Clutch Cable Question

Venompower

Active Member
Joined
Aug 17, 2015
Messages
727
Reaction score
391
Location
Batavia, IL
My car had what appeared to be a BBK Aluminum Quadrant / Firewall Adjustor kit on it when I bought it... it also had an adjustable clutch cable. Last summer I replaced the adjustable clutch cable with an OEM cable. It had been recommended due to the poor quality of the adjustable cables. However, ever since it has felt like the cable is too short... the firewall adjustor is screwed all the way in so it's not an adjustment issue there. I literally had to use a pry bar on the clutch fork to even get the cable on. The car does have a TKO600 with Quicktime Bellhousing, not sure if that would impact it?

I'm kicking around the idea of replacing the whole setup, and wondered if anyone has any experience. I have heard the Maximum Motorsports kit is good (but pricey) as it uses a clutch cable from the same manufacturer as OEM. Is this the best choice, or are there cheaper alternatives that are still of good quality?
 

96blak54

Moderator
Staff
Joined
Feb 21, 2011
Messages
9,981
Reaction score
2,810
Location
In the shop
From my understanding, oem ford is the best bet and a regular upgrade is a good idea. Crap simply wears out. It would be great to put a mileage wear time on cable to be upgraded, but id say when the owner is suspect of the cable,...just bite the bullet and change it out.
 
OP
OP
Venompower

Venompower

Active Member
Joined
Aug 17, 2015
Messages
727
Reaction score
391
Location
Batavia, IL
From my understanding, oem ford is the best bet and a regular upgrade is a good idea. Crap simply wears out. It would be great to put a mileage wear time on cable to be upgraded, but id say when the owner is suspect of the cable,...just bite the bullet and change it out.
Yeah I put the OEM cable in last year but I don’t think it likes the BBK quadrant… rather have a kit that is designed to work together.
 

badass98svt

Well-Known Member
Joined
Jan 11, 2006
Messages
4,114
Reaction score
1,800
Yeah I put the OEM cable in last year but I don’t think it likes the BBK quadrant… rather have a kit that is designed to work together.

Are you sure it was the correct part #?
 

cobrajeff96

Well-Known Member
Joined
Feb 1, 2022
Messages
1,607
Reaction score
1,483
Location
Germany
Keep in mind that a slight preload on the pressure plate (even with the firewall screw close to the firewall) is not only fine but desirable. There should be no air gap between the throwout bearing and the PP. Your situation actually may be slightly better because the firewall screw will need to be adjusted outward as the clutch disc(s) wear in over time. Someone else who has to thread-out their firewall screw a bit too much doesn't have much range to work with. If it seems a bit too excessive though, you could get a double or triple hook quadrant to allow for a bit extra slack.

Alternatively, Modern Driveline makes a pretty badass hydraulic conversion kit which I hope to install soon.
 
OP
OP
Venompower

Venompower

Active Member
Joined
Aug 17, 2015
Messages
727
Reaction score
391
Location
Batavia, IL
Well the Maximum Motorsports kit didn’t work… the cable and quadrant were way too long. Even with the firewall adjuster screwed all the way in and the little spacer added to the cable it was so loose the car wouldn’t go into gear.

Since the OEM cable is shorter than MM I tried that with their quadrant and it was still loose. Ultimately I had to reinstall the BBK Gripp Quadrant and the OEM cable.

Very frustrated, does the TKO600 with QuickTime Bell housing mean I can only use adjustable cables or my current setup?
 
OP
OP
Venompower

Venompower

Active Member
Joined
Aug 17, 2015
Messages
727
Reaction score
391
Location
Batavia, IL
SO I'm re-reading the instructions and talk through this with me.

Apparently the retaining clip for the clutch cable is not used per MM... you route the cable all the way to the front, by the steering rack and then under the oil filter and along the oil pan back to the transmission. Once clipped into the shift fork you install through the firewall adjuster (turned all the way in) the cable should be loose on the quadrant and you then tighten the cable at the adjuster by turning it out? Does that sound right?
 
OP
OP
Venompower

Venompower

Active Member
Joined
Aug 17, 2015
Messages
727
Reaction score
391
Location
Batavia, IL
I'm going to take this a little farther, I think the instruction from MM aren't quite right...

