. It works just like a normal master cylinder, but instead of a fluid reservoir, it has an inlet from the master cylinder ( the normal line to the back brakes).
As the handbrake is lifted, a piston first travels over the inlet, blocking it and then the pressure is sent to the back brakes only.
Same as a master cylinder does to prevent fluid being pushed back up into the reservoir.

so to get the hydraulic handbrake to work, one must first press the brake pedal???

So if someone is drivin along and pulls the handbrake nothin will happen??

Quote:

No. This type of handbrake is mainly used in rally cars to steer the rear of the cars and it would not be practical whilst racing to have to pump the brake pedal with your foot just to prime the handbrake circuit for the rear brakes.
The handbrake has its own hydraulic cylinder and when you pull the lever the piston inside the cylinder moves and closes the circuit running back to the master cylinder - that way you dont pressurise the master cylinder and blow fluid all over the engine bay. Once the circuit to the master is closed off the piston inside the handbrake hydraulic cylinder moves further in it's bore and applies hydraulic pressure via the piston/fluid to the rear brakes
It is basically plumbed "in line" to the rear brake and is bled prior to bleeding the rear brakes.
Hope this helps.

Nice looking unit and I like the quality of the workmanship with the installation, Well done!

It's not hard really, picture this in a rallycar, coming up to a sharp corner going fast, wash off some speed,set the car up using your momentum, pull hyd. handbrake on momentarially(?), arse end slides around corner around apex, soon as you see where you want to go, flatten it!!
It works the same as a "normal" handbrake, it just doesn't have the ratchet and release button, simply ON/Off nothing else, And it enables you to take a heap of excess weight out of the car getting rid of the mech. unit.

Onother useful purpose for this type of handbrake in a rally car is that it can save you from hitting trees/rocks/stumps/banks/spectators etc.
If the car suffers any understeer (especially at higher cornering speeds) and looks like firing off the road, you can quickly grab the handbrake and use it to steer the back of the car which allows instant "turn in". Sometimes this can be enough to save it and get to the end of the stage
The really quick drivers use this technique often and can even ballance the back of the car at high speeds and high cornering loads. If you ever watch WRC incar footage you can see them doing this fairly regularly - awesome driving.
So good hydraulic handbrake skills can be used for much more than flicking the car into Hairpins but it requires big balls when going really fast.

this is an old post but does anyone know where to get one and how much???

you can find kits for hydraulic handbrakes from performance stores like the ones you see in certain mags but I woud be guessing that the very nice one here has been made by 1200 himself?

Yes mate i made this one because even though the ones you can buy are made from Aluminium they are still pretty heavy once everything is assembled. This one turned out at about half the weight of the aftermarket performance models.
Google "hydraulic handbrake+manufacturers" and you should find what you have been looking for.

hmm thought so..... thats mad :D