• The Roadster Factory Recovery Fund - Friends, as you may have heard, The Roadster Factory, a respected British Car Parts business in PA, suffered a total loss in a fire on Christmas Day. Read about it, discuss or ask questions >> HERE. The Triumph Register of America is sponsoring a fund raiser to help TRF get back on their feet. If you can help, vist >> their GoFundMe page.
  • Hey there Guest!
    If you enjoy BCF and find our forum a useful resource, if you appreciate not having ads pop up all over the place and you want to ensure we can stay online - Please consider supporting with an "optional" low-cost annual subscription.
    **Upgrade Now**
    (PS: Subscribers don't see this UGLY banner)
Tips
Tips

Shortening a throttle cable Q&D with stuff in the shop.

TomMull

Darth Vader
Silver
Country flag
Offline
I made a new bracket for the throttle cable on my Herald twin SU setup and found that the cable I'd planned to use was a couple of inches too long. Of course this was on the day before we left for the British Invasion show at Stowe. Shortening it was the solution but I cannot live with the cable stops from the auto stores; they don't fit the clevises and they destroy the cable.
So here is the solution I came up with:
Carefully measure and mark the cable. Wrap the cutline with sticky masking tape or similar and then cut. Do not allow the wires to unlay. The best wire cable cutting device I've found in my shop is the small angle grinder with a cutoff wheel even though the wire is only 1/16. Make sure there is no roughness left at the cut.

Now for the stop itself. Copper swage ends are available from Nicro Press and others but none in my shop at the time. What I did ave was a supply of MIG tips. These are cheap and essentially free if you have some old ones. If you don't have them, most local hardware stores do. I used .023 but I think .035 or .045will work for the 1/16 wire in my cable. I merely drilled it out with a 1/16 bit, easy to do as you have the hole to guide you. Use cutting oil and take care, the little drills break very easily.

Put the wire through the hole and stake it on a hard surface with a blunt tool and your favorite hammer.

I tested this with a couple of light to moderate blows with the slide hammer and then drove to Stowe and back. Works great. (picture is of my practice piece.)
Sorry if this is old hat; I can't be the first to have done this.

Tom
P1010225.jpg
 

JPSmit

Moderator
Staff member
Silver
Country flag
Offline
you may not be first - but you may be first to post it - well McGyvered!
 
Offline
Very handy tip. Now if there was only a way to make the cables longer.
 
OP
TomMull

TomMull

Darth Vader
Silver
Country flag
Offline

SaxMan

Darth Vader
Country flag
Offline
You can use a bicycle cable cutter and get a very nice result, too. Bicycle crimps also work for the ends of the cables. Park Tools makes a nice cable cutter, and you can get crimps dirt cheap on eBay.
 
OP
TomMull

TomMull

Darth Vader
Silver
Country flag
Offline
Good to know. The cable cutting is delicate, one strand out of line and it's time to start over.
Tom
 
Similar threads
Thread starter Title Forum Replies Date
KVH TR4/4A Shortening the Steel Wrapped Heater Control Cables Triumph 2
JimTR4 TR4/4A Shortening the gear stick Triumph 2
regularman Shortening the list of things yet to be done. Spridgets 14
vping MGB Shortening a MGB shift lever MG 51
G TR6 Shortening TR6 Stroke..... Triumph 9
G Shortening my Chrome-Moly push rods Triumph 12
S TR4/4A TR4-Stromberg throttle shaft play Triumph 3
B MGB while driving engine cuts out if I let off or push more throttle it comes right back on MG 5
Walter74 BJ7 Throttle Linkage "Support Panel" Austin Healey 5
Popeye TR4/4A Throttle Linkage Triumph 5
CARSINC Throttle linkage question Spridgets 1
S Overdrive Throttle Switch Austin Healey 4
Celtic 77 MGB Looking for best info regarding throttle cable replacement. MG 16
L 1994 XJ12 Throttle Position Sensor unavailable, alternatives ? Jaguar 1
rgfrey 1959 BN7 Throttle Control Linkage Austin Healey 2
R TR6 Throttle/Carb issues 73 TR-6 Triumph 40
Healey Nut Tri-Carb Throttle Controls Austin Healey 4
D TR2/3/3A TR3 throttle linkage bell crank. Triumph 17
Walter74 Throttle Cable Conversion Austin Healey 6
J Throttle Controls Identification Austin Healey 4
B RHD BJ8 Throttle Control Rods Austin Healey 9
K TR2/3/3A Sending out SU's for throttle shaft rebushing........ Triumph 4
C Jammed Throttle Linkage Austin Healey 3
R TR2/3/3A Throttle rod spring location Triumph 3
T BT7 throttle relay levers short and long Austin Healey 2
R TR2/3/3A Carb throttle return spring tension Triumph 2
Michael Oritt 100 throttle linkage--help needed Austin Healey 3
D TR4/4A SU HS6 throttle spindle size Triumph 20
F TR2/3/3A Throttle linkage cross rod Triumph 4
C TR6 Carburetor Throttle Linkage Triumph 10
warwick-steve Throttle shaft bearing/bush on bulkhead Austin Healey 9
J TR2/3/3A TR3A Throttle shaft bushing retainer plates, Correct color? Triumph 2
Talon TR2/3/3A Throttle rod link to carburetor; basic questions Triumph 4
Lukens TR2/3/3A Installing a throttle. Triumph 2
K TR2/3/3A Kangarooing on light throttle Triumph 14
ckeithjordan TR2/3/3A H6 Throttle Linkage Triumph 13
catfood Throttle return mechanism on the BN1 Austin Healey 4
RickPA Overdrive throttle switch caused meltdown Austin Healey 2
M Throttle pedal problem Austin Healey 8
bighealeysource Strange problem with throttle staying open Austin Healey 6
A Throttle Pedal Height Austin Healey 17
Bob_Spidell Throttle Bushes Austin Healey 6
T Looking for advice for throttle linkage for Weber DCOE Spridgets 2
Rob Glasgow Overdrive Throttle Switch Austin Healey 9
Rut TR4/4A SU throttle linkage and brackets Triumph 5
T Philosophizing on keeping cars for more decades - prompted by a broken throttle cable Spridgets 3
Lukens TR2/3/3A Anyone ever see a push/pull throttle mounted on the dash? Triumph 4
P Bj8 rhd cable throttle conversion - help Austin Healey 6
TomMull Spitfire Throttle linksge needed Triumph 10
TomMull Post-War Other Herald carpets and throttle issues Triumph 4

Similar threads

Top