The little crimped piece of metal came off so I replaced the first cable (the short one from the handle to the T off. Now I can barely pull the handle up and when I do pull it up the ebrake is barely clamping. What could be the problem? Parking in gear is fun but I'd like my options open...

 

Sounds like maybe the cable is binding or the auto tension mechanism on the handle is out of adjustment. I just removed and replace my handle and the adjustment is a tad tricky. Just disconnect the cable from the handle and first ensure it is not binding on something. Then hook it back back up after you release the tension mechanism. Your solution lies with the handle.