my parking brake in my 1980 fleetwood brougham is there, and when i push it i can feel the car slowing down, but the parking brake doesn't engage, not even when the vehicle's in park 
now when i look under there, amid all the wires, there's a little horizontal lever that's hooked into something else. when i pull it down, i hear a "pissshhhhh", like a piston or something, (i can only pull it down when the car's in park, otherwise it just pops back up again). then when it's down, i can push on the parking brake, and it stays on... then to release it, i start the car and when i shift from PARK, the brake automatically disengages... it's pretty neat, but i don't believe that every time i want to engage the parking brake i have to first reach under (above the parking brake itself) and find that lever and pull it down. something's not working like it should. does anyone have any ideas or want to school me at this?
now when i look under there, amid all the wires, there's a little horizontal lever that's hooked into something else. when i pull it down, i hear a "pissshhhhh", like a piston or something, (i can only pull it down when the car's in park, otherwise it just pops back up again). then when it's down, i can push on the parking brake, and it stays on... then to release it, i start the car and when i shift from PARK, the brake automatically disengages... it's pretty neat, but i don't believe that every time i want to engage the parking brake i have to first reach under (above the parking brake itself) and find that lever and pull it down. something's not working like it should. does anyone have any ideas or want to school me at this?