rear axle cables

Sorry Pete never measured them. Last time just found some plastic cord (something somewhat stiff like the cable), laced it through, cut it (after comparing the look to the original pictures) then used it to measure the cable before cutting

 

Hi

I have a question:
How do these cables work? Do they damage the frame when driving
rough? If you lift the car up and the rear wheels are off the ground
is the cable loose or is the rear axle hanging in the cables??
Hope you know what want to say.

Thank you!

Bye Jerry

 

Hi Jerry

They keep the rear end housing from dropping down to far so you would not over extend the rear shocks and break the override traction bars if the car
left the ground on a race track.

Mike

 

There is about an inch of cable extending past the compressing clamp thing (in each direction). There is a little washer where the cable X's (it is a figure eight) between the axle housing and the bolt thing
IIRC the cable was allegedly added to prevent the koni shocks from over extending..
jimbo

 

Ok,...the funktion is clear. To protect the konis
and the traction bars. So to adjust the length properly
is to make it short enough so the override tration bar
does not touch the buttom of the hole where it goes through
next to the wheelhouse.
Why didn´t they make the hole bigger?
I thought the konis were tough shock absorbers is the
cable really necessary?


Has anyone of you driven his shelby that hard that he´d feel
the cable pulling on the axle??

Could you post a picture where i can see the top of the frame
where th cable is connected to it.

Thank you

Bye Jerry

 

You-betcha.

 

According to an interview published in one of the old Shelby American magazines, Chuck Cantwell stated that the reason for the cables was the fact that at the time, Koni shocks did not have extension limiter stops. If they were installed on cars where the shocks limited suspension travel they would be damaged. In '66 Shelby used Gabriel shocks and didn't need them. My car had the original Konis but the limiter cables were long gone. The resto shop that installed cables for me had a new set to go on. When the weather warms up, I can measure mine if you still need the dimension.
Bill

 

Hi Folks

Thanks for the information!
@Bill
You don´t need to. Thanks anyway.

Bye Jerry

 

I I don't recall wrong, getting old you know, there was an article
in SAAC's magazine The Marque many years ago (20-25) where they specified
all details on these cables. Will look for it during the weekend.
As regards the rear Koni shocks their part number was 82-1327 for
the 65 Shelby and changed for the 66 to 82-1389. Maybe one of the
differences was the built in stop. 1327 didn't have them and 1389 did.
Just a thought.
/Bo

 

Not certain if that was a change but since non-carry over 66 Shelbys received Gabriels rather than Konis that year it likely was not the solution

 

I still have the original ones on mine. I'll be under it this weekend and I'll take a piece of string and compare it and measure it and let you know monday how long they are.

 

Hi again,
I found the article (actually two) in The Marque Volume 2 number 4 and
5 from 1977 about the cables. They were made of 1/8" galvanized steel
aircraft cable. It was a 7 x 19 strand, i.e composed of 7 strands which,
in turn, were each composed of 19 strands. They were 33" long and
you should leave approximately 1.5" for axle travel and install them in an 8
with a washer in the middle. Did they work? I don't know myself because I don't race 5S275 but Walt Hane told me that they snapped right off 5R103 when going airborne in a race. I put new ones on 5S275 myself during the
restoration and the only difficulty was to get a crimper that would fit.
Hope this helps.
/Texas Swede

 

Over the weekend I measured the original cables that are still on mine and they are exactly 32" long.