Handbrake Cable

[ElliottN]

My handbrake cable gave way at the rear linkage - the years had worn the cable at the clevis pin (is that what you call the piece that's swaged/welded onto the end of the cable?).
From inspection, the cable is otherwise fine and it doesn't look like a lot of fun to fit a new cable (and I'll have to find one first! And I'm in Oz) so I have temporarily locked a brass collar with a clamping screw onto the end of the cable, reconnected it and then adjusted the handbrake to compensate for the loss of 15mm of cable. Maybe this will last years but does anyone have any solutions to fitting a new pin (or some substitute) to the end of the cable which may stand up to the repeated strain of hauling the handbrake on?
Maybe I should get a local workshop to spot weld a collar on?
I've been to a number of bike shops but they can only sell me complete replacement cables - and nothing is the right thickness/length or has the right length/size sleeve.
Feedback on any experience appreciated.
Thanks.

[bvt]

find a Custom Motorcycle shop...
a few still use Cables rather than hydrolic brakes, they have the cable of the correct thickness and the tools to make custom cables.

The Shop I used have closed down but... when i need another cable.. I'll find another. Remember the adjuster is the important bit due to thread etc .. and they are not mild steel so don't get one turned up.

Take your old cable as a pattern and it may be worth gettinga few made if Oz is hard for bits..

[rgh0]

Elliot

If I want a heavy cables such as the hand brake made up I normally go to boat supply places who have the selection of cables and swaging gear to make up the end fittings required. Light cables such as throttle I normally go to bike shops. Push pull cables such as choke and heater require solid rigid spring steel inners that you can normally source from speciality auto cable suppliers

If you have made up a screw clamp on end piece for the handbrake cable and its working fine then I would not bother changing it until you have further problems. Most Elans hand brakes dont work anyhow so if you have a working one your ahead of most people already !!

Rohan

[twincamman]

Im told a vw bus emerg cable is the ticket ed

[elansprint71]

Elliott, Sounds like you have trouble with your nipple, rather than your clevis pin! The nipple is the "blob" on the end of the cable; do not even think of welding/brazing anything back on here, the steel cable strands will not stand any heat, will become brittle and break.
Why not email Paul Matty in the UK for a complete new cable? It's about 25 GBP plus shipping, you could have it in less than a week.
It took me about 20 minutes to fit one recently, plus about an hour buggering about trying to adjust it correctly. Should last another 20 years.

Cheers,
Pete.

[sotul86]

It seems hard to pull the new cable through the holes in the chassi at the back, is there any special trick ?

My cable got stucked in the outer cable up front

Cheers johan

[john.p.clegg]

Elliot/Pete

What a coincidence,my handbrake failed last weekend on the Hare and Hounds charity run,have just ordered some 3mm stainless wire and turned up a couple of pairs of nipples ready to silver solder on the ends...Going to renew just the inner and siver solder the back nipple on in situ....

John

P.S. any ideas on making it adjustable at the rear fitting?

[alexblack13]

Hi All,
When doing my restoration I discovered that the new cable I had been supplied was too long.(approx 50 mm) This resulted in all of the adjusting screw being 'used up' Not a good start. I reported this to my supplier,who said that they all came too long. The only solution to this was to custom fit the thing for length. So I turned up an adjustable nipple.Stainless,with 2 x 4 mm dia grub screws to hold it in position. Cut the cable and slipped on the new nipple.fully screwd home the cable adjustment at the chassis front,positioned everything where I wanted it, tightened the grubs on the new nipple. Sorted!

Before I fitted the cable to the car I tested the nipples' grip to make sure the inner did not slip thro the grubs.I had a fair load on the thing and could not move it.(Much to my surprise!!) I was tempted to leave as was, but It had gotten between my ears. so I had a nipple swaged onto the cable by a local boat chandlers. (All off again!) and re fitted it. It was well worth the effort. I ment to call Susan with the length of the inner but forgot to measure the thing prior to fitting it, so all I can tell you is the cable needed shortning by the same length as the adjuster screw (Clue there!!)

I suspect that the s/s nipple with the gripper grubs would do the job fine. BUT, I could not live with it. Susan M is now having cables made to a shorter length which should sort this anyway.

Have fun.....

Alex B....

[GrUmPyBoDgEr]

Elliot/Pete

What a coincidence,my handbrake failed last weekend on the Hare and Hounds charity run,have just ordered some 3mm stainless wire and turned up a couple of pairs of nipples ready to silver solder on the ends...Going to renew just the inner and siver solder the back nipple on in situ....

John

P.S. any ideas on making it adjustable at the rear fitting?

Hi John,

Maybe you have better experience than me, but I'm not sure whether your stainless nipples & silver soldering is a good thing.
Silver soldering needs a fairly high temperature which could affect the bowden cable.
I've made up quite a few cables over the years (for Bikes) & the nipples that I bought were nearly always tinned brass.
That soft solders very well but the spring steel of the cable struggles.
The cable needs to be completely free of grease & the flux to use would be "Killed spirit(s)", it's very corrosive & any excess needs to be removed ASAP.

Hope I've not done the Granny & Eggs thing
Cheers
John

[fatboyoz]

Elliott,
Just had a look at The Elan Factory website, they sell new hand brake cables for $103 plus GST. 03 9761-1903.
http://www.elanfactory.com.au/pdf/produ ... 0parts.pdf
Colin.

My handbrake cable gave way at the rear linkage - the years had worn the cable at the clevis pin (is that what you call the piece that's swaged/welded onto the end of the cable?).
From inspection, the cable is otherwise fine and it doesn't look like a lot of fun to fit a new cable (and I'll have to find one first! And I'm in Oz) so I have temporarily locked a brass collar with a clamping screw onto the end of the cable, reconnected it and then adjusted the handbrake to compensate for the loss of 15mm of cable. Maybe this will last years but does anyone have any solutions to fitting a new pin (or some substitute) to the end of the cable which may stand up to the repeated strain of hauling the handbrake on?
Maybe I should get a local workshop to spot weld a collar on?
I've been to a number of bike shops but they can only sell me complete replacement cables - and nothing is the right thickness/length or has the right length/size sleeve.
Feedback on any experience appreciated.
Thanks.

[ElliottN]

Hmmm....
4 years later and the brass clamp is doing fine.
I'd forgotten all about it!

[john.p.clegg]

Johan et al
The nipple is a tight fit in the chassis tubes,especially if you make one a tad larger/stronger...the upshot of this is that I had a bu@@er of a time threading my cable through the chassis....and when I eventually managed it was rubbing slightly on a diagonal part of the rear chassis...soon sorted with a little bending....then I couldn't get the tree adjusted correctly....plenty of side to side wobble but a little seized in the rotational direction....after a major struggle had to resort to searching the forum for solutions....hence Alexs? access hole in the boot(next job to make a cover)....drilled the tree fixing bolt out ....freed/cleaned/greased and reassembled the now free tree with a new bolt and the lever is smooth and comes all the way back to the frame tube....Happy bunny...just need a decent hill to test on...

John

Forgot to mention.The tree arms are now at 90 degrees when the pads are gripping the disc so should make for a decent handbrake ( if such a thing exists on an Elan?)