<VV> Looking for help on changing emergency brake cable

[JRVIDRINE@aol.com]

Folks,

The emergency brake cable on my 62 Monza (with a powerglide) recently broke.
Apparently it had broken before as a piece had been spliced in by the
original
owner or a mechanic he used.  I have a new replacement cable from Clarks and
was in the process of changing it out.  In any case everything went well until
I got to the horizontal nylon wheel attached to the bottom of the steering
column tube.  From here the cable goes to the ratchet handle under the dash.
This wheel is at the bottom of the steering column and in a very tight place. 
A
cotter pin has to be removed and there is no room to get a tool (or even your
hands) in to it.  Is there a trick to this?  The shop manual doesn't seem to
address this at all.  I will have to remove the cotter pin from the solid
piece that the wheel rides on so the wheel can be raised up and the cable
placed
into the groove of the wheel and then dropped down so the guard secures it. 
The fuse block is in the way.  Should this be removed and how?  I cannot see
how
the fuse block is attached at all.  I would be interested in knowing how to
remove it even if not necessary for this job.  Finally, is it possible to drop
the steering column tube from the dash allowing it to rotate downward without
damage?  I am wondering if this would give some access to the cotter pin.  The
weather is nice here and I hope to get it fixed before Christmas.

Any help will be appreciated.

Thanks
Randy Vidrine
62 Corvair coupe
Branch, LA