Throttle Cable Broke - How do I know what to buy

[rsd250]

Thanks for all the replies thus far....to answer a ?, the various parts shops list different cables for 3 vs. 4 barrell carbs...and I do not have EFI.

I took a few pics of the thing last night, but cannot figure out how in the world to add them to this post?

Was getting ready to start my '72 Bronco and the gas pedal snapped...looked down and the accelerator/throttle cable broke off the gas peddle...it is still secured down there (via a bolt) but the connection to the peddle snapped off.

Need to replace, and started looking but have no clue what length to buy (and if I need to buy a specific one from Toms, etc. of if I can just go get on at NAPA auto parts, etc)...anyone know if this is standard and how hard to replace (I do not turn wrenches so anything--even small) could be a project for me!

Also, is there really a big difference in the 2 vs. 4 cab cables...they look the same...

 

[70_Steve]

Was getting ready to start my '72 Bronco and the gas pedal snapped...looked down and the accelerator/throttle cable broke off the gas peddle...it is still secured down there (via a bolt) but the connection to the peddle snapped off.

Need to replace, and started looking but have no clue what length to buy (and if I need to buy a specific one from Toms, etc. of if I can just go get on at NAPA auto parts, etc)...anyone know if this is standard and how hard to replace (I do not turn wrenches so anything--even small) could be a project for me!

Also, is there really a big difference in the 2 vs. 4 cab cables...they look the same...

This seems like it should be a relatively easy question to answer, but the information you've provided is a bit vague.

Throttle cables from different manufacturers, or the different vendors here, mount differently. So, without knowing how yours mounts, it's difficult to recommend a particular vendor or manufacturers cable. You say you don't turn wrenches, so there's no way to assume your level of ability to even replace one cable with another, especially if they attach differently.

You also didn't mention what the non-gas-pedal end of the cable attaches to. Carb? EFI?

Most of the cables are cut-to-fit. Can you measure the length of your existing throttle cable housing? I first installed a 3' Lokar cable on a carb application and only needed about 18" of cable housing. I bought a 3" cable and cut it down. Switched to EFI and had to buy another 3" cable. Used most of the 3' .

Also, I don't know what you're referring to when asking about the "difference in the 2 vs. 4 cab cables". Could you provide a little more explanation?

 

[ScanmanSteven]

If you have a small cable inside another cable, if you can figure out how to pull it out from under the hood you can then take that cable to HD or Lowes and get a new piece. So unhook the small cable from your carb, leaving the outside of the cable under the clamp so you can pull just the inside piece. Depending on how the cable is attached on the ends you should be able to just thread a new longer cable back in and reattach the ends. The tricky part of this is when they cut the cable that the ends don't fray, making it harder to shove it through. Good luck, you can do it.

 

[broncoitis]

Guys are gonna Laugh at this suggestion!

Anyway, I went to the local bike shop and got brake cable housing and cable. Pretty much the same stuff that you get with the Lokar kit from what I have seen and you can get it in a length of like 5' which should cover any distance into the engine. Just cut to length.

Now for my application that worked. However not knowing what you are running makes it harder to say if this will be an option for you. ;D

 

[ntsqd]

From: http://classicbroncos.com/forums/showthread.php?t=256685 just yesterday. FWIW bicycle cable housing is a bit small. Probably works, but "normal" throttle cable housing is bigger and uses a larger cable.
The throttle cable that I made for the 5.7L TPI in an FJ-60: http://forum.ih8mud.com/threads/my-84-60-build-wallace.336261/page-4 (about 1/2 way down).

Bronc-up has a Lokar kit. Made the one on the Valiant. Used the remnant housing [EDIT: See above link] from an FJ-62 with 1/16" SST cable from West Marine. I've since found that I can buy the housing by the foot from Wick's Aircraft. some not very good pics from during the conversion:

 

[Broncobowsher]

To further complicate things...
I had a throttle cable failure once. there was an alignment issue that I overlooked when installing it initially. This caused the cable to dig into the housing. I found it because I was sensing some binding going on, caught it before it bound hard enough to break. Thinking of how many cars and trucks have cable linkage that lasts the life of the vehicle it would be wise to look a little further into why the cable broke. Could be an alignment issue, maybe a length issue, maybe even materials (corrosion).

If you can post up some pictures we can probably tell you what you had. That would at least be a starting point.