Technical Clutch Cable?

So I'm giving up on the Ford-o-matic in my Model A and going with a 3 speed behind the Y block. Looking under the car, it looks like the hardest part of this swap will be the clutch linkage we all know there is not much room under there. I was thinking about using a cable to run from the pedal to the arm on the bell housing. But I can't think of any cars made before 1960 that used a clutch cable, anyone know of one? I want to keep the car all pre 1960. Then I thought of a parking brake cable, the one that would go from the parking brake pedal and run through the firewall down to under the floor. Any ideas on how that would work? other thoughts? I was then thinking about how many times you would use the clutch compared to parking brake use, will it wear out too fast? I plan to put some type of grease fitting to lube the cable. Then I thought of a mechanical brake cable off of something like a '35 Chevy, they had cables on the front wheels that operated the brakes, they would be strong and handle the wear, I think.

Anyway, has anyone done this? any thoughts? And sorry, I reposted this question because my first post about this got lost when the site crashed so if you had responded to that thread, I did not see it and would still like to see your comments.

 

this is from summit racing

CLUTCH CABLE

ATP-Y144

Estimated Ship Date: 11/20/2017 (if ordered today)

$31.97



$31.97


this is the type I use on my 1936 ford coupe and 1962 ranchero

 

Has it held up without stretching? How do you adjust it?

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That's a Fox-body Mustang clutch cable...

 

Member D-Russ has a thread on how he did his. Used a modified Mustang clutch cable that Brizios Hotrod shop makes. I used one of their cables to setup one in my Model A with a 283 sbc and a S-10 5 speed trans. I fabricated a set of pedals using '40 Ford brake pedals. here is a pic.
EDIT: I used D-russ's thread as a tutorial. Search "Clutch Cable" and it should pop-up.

 

^^^Nice tidy job.

Mart.

 

That is a headache saver right there. I know a certain 1948 Chevy truck that might need that setup and get rid of a lot of ugly in the process.

 

yes it is or was .

 

Damn nice job there! and thanks for the photos!

 

you got that right

 

Thanks for the info and thanks for the photos also they are great. I want to keep everything pre '60 so what pre 1960 cable can I use? what are your thoughts about using a parking brake cable? Or maybe a mechanical brake cable like what a 35 Chevy used?

 

Make sure you have good grounds engine to chassis. Otherwise it's possible for the clutch cable to act as a ground. That will make it brittle over time. I learned this on a OT vehicle that had ground issues from the factory. Clutch cable would break fairly often until the cause was figured out.

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So how did the ratios work out? it looks like you welded a "tab" on top of the pedal arm to pull the cable, how far from the pedal pivot point is that? Also, the fork coming out of the bell housing is that stock length from the pivot point inside the bell to the cable attachment point? I guess your car is together so if you can't get to it to measure, it's cool.

 

I'm not aware of any pre-60 car that used a clutch cable set-up, and e-brake cables don't like to see as much bend as the late clutch cables can take without binding up, so you're not going to find a suitable cable...

 

Pinto used a cable clutch setup, that is the oldest one I'm aware of. But that's early 70s, not 60s.

 

The old jeeps used a linkage/cable setup. Maybe this diagram will turn a light on for a solution.

 

I used a '40 Ford brake pedal to make my clutch pedal welded the cable mounting tab on top of the shaft pivot part of the pedal. The pedal ratio, as a brake pedal, was a little over 6:1.The toe board sits at a 45* angle where the pedals come through , so I determined where straight up 90* was on the shaft pivot of the pedal. The length from the pedal pad hole to the bend on the pedal was approximately 7". Then I was able to determined what the length would be from the center of the cable tab hole to the center of the pivot shaft hole to give me over 1" of travel. I believe that length turned out to be 2" and I believe the travel of the center of the cable pivot hole was 1 1/8". The body of the pivot area of the pedal was 1 1/4", so half of that was 5/8", so the cable tab length to the center of the hole was 1 3/8". I used 3/8" thick material to make the tab, and I tacked it to the pedal and a friend of mine tig welded it . The clutch fork is a late 60's Camero, the one with dog leg bend on it. I had to cut approximately 3/4" off of the end of it so the brake pedal would clear. The tab for the cable is also 3/8" thick material. I am using a short mid '60's throw out bearing. I have a spring mounted to a tab at one of the inspection plate bolts to a modified grade 8 bolt that holds the cable to the fork. The bolt has a '40 ford brake rod pin welded to the top of it. I am using a 10 1/2" flywheel, a diaphragm pressure plate for a mid '60's Chevelle, and a clutch disk from Speedway that fits the 14 spline input shaft on the S-10 5 speed trans. I can beak over the clutch with my hand and have about a 1 1/2" of space between the pedal pad and the toe board. Having said all this, I still have about a years worth of work to get the car on the road, so I have no info on whether this will work. but with all the research I did before and while doing this I feel pretty confident this set-up will work. Sorry this got so long to answer your questions, hope it helps. Below is a pic of the modified bolt.

 

No, long complete answer is just what I needed, thanks

 

Thanks, Steve that's what I was worried about how tight they can bend.
I think a VW bug used a clutch cable, I'll have to find out what they used in '59 ..... way too long so the first thing would be to figure out if it can be shortened.

 

You can also have a custom cable made, there are several companies on line that will make whatever you need, length diameter, ends etc.. I had a clutch cable made for a Model A a few years ago it was 3/8" diameter cable that accepted 3/8" heim ends. I used Druss' thread for the design ideas then had a cable made to the length I needed I used the company below. Sorry I thought I had pictures but I cannot find them now.


www.midwestcontrol.com

 

Here's the D Russ thread: https://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/threads/tech-clutch-cable-installation-w-pics.210569/

Here's a good general clutch linkage thread: https://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/threads/official-hot-rod-clutch-brake-pedal-thread.722245/

 

VW's have used a clutch cable from the beginning of production. That would be from the 40's.

 

VW clutch cables operate in a mostly straight pull, are probably too light-duty for a V8 clutch, and don't have a separate outer sheath/cable guide; VW used a steel tube welded to the floor pan.

 

While I can appreciate the effort to keep it period, I just don't see anyone asking what year your clutch-cable-that-won't-be-seen-very-often is. The Brizio setup is simple, slick and by far the easiest route.

 

Thanks for that info.

 

You know, you are right maybe I'm just overthinking this somewhat. Still going to try .

 

This is what I did with a Bell Crank. A little more to do with slave cylinder. Ford clutch has to push instead of pull.

 

You could make a cable setup using an unshielded cable by using pulleys to turn the corners.

 

I did not think of that!!! Very good idea, Thanks
Bet I would only need one pulley, damn good thinking