emergency brake cable "ends"

I'm in the midst of hooking up emergency brake cables on my '39 Ford two door sedan. It sits on an S10 Blazer frame so I'm using the S10 cables. they are the same length right and left so they don't end at the same point. Should I cut the casings and clamp them somehow or use the factory ends and make brackets for them at different places? I bought the kits for shortening the cables themselves but I'm undecided about the casings and how to deal with them. Thanks in advance, Rod

 

Cut them and make them work. HRP

 

You have to use your own judgement here. If it is only a matter of a few inches extra length mounting the cable in a gentle curve will take up some length. They should not be too tight, or bent into a sharp curve anyway.

If they are way too long you will need to shorten them. To do this you have to cut the end off the inner, pull it out of the way, and cut the outer. Tin the inner with solder or braze it before you cut it and it won't unravel. A chop saw or grinder makes a smooth cut, a chisel or bolt cutter flattens the end and you need to grind it so it will go thru the casing.

The casing has an end or ferrule that must be removed. Cut the casing, being careful not to distort it. If you distort it, grind the end off to where it is straight so the cable won't bind. Replace the end, push the inner through, and solder or braze a new end on the inner.

 

A good way to cut cables etc. if you don't have a cutoff saw. Clamp a big chisel in the vise, pointy end up. Lay the cable on the chisel and hit it with a ball peen hammer. This will cut the toughest cable, motorcycle spokes etc.

 

Or just have a new cable made to your specification. I used these guys http://store.controlcables.com/servlet/StoreFront I sent them a rusty cable that I had cut in half, just to have a pattern for reference. They made a cable that fit and funtioned perfectly. Not too expensive either...

 

You can buy aftermarket cables at any parts store, they are teflon lined, come with a few different cable ends, best of all they are relatively cheap.

 

i used lokar e-brake cables.

 

Have some new ones made...... It's not very expensive.

4TTRUK

 

Thanks for all the neat input, guys. Rusty, do I drill what's left of the casing out of the ferule? Also, don't I need to reattach the ferule to the casing pretty tightly? How do I do this? Thanks again, Rod

 

To properly attach the ferrule, you'd probably be best off springing for a "swaging" tool from Lowes or Harbor Freight...I bought one at Lowes for $27. You'll probably need it down the line for garage door cables, etc. I did that with my custom made E-brake cables & I also put a blob of aluminum "solder" on the ends for good luck (I bought a kit for $20 at one of the local car shows, where the guy "welds" two aluminum beer cans together...seems to work). It's been a few years & everything has held up. Rusty gave a good tip above about cleanly cutting the cables with a chisel.

 

Thanks again for all the neat tips. I ended up "crimping" the ferulles back on to the cables and made brackets to hold them, even used some garage door guides in the build. They work!! Thanks again, Rod.