Technical throttle cable do's & don'ts

Looks like I might want to rework this.

 

I came across this thread… unfortunately I am the guy who had the throttle cable jam open and cause an accident in my truck. That was an eye opening experience and it made me take a much different look at all of my cars' safety. The one bit of advice I can give anyone about the throttle cable is make sure there is PLENTY of cable between the carb and the firewall to accommodate any movement from the engine under acceleration or braking. In my case the previous owner didn't leave enough cable length in the throttle cable so when I was downshifting and hard braking the motor shifted forward and caused the braided steel cable housing to pull out of the aluminum bolt sleeve that holds the cable to the bracket and prop the throttle wide open. All hell broke loose. I replaced the throttle cable and rerouted it with extra length and reworked the firewall mount. I also went back through my truck and replaced the drum brakes with CPP disc and hub kit, I replaced the factory door latches with Altman latches, I replaced the steering wheel, I replaced the door glass and I did some electrical work all to try and make the truck safer and more reliable.

I've included a photo of the cable housing before I put it back in the bracket and after. Notice on the second photo the braided cable housing has been pulled out of the aluminum bolt… Be careful of this..

 

I know a guy who had a V8 installed buy a shop in a 51 Chevy sedan delivery. the stupid fuck who owned the shop installed a throttle set up where the pedal was supposed to be in the car, and all the rods and linkage were in the engine compartment. (no cables). well this brain dead guy put the pedal and arms in the car, with a 1/4 inch steel rod running through a hole in the firewall which was only about a 1/16th larger than the rod itself. ANY movement of the motor would bind the rod going through the firewall and cause the throttle to stick. luckily this was a few years ago and the car is still not on the road.

 

thanks for the update. does the loop cause extra friction/resistance?

 

I can tell you are seriously interested in this subject and you are asking all of the right questions and I appreciate that.
There was a little extra friction but after my accident and what happened I could live with it. I was still having nightmares about sticking gas pedals. I double up on the return springs so didn't have concerns about sticking. This past Sunday I decided to re fab the gas pedal assembly because I have decided to install a Wilwood brake pedal and master soon. The previous owner didn't do a very good job of lining up the throttle cable coming off the carb with the pivot point where the cable attaches to the gas pedal. My focus was on correcting that so I built a new mounting plate and spent a lot of the day with trial and error until it was perfectly lined up. I could live with it before but now it is spot on. That made the drive so much more enjoyable.
I have learned a lot about this in the last couple months. Feel free to ask if you need a second opinion on your own install.

 

I had a cable fray and my throttle stuck. The results were..... my asshole getting sucked into my kidney! I'll NEVER use one again! EVER.

 

Went out to the shop and took a picture at per your request, this is on my avatar. Have 8,800 miles on this set up with no problems.

 

I appreciate all the info guys, i am interested in this for my build but i also want to get as much info in this thread as i can, for future readers/builders. thats why im doing the Bob Vila thing of asking lots of questions just to get the info out there.

 

1927GRAHAM thanks for the pic, by the way i love your truck.