I will need to shorten a clutch cable - not entirely sure why unless the pedal housing part was made differently to the donor.

On the pedal end has a loop and a pin goes through that to keep it in place, on release arm is a crimped-on sphere.

see here:


my options are:
1. get custom cable made
2. cut off crimped on sphere and refit - more about that
3. make spacer at pedal box or release arm to lengthen the outer thus shortening the inner (not measrued up but it could be as much as 100 mm) .

I am favouring option 2 but what is best way to do it?
Better photo of scrimped end here, the top one.


It is unlikely I can get the crimped end off and then crimp it back on so maybe I can drill it all the way through, make concave, splay cable and solder it or weld it?

I have done this successfully for a carb cable but the clutch cable will take a lot more force and I don't want the end pulling off.

So ideas & suggestions?

Had a similar problem with mine and ended up making a spacer between the engine side of the bulkhead and the outer cable (bit of steel pipe and a large thick washer) which I also angled to get the best routing for the cable. Has been on the car for 5 years with no problems.

Surely it'd be easier/safer to remove the crimped bit at the pedal end and clamp it there?

I'd see that as more desirable than buggering around with the clutch end of the cable, which generally speaking fits the clutch pretty well.

Custom cable or spacer, you put a lot of presure through the cable hundreds of times a trip, unless you have an industrial crimper and a new fitting it is amost bound to fail.
On some Escort pedal boxes there is a tube welded on to do the very thing you want to do.

Simplest and most robust is just to lengthen the tube the cable sits in at the pedal box end.

Much better to modify the car than the cable, otherwise if the cable ever snaps you can't get an off the shelf replacement.

personally, i'd run it the longest route possible. keep it as it is, might look unneccesary, but off the shelf replacements, possible failure from where its been shortened etc.

an update.

made for 3mm spacers but not sure if needed.

basically the cltuch arm was fitted back to front (not by me!!) so the distance of the arm from geabox now is much closer.

fitting the cable doesn't tie up but then I gorgort to take into acocoun t the shape fo the arm in the housing as well as the release bearing whcih sits on top of the arm rather than in it (armn is pressed U shaped).

so it may be that no spacers are needed after all or maybe 1 or 2.

oh well .....