Shortening Handbrake Cable

[Guest Battery Bill]

OK folks

How's it done?

Is it just a matter of cutting off the excess and welding on a new bit on the end?

thanks

[Guest Mr Pid]

Er yeh i think so!

 

I plan to do this job very soon, been putting it off for years (literally) would like to hear how you go, if not ill let you know how mine turns out (whichever is the sooner)

 

good luck

 

Stu

[Guest Battery Bill]

Surely it's a bit we have missed on the video's.

Richard must have mentioned this, possibly we slept through it but we are not watching the b****rs again.

[Guest DaveB]

Yep its on the video Richard suggests drilling out a 8mm bolt and running a MIG welder down the cable to secure this is of course inside one of the drums. A couple of guys from the Oxford area hoodies have cut the cable and re-joined it using U bolts works fine and has passed MOT & SVA.

 

Dave B

[Guest Battery Bill]

Thanks Dave

saves us 8 hours looking through the comedy vids

[geoff shep]

I used the re-forming the nipple method. The adjustment is best made at the offside end. Either way, put some solder on the cable before cutting it and the strands will all stay nicely together without fraying - frayed ends are difficult to re-thread through the outers. I pulled all the slack out through the offside brake and then clouted a drilled out bolt onto the cable to make a new nipple. If you have welding equipment you can leave some cable protruding through the bolt and chase it back down with the welder.

[Guest paul thompson]

I shortened my cable by cutting it with a pair of snips (no frayed ends) and drilling a bolt, thread the cable through and squish the bolt at the front till it clamps and then filled the rear end with solder (no welding gear). Seems to work, I can pull the lever hard with both hands no problem.

[Guest Peter n the better half]

:angry: :angry: :angry: Id do this if i could get the blooming drum off either side. Have i missed somthing keeping it onto the carrier ?????

 

All the washers are off and tapping it doesnt budge it either its stuck fast ... Any ideas ?

[Peter Bell]

Peter and co. you need to release the handbrake adjuster mechanism as well otherwise you will not get the drums off. Instructions are in the haynes book, I have the smaller 1600 rear drums which are a bit of a pig to release, Xray specs are an advantage, I think the bigger ones are easier to do. Although one of mine did have an additional problem for some reason of being such a tight fit on the centre bearing boss/spigot I had to use a puller to get it off then file it out a little to give it some clearance.

Good luck, Peter

[Guest Phil Slater]

Using an angle grinder is a recommended method of cutting the cable without fraying. Personally I used a Black and Decker version of the Dremmel with a mini grinding/cutting disk. It did and excellent and neat job - a couple of whacks with a hammer and blunt chisel on a drilled out bolt shaft held it before I blob welded the end.

 

I just hope it's short enough???

 

Phil Slater

[Guest Guy]

I had trouble getting my drums off, they were stuck on the centre boss, I heated them with a blow torch and gave them a good clout and as Peter said, a quick file sorted the problem.

 

On the hand brake cable front, I cut it with a grinder, drilled a hole in an M8 bolt, thredded the two ends in from different sides, did up the nut and cut off the excess. It works for me.

[Guest Peter n the better half]

Guy ??? Can you go through that method again please in a bit more detail.

Is the hole from head to tail or across the thread ?

If it was across the thread then where did you position the cut ?

 

Seems the best idea so far as it stays adjustable ..sort of .

[Guest Guy]

Hi Peter,

 

I clamped the inner of the handbrake cable in the vice and cut it with a grinder (not in the middle, slightley over to the right) hold the free end with a pair of plyers.

 

I got an M10*30 grade 8.8 set screw (bolt with thred going up to it's head) and clamped it in the vice by it's head (just like I'd like to do to some other people I know )

 

I filed a small flat on the thred about 3mm from the head and centre punched it.

 

I drilled an M3.5 pilot hole transversley accross it then opend it out so it was just big enough to take 2 lenkths of the handbrake cable, I can't remember the size, don't make it too big otherwise the set screw looses it's strenkth.

 

Then I put the cable on the car, (don't let the outer fall off the inner otherwise you may not get it on to easely).

 

I put one end of the cable through the hole in the set screw and then the other end through the same hole the other way so they overlap and put a washer on then a lock nut.

 

I made sure I had enough adjustment on the cable adjuster then did the nut up good and tight.

 

I adjusted the handbrake so it worked fine then tested it by trying to brake it. ( sorry, I digress)

 

All was good so I cut off the excess cable with the grinder.

 

Make sure the set screw doesnt catch on anything while it is on opperation, my handbrake is in the passenger footwell so I put the linkage on the right so it's in the centre of the car, this helped when I fited the seats.