I believe thinking this through and watching some video that the firewall adjuster should be about half way out to take some slack out of the cable. The recommendation is that you want to be a little too tight than loose, as it's easier to loosen the cable at the adjuster once everything is attached than it is to tighten it?
 

cobrajeff96

Well-Known Member
Joined
Feb 1, 2022
Messages
1,607
Reaction score
1,483
Location
Germany
That's not the important part. In the end, the only thing that matters is that the stick can go into every gear with the engine running at idle, wheels on the ground, with just enough cable tension to allow this. Once the adjuster firewall screw starts to fight against you, then go from there. There needs to be slight preload on the pressure plate at all times.
 
OP
OP
Venompower

Venompower

Active Member
Joined
Aug 17, 2015
Messages
727
Reaction score
391
Location
Batavia, IL
That's not the important part. In the end, the only thing that matters is that the stick can go into every gear with the engine running at idle, wheels on the ground, with just enough cable tension to allow this. Once the adjuster firewall screw starts to fight against you, then go from there. There needs to be slight preload on the pressure plate at all times.
That's the issue... if I unscrew the adjuster to start, then it gets me closer to where I need to be... I can always wrap a rubber band around the end that attaches to the quadrant and then mess with the adjuster until I put slight preload when the shift fork is attached.

The instruction to screw it all the way in... I think is a bad recommendation.

The current setup that I had to go back too had me pry the shift fork forward about an inch to an inch and a half to get the cable on, which is probably too much preload.
 

cobrajeff96

Well-Known Member
Joined
Feb 1, 2022
Messages
1,607
Reaction score
1,483
Location
Germany
There's nothing (or at least there should be nothing) stopping you from putting the cable through the firewall and into the pedal hook totally slack. I actually prefer doing it this way so that I don't have to keep switching back and forth from under the car and to the pedal box.

I first get into position (totally slack) inside the clutch fork. Then I go inside the pedal box and hook it to the quadrant. Thread the firewall screw outward until I'm satisfied with the tension. Should be an easy thing to do.
 
OP
OP
Venompower

Venompower

Active Member
Joined
Aug 17, 2015
Messages
727
Reaction score
391
Location
Batavia, IL
There's nothing (or at least there should be nothing) stopping you from putting the cable through the firewall and into the pedal hook totally slack. I actually prefer doing it this way so that I don't have to keep switching back and forth from under the car and to the pedal box.

I first get into position (totally slack) inside the clutch fork. Then I go inside the pedal box and hook it to the quadrant. Thread the firewall screw outward until I'm satisfied with the tension. Should be an easy thing to do.
I'll certainly give it a try, as it beats the hell out of crawling under the car with a pry bar to attach the clutch cable to the clutch fork lol.
 

cobrajeff96

Well-Known Member
Joined
Feb 1, 2022
Messages
1,607
Reaction score
1,483
Location
Germany
Do you have a bigA rubber bushing between the end of the cable (at the firewall) and the threaded adjuster screw? If so, eliminate it.
 
OP
OP
Venompower

Venompower

Active Member
Joined
Aug 17, 2015
Messages
727
Reaction score
391
Location
Batavia, IL
Do you have a bigA rubber bushing between the end of the cable (at the firewall) and the threaded adjuster screw? If so, eliminate it.
nt-firewall-adjuster-kit-82-04-v8-mmcp-51_bd78b20f.jpg

The cable looks like this... its the MM cable. I don't think there is anything to remove, I had to do that with the OEM.
 

cobrajeff96

Well-Known Member
Joined
Feb 1, 2022
Messages
1,607
Reaction score
1,483
Location
Germany
Ok, same as mine. Although I wound up using a different FW screw that is much thicker. Probably nothing worth pondering over then.

I did however ditch the single hook and got myself a double hook a while back because I think the MM single had my cable a bit too taught right off the bat. Might be what you have to do. ANd now that I think about it, for a short number of years I would take a C-clamp to the ear of the bellhousing and the clutch fork. It worked fine, but added another step to the process.

I can't remember if it was that which made me go dub hook or if it was because of a change to the clutch package altogether.
 

Forum statistics

Threads
77,438
Messages
1,502,145
Members
14,919
Latest member
Alida81

Members online

Top