Speedometer cable costs
Thread Starter
Heel & Toe
Joined: Apr 2003
Posts: 22
Likes: 1
From: DALLAS TEXAS
Speedometer cable costs
I am replacing my 78's lower speedometer cable. I am by passing the cruise transducer. I have removed both old cables, upper and lower. I plan to connect the lower cable from the tranny direct to the speedo gauge.
So I am looking at the prices for a lower cable. An 80" speedo cable at the local auto parts store is $9.00. The corvette parts catalog vendors price is about $24.00. Is there a reason for the price difference other than mark up.
I am planing on buying the 80" cable from the local auto parts. Anyone see an issue with that?
Thanks,
Brock
So I am looking at the prices for a lower cable. An 80" speedo cable at the local auto parts store is $9.00. The corvette parts catalog vendors price is about $24.00. Is there a reason for the price difference other than mark up.
I am planing on buying the 80" cable from the local auto parts. Anyone see an issue with that?
Thanks,
Brock
Instructor
Joined: Jun 2013
Posts: 222
Likes: 0
From: Toronto Ontario
Ironically one of my next projects is to do the exact opposite, with new upper and lower cables and new cruise transducer so it doesn't rocket if I push the button. I don't remember the cables being expensive, but that may have just been relative to the cost of the other things that were purchased at the same time.
In general if standard parts are available locally at Napa or something I will take the savings and run. I love being able to walk into the store and have them hand me a part right off the shelf because it's also used in 500 million other cars.
It's typically just the restoration items I need to order, general maintenance items I grab locally as much as possible to save a few bucks
In general if standard parts are available locally at Napa or something I will take the savings and run. I love being able to walk into the store and have them hand me a part right off the shelf because it's also used in 500 million other cars.
It's typically just the restoration items I need to order, general maintenance items I grab locally as much as possible to save a few bucks
Team Owner
Joined: Jan 2006
Posts: 37,637
Likes: 3,118
From: Crossville TN
The longer the cable, the more trouble you will have with it (cable-whipping, needle bouncing, etc.). The early C3's did not have cruise control as an available option; but that long run of cable was actually done with 2 cables hooked together. One of them was a 'special' cable with a bushing of sorts to minimize cable whip. The two together worked quite well.
When my 2-cable set went bad, I attempted to swap it out to a single, long cable. The idea didn't last very long. In short order, the speedo needle started bouncing and continued to worsen until I thought the bouncing might damage the speedo head. Back to the stock 2-cable system for me.
That's the standard system for 1971 C3's. I would think that you could install the '71 2-piece cable in place of your two cables and cruise transducer.
When my 2-cable set went bad, I attempted to swap it out to a single, long cable. The idea didn't last very long. In short order, the speedo needle started bouncing and continued to worsen until I thought the bouncing might damage the speedo head. Back to the stock 2-cable system for me.
That's the standard system for 1971 C3's. I would think that you could install the '71 2-piece cable in place of your two cables and cruise transducer.
Last edited by 7T1vette; Aug 22, 2016 at 11:20 PM.
