handbrake cable touching silencer/muffler

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geoff
Posts: 123
Joined: Tue Jan 31, 2012 1:19 pm
Your car is a: 1982 Spider

handbrake cable touching silencer/muffler

Post by geoff »

the silencer/muffler is touching the handbrake cable and so I decided that I need to modify the cable support bracket. It seems that this bracket which is fixed to the chassis just might be an after market modification.?
Anyway, it needs to be made longer in order to drop the cable further away from the silencer box.
Has anyone any suggestions about this ?
Regards
geoff
18Fiatsandcounting
Posts: 3798
Joined: Fri Mar 15, 2019 11:23 pm
Your car is a: 1969 and 1971 124 spiders
Location: San Francisco Bay Area

Re: handbrake cable touching silencer/muffler

Post by 18Fiatsandcounting »

Geoff, I think the two-legged eyelet bracket on each side that holds the cables is original. At least so on my '69 and '71. That being said, I agree with you that the cable routing is not ideal in that it passes right against the silencer. I always routed the cable underneath the silencer (cable closer to the ground), with the logic being that heat rises and so the cable wouldn't get as hot if underneath the silencer (plus possibly more airflow cooling if it is further away from the body).

One note: My cars all have had an extra layer of plastic insulation around the cable where it goes around the silencer. Perhaps 3 feet worth? 1/8" or 3/16" thick? And only on one side, so I just assumed this was the side that was near the silencer. Does your emergency brake cable have an additional layer of insulation on one side?

-Bryan
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AndyVAS
Patron 2018
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Posts: 141
Joined: Thu May 18, 2017 9:42 am
Your car is a: 1980 Fiat 124 Spider

Re: handbrake cable touching silencer/muffler

Post by AndyVAS »

This has been a problem since day 1. With a little adjusting and altering of the bracket you can probably get a finger's width of clearance.

The extra bit of plastic or rubber sheathing is supposed to go on the passenger's side to help with the problem but it seems to do a lot of nothing.
Andy Phillips
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tima01864
Patron 2021
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Posts: 702
Joined: Thu Jan 12, 2012 8:01 pm
Your car is a: 1983 FIAT Pininafarina Spider 2000
Location: Wilmington, MA

Re: handbrake cable touching silencer/muffler

Post by tima01864 »

I was thinking of bringing my car to a custom exhaust shop and having the pipes on my standard exhaust bent away from the cable. It seems possible, there is alot of room there to get it up and out of the way
DieselSpider
Posts: 2130
Joined: Wed Dec 24, 2014 10:21 pm
Your car is a: 1978 124 Spider with Isuzu Turbo Diesel

Re: handbrake cable touching silencer/muffler

Post by DieselSpider »

Its factory and requires you to put the cable back exactly the way you found it from the factory however after 40 years many folks get cars that prior owners did not do a very good job matching the factory orientation of things. Some even put the trailing arms on upside down making the brake cable alignment even worse.
tima01864
Patron 2021
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Posts: 702
Joined: Thu Jan 12, 2012 8:01 pm
Your car is a: 1983 FIAT Pininafarina Spider 2000
Location: Wilmington, MA

Re: handbrake cable touching silencer/muffler

Post by tima01864 »

I wonder too if the exhaust systems sold are not an exact match to the original designs.
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