Clutch cable broke, WTF is this cable?

[03SnakePlissken]

From my reading I had heard folks say that the OEM cable is as good (or better) than any of the aftermarket cables. So our cable was found to be nearly broke inside the car where it goes into the billit pulley and I called Northland Ford and ordered a new one. Guess what....... It's not the same!

The OEM cable does not mate well to the adjustable alluminum doodad on the firewall. The diameter is wrong and the end that goes into the pulley under the dash is less robust. The transmission end of the OEM cable is a non-adjustable. The cable that was on the car is adjustable, it fits tha adjustable firewall deal perfectly and has the robust end bell soldered on for the under-dash pulley.

OK, pictures tell a thousand words, so I will show you waht I have...

Cable end that goes under the dash.


Cable end that goes to clutch fork.


Cable under dash still attached.


Cable where is passes the firewall. This measures approx 0.745" OD and the alluminum measures approx 0.750 ID.


Complete old cable laying on ground.


And the new OEM ford cable in the ford bag showing the part number recieved from Northland Ford in Zelionople.


Wolfpack, do you have the cable I need setting nearby? I know you have worked on this car in it's past... maybe you know exactly what this is?

Thanks for any help folks.

[Sonic03snake]

Use the OEM cable, they are the best. You have to remove the factory rubber bushing that mounts at the firewall. There are 4 little tabs that hold it on, you cut them off with a razor blade and it slides off.

[Sonic03snake]

Use the middle hook on the quadrant.

[03SnakePlissken]

Sonic, I pulled the end of the cable out of the bag and measured the OD of the rubber bushing after removing the plastic clip thing and then I measured the plastic nipple that the rubber bushing slid on. The rubber OD was (going on 3 hour memory) 1.350" OD and the plastic nipple that the rubber bushing slid on was much smaller, closer to 0.500".

None of these dimensions mates with that alluminum thing..... UNLESS.... could it be that Northland got me a Mustang cable and not a SVT Cobra cable?

Would it help if I took photos of the OEM cable?

[Stangman701]

It looks like the cable that was on your car(the one that broke) was not the stock cable. That's why the one you got from Ford isn't the same.

[Sonic03snake]

There is usually a brass sleeve that slides into the aluminum firewall adjuster to take up the slop. All the firewall adjusters are made to fit both cables, 79 - 95 and 96 - 2004. The 96 - 04 cable end that slides into the firewall adjuster is smaller.

[03SnakePlissken]

So I am missing that brass sleeve.

Would it be acceptable to have the sloppy fit of the 0.500" OD OEM cable inserted into the 0.750" ID alluminum adjuster?

[03SnakePlissken]

It looks like the cable that was on your car(the one that broke) was not the stock cable. That's why the one you got from Ford isn't the same.

I agree, the one in the car is some aftermarket one with more adjustability and a more robust end on it.

Question, is that three position clutch pulley under the dash a stock ford part? That looks very aftermarket to me.

[Sonic03snake]

Check the link below, you can see the brass sleeve in the adjuster. The quadrant under the dash is aftermarket and is a must. The factory one is plastic and 2 pieces, they fail pretty easily with an aftermarket clutch. I wouldn't leave that slop in there, you need it to stay straight to avoid fraying the cable again.

http://www.steeda.com/products/clutch_adjuster_kits.php