Slimy38
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| posted on 2/3/25 at 04:40 PM |
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Speedo cable through panel
I've finally got round to mounting my speedo cable. As anyone using a Mark 1 MX5 will know, the cable comes out of the gearbox pretty much where
the tunnel starts. I've routed it so it's not in the way of any controls, but I'm wondering about the hole I've had to drill in
order to get the cable through.
I know that brake pipes, fuel lines and electrics all need rubber protection when passing through panels, but what about the speedo cable? I'm
thinking of a 3D printed blanking grommet. The reason I'm thinking about 3d printing is that I want to plug the hole up, but given that both ends
of the cable would mean splitting a rubber grommet, I think I'll have better control with 3D printed grommets. But it's effectively a hard
surface.
Any suggestions? By the way, I do have an Ebay listing bookmarked for rubber blanking grommets if push comes to shove, but I'd rather not go that
route due to the aforementioned 'cutting them in half'.
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coyoteboy
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| posted on 3/3/25 at 02:11 AM |
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Can't you just go over-sized with the blanking grommet, cut a wee hole and push the end through it rather than splitting it? However the 3D
printed solution seems nice, but maybe overkill. Either way, speedo cables are normally steel braided externally (PU coated) so no harm shoving it
through a fairly hard surface, just not a sharp edge.
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Slimy38
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| posted on 3/3/25 at 10:31 AM |
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quote:
Originally posted by coyoteboy
Can't you just go over-sized with the blanking grommet, cut a wee hole and push the end through it rather than splitting it? However the 3D
printed solution seems nice, but maybe overkill. Either way, speedo cables are normally steel braided externally (PU coated) so no harm shoving it
through a fairly hard surface, just not a sharp edge.
The problem is that the speedo cable is double ended, one with the screw thread for the gearbox and the other with the plastic fixing for the speedo.
I'm not sure how far grommets would stretch, but I'm not convinced I could get them over the end of the cable.
You have a good point though, the steel braid would certainly protect it from a hard surface. I think I'll proceed with the hard print just to
cover the sharp edge.
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nick205
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| posted on 3/3/25 at 12:13 PM |
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I considered using the speedo cable (from Type 9 gearbox) in my MK Indy. Routing was too awkward though so I switched to an electric signal (magnets +
sensor) to feet my ETB speedo. I'm sure you're aware how stiff the speedo cable is (difficult to route tidily through the car).
That said, you can get right angle converters to better adapt the cable.
https://
www.burtonpower.com/90-degree-speedo-drive-adaptor-gbt9560.html?srsltid=AfmBOoqlMVRc9UYNi_MXxQwSPDlh0bwhiDL943K86zzgNiQPeQ-Tyytz
[Edited on 3-3-25 by nick205]
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Slimy38
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| posted on 3/3/25 at 06:35 PM |
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quote:
Originally posted by nick205
I considered using the speedo cable (from Type 9 gearbox) in my MK Indy. Routing was too awkward though so I switched to an electric signal (magnets +
sensor) to feet my ETB speedo. I'm sure you're aware how stiff the speedo cable is (difficult to route tidily through the car).
That said, you can get right angle converters to better adapt the cable.
https://
www.burtonpower.com/90-degree-speedo-drive-adaptor-gbt9560.html?srsltid=AfmBOoqlMVRc9UYNi_MXxQwSPDlh0bwhiDL943K86zzgNiQPeQ-Tyytz
[Edited on 3-3-25 by nick205]
Yeah I had heard of the right angled adaptors, I couldn't find one for the MX5 box though. The standard approach for the MX5 is to use the
electronic sender from the later MX5's, it fits right in then it's just a case of getting a speedo to match. Problem was/is that at the
point I thought about all this, everything was in place so I had already resigned myself to using the cable.
It's routed reasonably well, I think post IVA I might revisit options but for now it looks fine. Of course, I won't know if it functions
until the car is moving!
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jacko
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| posted on 3/3/25 at 09:08 PM |
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What diameter are the cable ends
555
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trialsman
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| posted on 3/3/25 at 10:14 PM |
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What diameter does the hole in the firewall have to be to get the cable through?=A What diameter is the cable?=B Get a grommet with a panel
diameter equal to "A" and a cable diameter equal to "B". Run cable through the hole in the firewall. Cut ONLY one side of the
grommet. You don't have to make it two pieces. Put the grommet over the cable and put a lube on the grommet and carefully push it into the hole
in the firewall. I wish I knew how to post pics. It's a lot easier to show you than type out a description. Russ
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Slimy38
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| posted on 3/3/25 at 11:22 PM |
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quote:
Originally posted by trialsman
What diameter does the hole in the firewall have to be to get the cable through?=A What diameter is the cable?=B Get a grommet with a panel
diameter equal to "A" and a cable diameter equal to "B". Run cable through the hole in the firewall. Cut ONLY one side of the
grommet. You don't have to make it two pieces. Put the grommet over the cable and put a lube on the grommet and carefully push it into the hole
in the firewall. I wish I knew how to post pics. It's a lot easier to show you than type out a description. Russ
I know what you mean, the 'splitting in half' was a bit of an exaggeration. The two holes are 28mm and 32mm, the larger one was because I
couldn't route the cable at right angles to the panel so I had to open it up a bit more. But given the size of the grommet and the need to cut
the thicker rim I'm not sure it would retain it's strength enough to stay in the hole.
The cable itself is about 10mm so ideally I'd like to keep tight to the cable.
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jacko
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| posted on 4/3/25 at 04:41 PM |
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The 10mm hole doesn’t have to be in the middle of the grommet so you don’t need a long cut
I would drill a 10mm hole and cut to it before fitting to the car
G
555
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