What is this cable for?
Thread Starter
Burning Brakes
Joined: Dec 2004
Posts: 918
Likes: 5
From: Gainesville FL
What is this cable for?
While changing the oil on my 76 TT last night, I noticed a cable attached to the transmission shift lever near the point where it enters the case. This cable is inside a steel wire-wound housing (about 1/4 inch in diameter) that goes up near the fire wall and ends close to the steering shaft. The cable has an attaching ring at this top end, but it wasn't hooked to anything. As a new Vette owner, please don't laugh if the function of this cable is obvious. I just figured that GM probably didn't install cables to nowhere on my car, and that unlike Bubba, I might prefer that it be attached where it's supposed to be!
Race Director
Joined: Sep 2004
Posts: 11,874
Likes: 263
From: Arlington Va Current ride 04 vert, previous vettes: 69 vert, 77 resto mod
Originally Posted by Vette Gator
While changing the oil on my 76 TT last night, I noticed a cable attached to the transmission shift lever near the point where it enters the case. This cable is inside a steel wire-wound housing (about 1/4 inch in diameter) that goes up near the fire wall and ends close to the steering shaft. The cable has an attaching ring at this top end, but it wasn't hooked to anything. As a new Vette owner, please don't laugh if the function of this cable is obvious. I just figured that GM probably didn't install cables to nowhere on my car, and that unlike Bubba, I might prefer that it be attached where it's supposed to be!
i don't have this on my 77 but some earlier years had a shift lock out cable that was actuated with the steering wheel lock that prevented the car from being shifted without the key in the ignition...
Pro
Joined: Sep 2002
Posts: 653
Likes: 0
From: Dickinson (Houston) Texas
Sounds to me like it could be the speedometer cable. Does the speedometer work in your Vette?
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Race Director
Joined: Sep 2004
Posts: 11,874
Likes: 263
From: Arlington Va Current ride 04 vert, previous vettes: 69 vert, 77 resto mod
[QUOTE=matchframe]Sounds to me like it could be the speedometer cable. Does the speedometer work in your Vette?
....and taking matchframes idea one step further if you car came with cruised control, it could be the first half of the speedo cable the one that went to the transducer....and then a different cable went from the transducer to the speedo cable. the transducer would be mounted under the brake master cylinder.
[
....and taking matchframes idea one step further if you car came with cruised control, it could be the first half of the speedo cable the one that went to the transducer....and then a different cable went from the transducer to the speedo cable. the transducer would be mounted under the brake master cylinder.
[
Drifting
Joined: Sep 2004
Posts: 1,532
Likes: 4
From: Fairview Heights Illinois, near Saint Louis MO, STL C3 Shark
yep, it is a steering wheel lock, and shifter lock, when you left the car, you would shift into reverse, take the key out, and it would lock the steering wheel, and make so you could not shift out of reverse. - that is if it still works. Bonehead that had mine previously snipped the cable 
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