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MG MGA - Throttle Cable revision

While rebuilding the my 1600 coupe engine, I ran across an original period H.R.G. crossflow head which I used for the rebuild. Now that the carbs come off the reverse side (to the right) I need to know what throttle cable might be best suited since the original length is far too long. Any thoughts or ideas?

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robert maupin

Robert,
Can't you just shorten the one you have?

John
John Progess

Go to your local bicycle shop and have them make a cable the length required.
Mike

I thought of simply making the one I have shorter but couldn't figure out how to re-attach the cable end/stop securely enough to make me feel confident it would hold under continous pedal pressure. Ples cutting the cable housing cleanly seems hard to end up with a "finished" look. Thanks for the suggestion.
robert maupin

Control cable shortening is is pretty easy with the right technique. Withdraw the inner wire first. Cut the outer jacket using a high speed cut-off grinding wheel so it does deform the jacket or leave burrs. Ditto for the stranded inner control wire. Put a touch of solder on the end of the stranded wire to prevent unraveling.
Barney Gaylord

Robert

you always trim te end at the carb. just buy an inner cable from a bike shop if you need to.

I just made my throtle cable much longer so that I can remove the valve cover easily if I want to. With the short one it was always a fiddle, especially with the special Judson cover and its built-in oil reservoir
dominic clancy

Barney

I have not tried your method yet, but noted for the future. Question though, would it work soldering the inner cable at the intended cut and then cutting with sharp snips?

Steve
Steve Gyles

I have cut lots of bike cables with the chopper of a Vice Grips, both inner and outer. But Barney's suggestion is a good one, always wear eye protection. And soldering and snipping the inner cable is not a bad idea. Bike shops also sell cable cutters that cut smooth and clean. Maybe ask about teflon coated cables, too.
Tom

Steve, Barney is right-- solder the cable at the cutting point but then use a very sharp chisel and cut through the solder.
David
David Grahame

Some points of note. If the outer cable sheath is plastic lined, as many of the newer ones are, cutting it with a cut-off wheel can melt the internal plastic, making it impossible to push the inner cable through. Any manually operated cutting tool needs to be of good quality and sharp. I use an old pair of nippers and get good, clean cuts with them.

Soldering does not work on some of the plastic coated inner cables sold in bike stores as it melts the plastic. When soldering a plain steel stranded cable, the proper flux is acid, which must be neutralized after the cable is soldered.

After I cut a stranded steel wire cable (non-plastic coated), I rub a little five minute epoxy into the last 3/4" of it, make sure the wires are fully twisted together, and let it harden for about an hour. I was taught this trick about five years ago and have been using it since. I will make up several spare inner cables at a time and put the light coating of epoxy on all of them when I do so. Makes replacing a cable beside the road much easier.

Les
Les Bengtson

This thread was discussed between 09/04/2007 and 11/04/2007

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This thread is from the archive. The Live MG MGA BBS is active now.