TECH: Clutch Cable Installation w/Pics

I don't know, I'd love to hear other ideas on this.

There's more than an inch of threads between the heim joint on the fork end and the threads on the tranny side mount, so I should be able to adjust it if it grinds. I am however a little worried about the cable stretching over time and getting out of adjustment. We'll see.

 

Very good thread!

Max

 

Yup, this is a good way to get a ballpark set-up til you can actualy drive it. You want it to release the pressure and just have a minimal slight drag/scuffing that you can hear. And still have free play in the released position and make sure you can reach up in there and spin the throwout bearing when the clutch is released.

 

Nice, thanks for the added pics. I have been in the shop tonight looking at fit with my parts, this system and the floorpan/firewall I want to run.

 

Nice job on the installation and explanation, DRuss.

It's really important that the cable comes straight out of the housing or it will wear as the cable pulls around the edge of the housing. Looks like you're OK on the trans side - hard to tell on the pedal side from the pics.

The guideline I was given was to have about .050" clearance between the flywheel and clutch plate when disengaged/not running. I measure it with an Allen wrench through a small hole drilled in the bellhousing.

I've been running a cable clutch on my 40 Ford for about 7 years now. I know they're not considered 'hi-performance' but they do work and can be a real problem solver.

Stock pedal with fabbed arm to change the leverage and pull direction, V8 Monza bell and cable. All of which avoids the common interference between the clutch fork and the brake pedal in these cars.

 

Anyone know of any other good late model cars that could be cable doners???

 

Remember Ford cable operated clutches pull forward to disengage, Chev back.

 

Hydraulic seems to be the majority preference these days, but this just seems so clean and easy. Does anyone have thoughts as to clutch feel preference between cable, hydraulic, and Z-bar actuated?

 

Yep!

Dumbass me made my bracket to pull back the first time not thinking about it.

All fixed now though.. and I have SBF w t5

 

Really! Never realized that, great to know. That would have been a sweet little ooops on my part.

 

Most of the Mopar front wheel drive cars in the 80's and early 90's used cables. I have a 92 Shadow that I am junking. I need to pull the cable out of it and see if it looks usable for the roadster I am building.
As a side note I have been pretty successful using hi temp silver solder to put the ends on cables. This is not the same silver solder that you can get at the local hardware store. It takes an acetylene torch to do this as a propane one doesn't get hot enough.

 

The Ford Perf. guys told me that on a Ford throwout arm you need 1.375" on travel to be safe. My hydraulic setup has 1.25" so I'm not perfect. If you move the attaching point on the arm closer to the bellhousing, you will decrease the amount of travel needed but increase the amount of pressure needed to depress the pressure plate. The industry standard for pressure plate arms used to be 3 to 1 meaning if you had a 3000 lb. pressure plate you would need 1000 lbs of force on the throwout bearing to release it. A common street clutch has around 1800 lbs. A common clutch pedal lever ratio used to be 6 to 1. If you need 600 lbs on the throwout bearing, you will need about 100 lbs on the clutch pedal. There's more to this than what I have laid out but you get the idea. In regard to the clutch cable, don't buy a cheap one. The good ones have a liner that removes the need for lubrication. They last for a good amount of time. The cheap ones have a coiled steel liner. They bind up before too long.

 

Great info, thanks!

 

Not to be critical at all brother, in that second picture it looks like the plate mounted to the tranny in starting to bend. Have you noticed or is it just me?

 

It's made from 3/16 stock and the joints are welded on both sides with a heavy chamfer. I think it'll be fine.

 

Awesome solved my year long solution.... Good work.

 

Thanks for bringing this back to the top. I may just do a cable setup when I switch my car over to a T-5. Seems pretty simple , just gotta remember the whole "Fords pull forward" deal , haha !

 

Found this thread a couple of weeks ago, and bingo found my answer to how I was going to do the clutch in my Model A. Going to use a set of F1 pedals. Purchased the cable kit from Roy Brizos, It is $95.00 now, but all the hard work is done by them. Have not had time to open the box yet, but will this week end and post pics of the kit. Sent Druss a message, several weeks ago, with several questions and he graciously answered everyone of them and his answers confirmed my thoughts on using this set-up.

 

I too am looking at using a cable. I have a left side park brake cable from a 70 Merc big car...it appears to be the right length.
D-Russ....it suppose you've had yours working for a few years now. I'd be hesitant to attach the cable to the top of the throwout fork, pulling it crooked and possibly binding the fork . Mine will attach to the center [top to bottom] of the fork to get a straight pull

 

That's an astute observation Rocky, and one that I considered when I welded the tab onto the clutch fork.

My fork is actually shaped like the sketch below, so although it looks like the tab is welded at the top of the fork in the pictures, it's actually in the middle, so the pulling action should be just about right.




I had about 3,000 trouble free miles on this set-up before I took the car off the road for a hemi, shiny paint and an interior. I mounted the new engine a little higher so the original trans cable bracket interfered with the floor. I also ran the exhaust under the car which also interfered with the bracket, so I made a new, more streamlined trans bracket (see below pic).

 

Nice !

 

I need 2 cables, same as above, diff. length, wouldn't you know it Briz'z web store is under construction! To get one built do you fill out a form? Gotta be other suppliers?

 

I called Brizio to order mine. I've never seen them on their website.

 

I have had cables shorted at boat supply places that do sails.

 

Here is a pic of the clutch cable that Roy Brizio Street Rods sells. It is approx. 31" long with the heim joints screwed all the way in.

 

Do you know the inside cable diameter?

 

Brigrat the cable measures to be 1/8" thick. I assume Brizios is buy after market Mustang cables and modifying them to this configuration. I looked on e-bay at Mustang clutch cables before I bought this cable and they cost around $40.00 to $100.00.

 

Does anyone know the original Mustang application Brizio uses, or one you would use, for this clutch application? It's not listed, and I emailed for info and pricing and never heard back. I might order OEM one, and try to modify it for my chassis.

 

Great info

 

I just called Brizios and asked if they still sold them. Was told they did so I ordered one. As far as Mustang clutch cables, just do a search on e-bay for them.