Handbrake cable replacement

[Dlorah]

Just started job of completing inherited project. Had 'fun' with the handbrake. Previous owner had bought a new cable from SOC (Headcorn) as was in 1999. Firstly the threaded adjusters on the new SOC cable bought in 1999 would not go thro the subframe guide tubes, even after much cleaning and scraping.
Then I thought to compare with the old cable which prev owner had removed in one piece. The cables were identical length but I found that the new adjusters were 2 3/4" whereas the original are 2 3/16" long. Hence new ones could not fit round the bend.
Rang supplier to check if they knew and rang Rimmer as well. Rimmer checked and found theirs to be 3 1/4" long! All maintained they were as original and did not
seem interested as nobody had ever mentioned it before.
So I did as everybody else seem to have done and shortened one of them to 2 1/8" and it went thro' after I filed a chamfer on the leading edge to stop it catching on the rough spots in the tube.
So if anybody has had similar experience then let Rimmer know and they might change the design to as original if enough people mention it. It is an unecessary inconvenience to have to modify new parts.
Cheers (literally)

[jleyton]

Hi Dlorah, welcome to the forum - and another Somerset member as well - any chance of a first name ? (and if it's Dlorah, I apologise !)

I replaced my cable last year but didn't note the length of the adjusters. However, I am not entirely sure what you mean by 'the bend' - are you referring to the yoke at the front ?

Mine proved pretty troublesome there and, of course, with the prop and exhaust in situ, you can hardly see anything - especially if you're on your back with the bottom of the car only about 2" above your face . Luckily, I was pulling the new cable through with the old one and lots of (blind) wiggling and pulling eventually got it through ok.

It'll be interesting to see what, if anything, others have to say.

Cheers

Julian