Hi Rick.

I saw your post earlier today. I wasn't going to reply, however you don't
see to be getting much action on this topic.

The reason I wasn't going to reply, is that I did a "bubba" fix a few years ago
for a friend.

It worked well, however was very unconventional.

Step 1. Determine how much shorter you want the cable.
Step 2. Very carefully cut that distance from a "section" in the cable.
(Only the "outside", do "not" cut the inner cable)
(I used a hacksaw to make the cuts and side cutters to remove the
section - be careful)
Step 3. The cable now should be the correct length as the two cut ends
butt together. To stabilise the joint, take a piece of steel gas line
about two inches long. Inside Dia. should be near Outside Dia. of
cable. Cut with hacksaw along the length of pipe.
Slip pipe over cut cable. ( Pull apart cut cable and slip cut in pipe over
inner cable) position pipe equally over cut cable and crimp.
Paint it black.
Step 4. Your inner cable is now too long. Take several nuts (like nut as in
bolt) that have a hole the same size as the inner cable.
With your trusty hacksaw, make a cut in as many nuts as it takes
to equal the distance of piece removed in step 2.

Step 5. Where the inner cable connects to gas pedal (under the dash)
pull the excess cable (the slack) and slip the nuts on the cable.
Crimp each nut so they stay in place.

Sorry, I said it was a bad Bubba, however it did work for a long time without
any problems.

Barry

 

Rick;

I have a Holley on my '73 and there is a bow in my throttle cable, as well, pretty significant one at that, but I've never had a problem with binding. Have you already tried some penetrating lubricant on the cable and checked to make sure it's not hanging up on the pedal side? Another alternative to trying to shorten the cable would be to find or fabricate a small bracket - or adaptor - that would attach to the carb throttle lever and move the cable attachment point further toward the front of the engine. That should take the bow out, or at least most of it. You may be able to find such an adaptor in the carb aftermarket. It would also be very easy to fabricate from a small piece of aluminum billet.

 

I have the same manifold and carb on my 72. Consider this...the distance from the cable attache of the gas pedal to the carb is shorter, causing the bind. You could bend the gas pedal to get more travel taking out the bind. You'll probably find that the current pedal travel is not enough to fully open the carb.

 

Rick,
Didn't reply to your post as I'm not sure what your cable looks like. As mentioned above, the cable should work fine with a slight bow/bend in it. Cables don't like very sharp bends, but work well on gentle ones. It could be that the "springyness" of the outer cable is trying to push against the fittings as it tries to straighten itself out? (hard to tell without seeing it). Cables bind if they are allowed to dry out & corrode inside, get dirt inside, are damaged or just need lubricating. Another problem is when nylon lined cables are oiled, as the oil makes the nylon swell, causing the cable to bind up.

If you need to shorten it then cut a length off of the outer as described above. Then check the nipple on the end - hopefully it will be brass or steel with the cable soldered into it. It may even be cast onto the cable (the worst ones to alter). If it is soldered on then heat it gently until the solder melts & then slide it up the inner cable & up against the outer. Cut the end off of the inner cable so that it is shortened by slightly under the length that the outer was. Clean the end thoroughly in solvent (soak it) until all traces of oil/grease are removed & then slide the nipple upto it, leaving a small amount of the inner protruding from it (the difference in length between what was cut from the outer & the inner). Spread & bend the strands of the inner out & then lightly pull the nipple up to them so that they squash together & lightly grip the nipple (DON'T pull the nipple off of the inner cable as it's a right royal PITA to get them back on). Then gently heat the nipple with a blow torch & use flux & electrical or (preferably) plumbers solder to fill the hole where the inner strands have been spread out. The spread out strands stop the nipple pulling off of the cable & the solder keeps the strands from closing up. Use a file to clean up the mess where the excess strands & solder stick out of the nipple. Done properly it should hold OK for years. If the original nipple is a cast on one, then it can't be emptied of solder & slid up the inner (the whole thing melts). Some automotive shops sell nipples for making up cables with - try a M/cycle shop (Harley or old Brit Bikes). If you're really lucky you may find a solderless nipple (fits to the inner cable using a grub screw).
Sorry if this seems a bit long winded, but it's hard to describe (could have done it with about 4 pictures though). I've successfully used this method to make clutch/brake/throttle cables for years.
I'm not sure if "nipple" is what you'd call the fittings on the end of a cable - if it isn't, then the idea of taking a file & a blow torch to a nipple has probably got your eyes watering :lol:
Paul