clutch cable solution ??

[lil503]

Hi all,having changed my Elite to a ford type 5 gearbox the one thing that still worried me was the clutch cable,ive had them all,from best parts of 80 quid from sj sportscars to the 15 quid bedford cf jobbies off ebay and to be honest i cant really tell the difference,they all snap,last one gave way after 9 month and although i use the car quite alot,come on 9 month !! Anyhow when my latest new cable arrived i thought id try a new way,as the photo shows its quite a simple bit of kit really,  a standard push bike chain,a bottom cog off a shimano gear change again off a push bike,and believe it or believe it not the cog fits the original pulley pin perfectly.The new cable was a bedford cf one so stripping back a bit of the outer armouring was needed after that it was about as straight forward as fitting a new cable could be.its been on the car for 3 weeks now with no problems at all,the photo shows overall length but i did have to shorten the chain by 3 inch later on.next time your cable snaps and it will,give it a try you never know this might be the answer !

[Tony D]

Where did you find the fittings for each end of the chain? 

Seen something similar before and definitely something I'm planning to do. 

 

Tony 

[lil503]

Hi Tony,the fittings are the standard for our cars,one is already on your clutch pedal connecting it to the cable,i had another in my parts bin,the cog i used fit so well onto the pulley pin i thought it might be a fluke so tried another off my grandkids old bike and the fit was exactly the same,hope this helps,Phil

[pbharcourt]

Excellent solution, well done!

Is the clutch feel any lighter?

[lil503]

Thanks for your comment Paul,i put a little grease on the pin and chain before fitting and once adjusted at gearbox end for the last 3 weeks or so it does seem smooth and lighter to use when going through the gears,i know its early days yet and i do carry a spare cable and pulley in the boot just incase,only time will tell mate

[lil503]

Hi all,Just a quick update on the clutch cable set up.Done around 2500-3000 miles over last 6 month mainly stop start town centre stuff with the occasional country lane blast,anyhow checked the cable last weekend (using the cheap Bedford cf jobbie) cable and cog showed no sign of wear ie snapped or frayed strands at both ends,so fingers crossed it will be fine for at least another 6 months,if anything happens inbetween i will let you know.

[soldave]

Glad to hear it's working out well for you

[lil503]

Thanks Dave,all still good in the clutch department,😀 pity same cant be said about the diff though,😫

[lil503]

Seasons greetings all,just a quick update on the Bedford cf clutch cable /chain and sprocket set up,its still going strong,no signs of fraying at either end,will have a go at a bit of the old upside down footwell photography over the next week or so and all been well I'll post a couple of pictures 🤞🙄

[lil503]

Hi all,finally plucked up courage to lay upside down in the footwell and take a few photos of the clutch cable set up,ive had my Elite 14 years or so and never had a cable last this long,6000 miles after fitting the bedford cf cable its as good as new,hope the photos are clear enough,last one is my Elite at my favourite fishing lake two weeks ago,regards Phil

[Gray14]

Hi Phil,

Nice condition Elite and picture. I've been following this clutch improvement thread with interest and plan to do this on my Eclat.

Did you need to cut the clutch cable to shorten it or does it work with the standard length cable

If the cable was shortened can you tell me how you connected the cut end to the clevis yoke, at the start of the chain. 

Was the wire looped around the clevis pin or is the 3rd photo down taken in the footwell showing this connection?

Sorry to ask so many questions.  Many thanks in advance.

G

 

[lil503]

Hi Graham,thanks for your coments,looking i back started from the clutch lever (bell housing)fit the cable on the lever then threaded other end through the bulk head and checked how much of the cable had come through,as long as the cable end wouldnt reach the pulley when clutch pedal was pressed down fully its all good,replaced old pulley with cog using original fitting cut a length of chain to suit,drilled each yoke and fixed to chain with a small nut and bolt then fitted as you would a normal clutch cable,sounds long winded mate but its no more awkward than fitting a normal cable,this set up will only work with a bedford cf cable because the elite/eclat cable is designed to go around the pulley and fix to the pedal,hope this helps graham

[Gray14]

Hi Phil,

Thanks v much, I think I'll be able to manage with that information. Cheers.

Graham 

[Don.Hasi]

you know that I posted the engineered sketch to this long ago?  just do a search for it

btw: the Elite is looking brilliant