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MG Midget and Sprite Technical - Type 9 speedo cable

Hi all,

I'm hoping to avoid the cost of a 90 degree angled drive for the speedo cable on my midget 1500 Type 9 conversion (up to £100 for goodness sakes)but I am wondering how neat the 'through the cabin' options are in practice. Given that the cable should curve very gently, are not carpets and side panels left with unsightly lumps and bumps? The (UK) driver's side footwell RH panel is already quite close to the the accelerator pedal and might the cable make that worse? What I need are some good pictures of the finished installation of an 'through cabin' route. Anyone have nice pics?

Cheers chaps!
Nick Nakorn

my (1275) installation was done by THE specialist experts

I don't think it's a good route and don't know if it is the same route they always use but this is how they done it on mine

. from g/box through drilled hole (with sharp barb and no grommet),
. across floor in front of seat,
. behind interior sill trim panel,
. over box crossmember, behind outer footwell interior trim panel (I added clips to secure the cable here and give it as gentle curve as I could),
. pokes out top of outer footwell interior trim panel to go to speedo

I only recently discovered the inner cable must be full of (added?) grease when I had to change the high beam warning light and found black almost plastic like grease on my fingers, the speedo cable connector was very slightly loose from the speedo

I can't give you photos as much is hidden and what can be seen is black against black surrounded by black

Nigel Atkins

I ended up digging deep for a 90 degree drive when I had my Toyota conversion for the same reasons (albeit it was only about £45 then). Spend the cash, it's a much better solution and the cost will soon be forgotten.

I got my 90 degree drive from Speedy Cables though also worth talking to Speedograph Richfield.

Alternatively if originality is not a concern then get an electronic speedo.
Jeremy Cogman

so where does this 90 degree drive go and what is the cable route when you use it?
Nigel Atkins

Mine (1275) is out the side of the tunnel, across the floor behind the chassis cross member and up the side of the footwell. Neat enough and works well.

I was going to source the 90 degree drive, but as this has worked well enough for over 14 years, I've left it alone.

I'll get a pic if I can.
Lawrence Slater

Mine sounds like Lawrence's. You should be able to hide it under the carpet and side panels to make a neat installation.

john payne

Nigel
The 90 degree drive fits on the T9 with a circlip as you have the Sierra cable fitted. Then the cable follows the route of the original cable apart from being on the opposite side of the tunnel. Such as speedy cables will supply a suitable cable to the length you require. Can't remember what length of cable but if you really need to know I'll try to find the paperwork.
Alan
www.masckent.org
Alan Anstead

Mine, similar to Lawrence's and John's with no expensive 90 deg gearbox.
After going through the side wall of the tranny tunnel at an oblique angle, protected by a large rubber grommet, it curves sufficiently forwards to be hidden under the lower edge of the tranny tunnel carpet. It then rises up over the cross member, still hidden by the same carpet piece and back to the "outside world" through a hole/ grommet just in the rear facing face of the central bulkhead piece where it fits to the top/front edge of the cross member. (see photo)

From there it goes up the inside of the bellhouse tunnel and then loops around a gentle radius in the engine bay to go back through the bulkhead aligned to the back of the speedometer. With the carpet in place it is not visible, and there are no bumps and ridges apparent. Its a longer than standard cable to get the gentle curves - as far as I recall I used an MGB cable and modified the gearbox end to fit the T9 trumpet fitting


Guy Weller

Thanks for all the replies everyone; very useful and helpful. Guy, many thanks for the pic - appreciate it. I think that is the route I'll take too. As I have all the interior out of the car at present I can also cut sound deadening or underlay so the cable sits in a groove in the underlay with carpet on top. Hole-saw tomorrow!
Nick Nakorn

Nice Guy. I like it.

I didn't think the tunnel exit angle would allow that route. I'll have to take a closer look at how my cable emerges.

