Odd question about control cables

[erburtt]

So I've been working on a project bike for about a year now, I'm at the point where its just loose ends to tidy up before its done. Since its a vintage bike and a bit of a mod/restoration I've had to be a bit creative with parts that aren't available anymore/wont work with the things I've done.

I've had to mod the clutch and front brake cable to be shorter to work with the new bars I've put on, I did this by cutting the old cable end off, shortening it, then soldering on a new end. This worked out well and seemed good. I'm working on the throttle cable now, there are no aftermarket ones and like zero used ones available, so I bought a new one that looked similar from motion pro, it just needed altering. The piece that goes in the carb needs to be a lot smaller than what was on there, and it needed to be shortened a bit. After fiddling around in the garage for quite a while and failing to get anything done I came up with the idea of using JB weld and shaping it to exactly what I needed:

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My question is, does anyone think this is a bad idea? I used the high heat variety and I know this stuff gets pretty strong, but I would hate for this to fail and end up getting sucked into my engine. Does anyone else have any other ideas? I tried all morning to drill through a bit of steel so I could solder it on like I did with the others but I dont have a precise enough drill press/kept snapping the bits since the hole has to be so small

 

[FinalImpact]

I've had a similar experience working on old rides.

If you think in terms of pounds of force per square inch and look at the work the cables are doing, those connections are under a heavy strain. That said, your best bet is a well formed crimp. The problem is we lack the tools to do this. Other options are stainless sleeve over the wire and set screw into the cable end. But I fear your throttle cable is very tiny.

I would not use epoxy or a product of that nature. I just don't see it holding and surviving the flex and shear pull it endures. JM2C but lead solder is very soft and does not withstand repeated flex/strain without fractures. A proper crimp will withstand flex better than solder.

Best idea: If the cables are NOT coated with something, grab a scrap piece and attempt Brazing an end on (using brass filler rod). It melts lower than steel, but higher than lead, and is less likely to fatigue than lead. Getting the surfaces clean will be very important.

Sorry, but that's the best I've got. Oh - if brazing works, you must limit wicking as it will render the cable inflexible and cause it to snap/break if it wicks into the core too far.

 

[erburtt]

Yeah I decided against the JB weld, while this cable really doesnt take much force (single slide pull only carb) I didn't want to risk it, so I tried some drilling again and ended up with some success

Clean it all up good, dip in flux and slide it on, spread out the cable on the outside to give it a good area to suck in solder


Making a little solder pot:




Just needs some grinding and clean up:


Finished Project:

 

[ChanceCoats123]

I would be happy with that. The crimp alone probably could have sufficed, so the solder is just icing on top. :thumbup:

 

[erburtt]

I would be happy with that. The crimp alone probably could have sufficed, so the solder is just icing on top. :thumbup:

I wish that was a crimp haha, I dont have the tools for that though. That's a bit of round stock I managed to drill a 1/16th hole through, I soldered it on with a bit of an old school method then filed it down to an appropriate shape

 

[TownsendsFJR1300]

That final piece should be fine, the solder soaked into the twines of the cable, looks great BTW..

As a side note, I read somewhere of someone doing the same thing with great results..