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The title says most of it, the previous owner removed the ENTIRE parking brake system in my 1983 manual Porsche 944 for whatever reason, and I need to replace it because I don't really want it to keep rolling down the driveway. Looking around on Ebay and whatnot I was able to fine a good amount of the parts, albeit not cheap, and I cant help but wonder if I cant just tap into the normal break lines or get a parking brake designed for another car. Is any of that stuff possible?
I don't think you'll have much luck trying to use other cars' brake systems. Here's what a parking brake system generally consists of:
You still have the regular brake rotors, and you'll need to keep those so the rest of your normal brake system works. You'll need drum brakes specifically for your car, since those are the ones that will bolt to the frame and fit inside the rotor nicely.
The cables you could swap out, but then you'll run into problems with them being the same length, and those can't be that expensive (right?). The splitter could be swapped out too, but that's a pretty small piece and it'd be easier to keep it the same if you can. And the handle could be swapped, but if you like your car to look normal, you might want to keep the same handle. Besides, each handle attaches a little differently, and it'd be a pain to attach a new one IMO.
If you're searching eBay for parts for a 1984 Porsche 944 only, you may be limiting your options. The brake rotor and shoes for that car also match for a 1983-1986 Porsche 944, 1977-1988 Porsche 924, and a 1978-1985 Porsche 928. I'm not very familiar with Porsches, but there are good odds that these other models use many of the same parts as your 1984 944—certainly the shoes and rotors are the same! So expanding your search may put cheaper parts in your reach.
