413 Throttle Cable replacement

[ClydesdaleKevin]

Sent: 6/14/2005

Anyone know a good source for these things?  I made it into a Walmart parking lot today, using a peice of rope to pull my carb linkage.  According to the Dodge chassis parts number book, the 318, 413, and 440 all share the same linkage and cables in the early 70s.  I used the book (invaluable, by the way!!!  Places like Napa can cross-reference part numbers, but they can't find diddly for our rigs without them!) and found the original Chysler parts number.  Napa cross referenced it, and found a cable in Richmond that is being shipped to them by 8am tomorrow.  If its the right cable, I'll let you all know.

Anyone ever replaced one of these before?  Is the linkage rod that attaches to the pedal included?  If so, is the ball joint thingy coming off that rod, or off the pedal linkage?  If its off the pedal linkage, I'm gonna have to BE darn creative tomorrow, since the little shaft between the two balls broke when I was trying to remove it.

Kev and Patti Smith

[Slantsixness]

Sent: 6/14/2005

Kev,
NAPA still sells the accelerator cable! should take maybe a day to get one. If you have trouble, there is even a part number for it (use the message search) or look up a 1972 M300 Dodge chassis online and look under carb parts....

AND,
There are a couple of junkyards near Chesapeake VA that have old Dodge motorhome chassis in them... and another couple in the hampton roads area and Norfolk, too!
PLUS,
I may even have an extra cable, but not the transverse rod (with the ball on it that sticks in the pedal) that comes through the floor.

Tom

[Slantsixness]

Sent: 6/14/2005

The cable replacement went off without a hitch!  It cost 54 bucks, and they had it for me at Napa first thing in the morning.  It was a perfect fit, and I only ran into a couple problems that were easily amended since we were in a Walmart parking lot.

Since we are full-timing it, I pared my tools down to those that I thought I would need.  This meant eliminating most of my metric tools, except those I use for the bicycles.  To explain the minor difficulty I have to first describe the installation proceedure.  Here's the skinny on how the cable hooks up for those that have never replaced one before.  The carburator side of the cable hooks to the linkage with a little thingy that slides over a rod, and is secured in place with a cotter pin.  The cable housing itself is secured to a bracket with a 7/16 nut.  On the pedal side, there is again a 7/16 bolt with a 7/16 nut securing the housing.  It connects to the pedal linkage in a pretty ingenious way:  The cable itself has a rod at the end, with a small protrusion sticking out of it.  Its a ball joint, and connected to it is a very small threaded portion that goes into a hole in the pedal linkage, and is secured in place with a small nut and lockwasher.  The original cable had flats on the ball joint that were 5/16, and the nut was 3/8.

Problem one is that there was no cotter pin included, and the old one broke when I removed it.  Walmart had them, so no problem.

Problem two is that the new cable was a mongrel!  It fits excellently, and the threads on the small threaded end that goes to the cable linkage were standard, but the lands on the ball joint that needed to be held still to tighten the nut was metric!  7 mm to be exact.  Of course, I didn't have one, so it was back to Walmart...lol.

Again, these were minor issues, and the installation really did go smoothly. 

Another great upshot to the whole thing is that now my engine idles consistently low!  I'm guessing that the old rusty cable was hanging up, and I never had quite the same idle two days in a row.  My pedal response is buttery smooth now, much better than before, and the pedal rides higher, which makes it easier to drive.

We left the Walmart parking lot by 2pm.  I also had to fix the door latch and the drivers side mirror.  The door latch I simply drilled holes in the plate that was broken, and "sewed" it together with heavy cotter pins.  It took a while to get it to work right, but it works now, and hopefully will continue to do so until I can find a replacement.  The mirror was simple too:  The supports that the mirror connects to are more or less compression fittings, and the packing is long since worn out.  I had already fixed the passengers side, and now the drivers side is done too.  I drilled a hole right through the compression nuts and shafts, and used bolts to hold it solidly together.

We made it about 70 miles today before deciding to REST!!!  We want to enjoy the Ark, dammit!...lol.  We are staying for 3 days and nights in an Outdoor World campground, just outside of Roanoke Rapids, NC.  Its beautiful, is only 25 bucks a night, and has full hookups (well...no cable or internet, but hey...its got water, electric, and sewer!).  We are going to kick back, enjoy the almost empty campground, swim in the lake AND the pool, and unwind from the grueling Ark refurb.

More on our adventures later!

Kev and Patti Smith

[D20T_73]

Hey kev, i know its been a while since you posted this but would you have easy access to that part number? I found the part on napa but they do not supply a oem number and i was wanting to check a few other places. Thanks

[ClydesdaleKevin]

Hey kev, i know its been a while since you posted this but would you have easy access to that part number? I found the part on napa but they do not supply a oem number and i was wanting to check a few other places. Thanks

Sorry D20T...I gave all the Dodge manuals and receipts to the lady that bought the Ark, so I don't have access to that info anymore.  But places like Autozone, Carquest, etc. can cross-reference the NAPA part number and give you their price for a new cable.

Kev

[D20T_73]

Thanks anyway You did give me the confidence to order the one Napa had. Should be here by friday...maybe monday. Then we'll se about getting it installed. Its funny, i had thought about replaceing it anyway since it was old and harder to use but wasn't going to right away for economic reasons But, last weekend my dad decided he would move it and went to pump it a few times to prime her and it broke. Sooo, i don't get to wait any longer! lol. He felt bad but I told him there is no reason it is his fault, it would have happend to me the next time I went to prime it anyway. Its just old, not a big deal. Im just glad it happend in the driveway and not on the road like yours did! Thanks again for your help!