How strong is a hand swaged aluminum cable stop?

[dbeardslee]

Okay, important safety tip: Do not rock crawl your Jeep to the top of Upper Yosemite Falls to test the new emergency brake cable end to see if it holds but for almost anything short of hanging it from a tree and winching it up the trunk to make a tree fort out of it you should be fine.

I just realized something... whatever the force that's applied to the brake lever cable it's halved for the rear cables since there's two of them. I'll try the bolt and washers and see what I get. That way if I don't like what I see I can take it back off and do the swage and solder thing.

[ViperRon]

Depending on the composition of the metal on the stop it may be different. The aluminum may be a mix of metal maybe have a tin content. Typically aluminum looses strength any time it is deformed and it is much less malleable than other metals. So if a stop is crimped on, aluminum is a bad choice.
Heat from soldering it has an effect on the strength of the cable strands and can make the cable much less flexible.

The only time I have been lucky enough to put a new stop end on a motor cycle cable and have it hold was using an oxy/ acetylene and a quick touch of silver solder on the end.

Usually the stops slide right off can't hold up to the strain. If the cable gets hot from heat and does any bending it will break.

My experience is if you want to crimp better have the right crimps and right crimper for that cable or it will leave you sitting.

You can buy replacement steel cable stops with a lock screw that pins the cable inside the stop. If the right size tight on cable and has an Allen head you can get tight they work well.

There are many cable makers selling cables but for our bikes some of these cables are not capable of handling the clutch I have had new ones stretch ends come off and especially the ones with internal plastic the cable mar it and it ball up and bind the cable. Better to get a cable with the Yamaha name on it and pay 3 times as much.

Cars and Lawn mowers much different experience have had much success with those cables.

[dbeardslee]

Better to get a cable with the Yamaha name on it and pay 3 times as much.

Well, the cable is on an XJ - unfortunately it's a Jeep XJ, so I'm thinkin' Yamaha probably isn't the best place to go for a cable. But if push comes to shove a new cable is in my future. The good news is the stop can fail and the only thing that will happen is that I loose half my parking brake.

[dbeardslee]

Well the deed is done, and the bolt fix seems to have worked swimmingly. Good call 3Phase. It was a real PITA, though. The biggest bolt I could use was a 5/16ths, and the cable turned out to be real close to 5/32nds which is the size of the hole I drilled in the bolt. So naturally I ham-fisted the first one and snapped the bolt.

On the second try rather than using two washers I just used one that was slightly larger than the bolt, and that allowed me to put a pretty good kink in the cable which I don't think is going to let go. The hardest part was trying to get that second bolt over the cable after I got it all frayed on the end. I didn't think it was going to go, so I did what I always do in these kind of situations - I said the skydiver's prayer. And less than two minutes later I had it on the cable. The skydiver's prayer - the handyman's real secret weapon.

[3Phase]

If you don't want to solder it, now would be a good time to try some of that wicked wicking Loctite green 290 for pre-assembled parts. It'll help keep the steel from rusting or the bolt and nut backing off.


I tried to look up the skydiver's prayer and they all seemed too artsy and long-winded for skydiving. I know I'd be chanting something totally simple-minded like Tuco: "You know what you are! You son of a AH-AH-AH-AH-AAHH!" until the 'chute opened and I was back on the ground.

[dbeardslee]

If you don't want to solder it, now would be a good time to try some of that wicked wicking Loctite green 290 for pre-assembled parts. It'll help keep the steel from rusting or the bolt and nut backing off.


I tried to look up the skydiver's prayer and they all seemed too artsy and long-winded for skydiving. I know I'd be chanting something totally simple-minded like Tuco: "You know what you are! You son of a AH-AH-AH-AH-AAHH!" until the 'chute opened and I was back on the ground.

The skydiver's prayer goes like this - "Oh God, please don't let me f@&* this up!"

[3Phase]

Yep, shortandsimple!

[dbeardslee]

Speaking of short and simple... while this repair looks like a good one, I went ahead and ordered a new set of cables for the rear 'cause I don't think the cable with the long inner cable was correct for this vehicle. The equalizer has indentations in it that allow the stops to articulate a little bit, ostensibly so it can do it's equalizing thing. At least now I know exactly what to look for on the new cables so I won't have to put them on the vehicle to tell if they're right.

I got thinking about it, and decided if I was going to change the cables I should probably do it while everything in the rear brakes is clean and new. The bolt fix is working great now, but as the brakes wear in and the cables stretch it won't allow the equalizer to move like it should. But the bolt fix will definitely work until the new cables come in.