Everything on the underside of my cars is automatically lubricated by Sir Herbert's patented system!

Rick

Location: Deepest Norfolk

Location: Herefordshire, with an E not a T

Ditto! Although I give the cables a wipe over with some grease just to be doubly sure!

Your cables are unlikely to break in your lifetime unless they are sub standard to begin with. The biggest fear I would have is failure of either the wing nut or the rod it screws onto or one of the clamps that hold the cables in tension and are under considerable load when braking. The clamps that are sold these days are poor a substitute for the original cable adjusters (which were quite nice to use) and are in my opinion not really up to the job. I made my own larger ones from cut down ht bolts. Drilling a hole through the centre was time consuming but the result is a much more robust clamp.

Another place to look is the ball and socket at the end of the brake lever. These can wear through and on my car I was alarmed to find there was very little material left and they were at the point of failure when I got the car. The first thing I did was replace the lever arms and although not as nice as the original ones, they were a lot safer.

There are of course numerous other areas of concern but I doubt the cables themselves are likely to fail.

Location: Derby

I agree the chances of the cables braking are very small indeed, the braking point of a new 1/4 inch cable would something around 3 tons,and I cant say I have ever heard of a A7 cable braking, though I have had smaller hand brake cables brake on more modern cars go. As you say the A7 cables do come under a fair amount of tension when this happens the cable stretches and contracts slightly hence the need for adjustment, each time it does this the wire strands rub against each other and the galvanized coating gets slowly but surely worn away and rust will eventually set in and aggravate the process further, by lubricating the cable when new the internal friction is cut down and moisture is prevented from entering. I have not seen any literature advising lubricating A7 brake cables but to me having worked with and maintained steel wire ropes it makes good sense as a preventative measure.

Location: Pembrokeshire.

You are of course absolutely right, Phil and I entirely endorse your policy of soaking them in gear oil prior to fitting. Quite frankly, it's a brilliant idea and I will remember to lubricate my own cables next time I attend to the brakes.

Thanks.

Location: Derby

It occurs to me that if the cables are sticky with grease, grit and the like will remain on the cables which "may" abrade the strands more quickly unless they are then covered with shrink wrap or the like (which in turn prevents inspection)??

I have never had a cable let go but I have snapped the head off of the tightening clamp more than once.

You certainly have a point, Ruairidh, and this topic is making me re asses what I had previously taken for granted.

However, if the cables are soaked in oil and the surplus allowed to drip off, they can then be wiped over with a dry cloth. The oil that has penetrated the cable should, at least in theory, repel water and salt etc. and with most grit being to big to get into the strands, the cables should, I would have thought, be kept in good condition for a long time.

That said, the original cables that I removed from my own car had been protected by a varnish of some kind. It was only because they had become hard and a few strands had started to break that I decided to replace them. For a long time afterwards I wished I had left well alone because the new cables continued to stretch - making adjustment more frequent than before.

As I had no further use for the old cables, I experimented by cutting one through with a hack saw to see what condition they were in. I found that most of the cable was in good condition but there was evidence of corrosion at "stress" points. Despite the corrosion, the cable was still quite difficult to cut through as the rust had only affected the outside of the strands and the strands on the outside of the cable had perished most. They could have given a lot more service, I feel.

Ruairidh, you can see what I mean about the feeble clamps! I would recommend making some better ones if you get a chance. Actually, there might be a business opportunity for someone?

Location: Derby

Those astonished by the breaking load of cables may find it of interest that the u.t.s of the wire in steel cables often ranks amongst the highest for any steel; typically 100 tsi, as against 30 for common nuts and bolts and 45 for basic HT bolts. Not hacksaw territory!

Despite the size, much larger than typical handbrake cable, inspectors here are programmed to fail for one broken strand. And the convenient clamps are banned.

Were the original cables painted?

One local RN has a home made rod linkage for the rear.

Bob Culver

Location: Auckland, NZ

Tip of the day.

The best way to cut a steel wire rope is to wrap it tightly with electrical tape and use a sharp cold chisel.

Location: Pembrokeshire.

According to this they have lubricant added when they are made. That's for really thick cables though, maybe the thinner ones are different.

There are also some fascinating cable test films on there. Feel the tension!


Simon

Location: Auckland

There are many different types of steel wire rope some galvanised, some not with many different lay configurations depending on application, but they basically fall into to groups solid core as in A7 brake cables and fibre core. It is essential that the fibre core is lubricated from new as the fibre acts like a reservoir to keep the rope lubricated preventing rust and wear. When the rope is in use it is stretched under load or compressed around a pulley the lubricant slowly works its way out through the lays and is worn off or dries out If moisture is allowed to get into a fibre core and replace the lubricant the lifespan of the rope will be greatly reduced. This will happen quite quickly as each individual strand is very thin con paired to the overall diameter of the rope.

Location: Pembrokeshire