If you're sure you used an MGB cable, -- does anyone happen to know the length of an MGB speedo cable?
Lawrence Slater

Hi just fitted type 9 my speedo comes into the car at floor level I then drilled a hole in the box section so as to form a nice loop than up the side of the tunnel with a nice loop to the speedo .my speedo is reading plus 8 miles and the trip is showing that when I covered 30 miles was telling me I hand done 38 next job take out speedo and send off for re calibration
C Walsh

Alan,
thanks I thought it’d be that but always best to check as I didn’t know for sure

no need to check cable length thanks as I'm well into the stage on the car were if something works it remains as is – having put that no doubt the cable will snap tomorrow and I’d want to swap to the better route

Nick,
the route shown in Guy’s photo looks a lot better than mine but if Lawrence’s is the same as mine and has lasted 14 years I’ll not worry

I was going to oil the inner cable but as I recently discovered grease at the speedo end I’ll leave that until something happens
Nigel Atkins

C (Chris?) Walsh,
Do you know which pinion drive gear you have in the gearbox tailshaft? They do come in different colours, having differing numbers of teeth. Swappin to the next one or two teeth up should get your speedo readings much closer without having to get it recalibrated.I know that there is a brown, green, black and a yellow one. All mesh with the same worm drive (the gear on the tailshaft) so are interchangeable and this can be done with the gearbox in situ. I have a black one here with 24 teeth, and I think the one I have fitted ids a brown (22?) teeth one. I collected mine from scrapyard cars when T9 boxes were to be found there by the dozen, but I assume you can buy them from suppliers like Burton Power.




Guy Weller

I maybe should have mentioned a slight mod that I did in order to keep the cable route reasonably close to the tranny tunnel. Where the cable fits to the gearbox there is a thin steel trumpet shaped end fitting, held by a circlip. As standard, this is a symetrical cone so the cable exits the side of the box at 90 degrees. I modified the cone piece on mine so that the cable exits at around 70 degrees, starting the curve off going forward so it goes through the tunnel side obliquely. It then continues its curve between the seat runner and the tranny tunnel side, so by the time it gets to the bit you see in that photo I posted, it is pretty well pointing forwards. There is enough flex in the drive cable for this to work, and the cable to gear connection at the trumpet end acts as a wobble joint as it spins. Mine has done around 70,000miles with that arrangement so I feel reasonably confident in saying it works!
Guy Weller

Hi Guy I'm not sure which colour I have waiting for a new tunnel carpet from Danbury Carpets the mans not worth dealing with been 5 weeks now he,s add is on E-bay will be looking else wear need a carpet with no hole so I can cut to suit will try and see which pinion I have . Good try at name it,s Clive thanks for all your input when I was researching type 9 box
C Walsh

Sorry Clive, I should have remembered your name. My apologies. At least I got the number of letters right!
Guy Weller

" I modified the cone piece on mine so that the cable exits at around 70 degrees == "

Thanks for clarifying that Guy. Did you just bend it, or cut and weld/solder it?
Lawrence Slater

Panel beating with a punch and toffee hammer. Then re-shaped the edges with a file. Circlip groove wasn't very good at retaining the circlip so I drilled the edge of the alloy flange where the clip goes and wired it as well.
Guy Weller

Thanks Guy.

I'm getting closer and closer to being able to pull my Sprite off the road (when the Midget goes live that is), so that mod is one useful I'll look to make asap, as it's not particularly invasive.

I've now got a list of mod's as long as yer arm, of the things I'd like to do to the Sprite while it's in bits. Doubt I'll do them all. My need for fiddling has depreciated somewhat in the last year or two. lol.
Lawrence Slater

Hi All,
I've just been scrolling through my pictures of the last few weeks and realised I hadn't shown the results of all your excellent advice. due to stupidly measuring incorrectly (I know, measure 3 times and cut once) I ended up with a lozenged shaped hole but rather than weld it up again I decided to keep it as it might aid access if I fit an angled drive at a leter date. I then made up a cover and rubber gasket. It will run close to the side of the tunnel but the radius is a bit tight so I might well run it very wide and use the space between for a little tray/cup-holder or perhaps a location for a fire extinguisher if it doesn't get in the way of seat or body - that will be for later. Thanks again for the info everyone.


N.C. Nakorn

the gasket


N.C. Nakorn

finished


N.C. Nakorn

Very neat, Nick. Is that plate powder coated? - its a nice finish.


The curve in the cable is quite sharp. Because I angled the fitting at the gearbox. mine is already curving forwards quite a lot by the time it passes obliquely through the tunnel side. Evens out the curve radius a good deal.
Guy Weller

Yup nice. But I agree, that curve will result in a binding cable eventually.
Lawrence Slater

Lawrence, indeed, I'll probably go for an easier arc and make a cup-holder or coin tray within. Guy, cheers. No, the cover isn't powder coated; just gloss black paint.
N.C. Nakorn

This thread was discussed between 23/05/2014 and 03/06/2014

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