Lokar cable setup being a pain!

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MopaR&D

MopaR&D

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Some of you may have seem my thread about the new 750 Street Demon I put on my car a few weeks back. Well since I've owned this car I've been making do with cobbled-together 2-barrel linkage from the 318 I pulled years ago. I decided last week to go the "proper" route and got me a Lokar throttle cable setup w/bracket (the kind that mounts to the back of the carb flange) and a Lokar kickdown cable setup. Getting everything installed was easy enough but getting everything adjusted has been driving me nuts!!! I finally figured out that the kickdown cable was slipping when I hit WOT and wasn't kicking down, fixed that but now I have a problem where the gas pedal is super stiff, like I have to stand on it to drive the car around. I've been messing with the return springs all kinds of ways and it basically comes down to a trade-off of the throttle returning to closed all the way or not having to stand on the pedal. There are three holes on the bottom of the throttle bracket on the carb, I can't tell which one I need to connect the kickdown cable to.
 
13502008_10207659949429017_9062516646384811912_n.jpg


Here's what I'm working with, you can see the 2 other open holes on the bottom of the carb bracket thingy...??
 
sure one of your cabled isn't binding? all the lokar set ups i've used over the years have been super easy to push the throttle down..

i've always used the little tab the return spring kit comes with for the carb side spring mount..

DSC06178.jpg


120552871.jpg
 
I was never happy w/the feel of the Lokar throttle set-up. Seemed a little stiff. Went back to the original cable/linkage and has better/smoother throttle response.
 
i don't know what you guys are doing to get a stiff pedal with a lokar set up.. but something isn't being installed properly thats for sure.
 
Did you lube the cable? Mine was a little stiff until I put graphite lube on whole thing. Now the cable will practically fall out of the sheath.
 
Freezerman said:
Did you lube the cable? Mine was a little stiff until I put graphite lube on whole thing. Now the cable will practically fall out of the sheath.
Click to expand...

EXACTLY.
Lokar cables are known to be dry and bind without lubing them first.
Dry graphite powder works perfect for that, and I don't like using oils or greases of any kind because they collect dirt and dust.
 
Nice tip TrailBeast I do have a small tube of dry graphite lube I'll hit the cables with that. It does feel pretty "sticky" especially the kickdown cable.
 
I think I figured out the problem, the hole in the firewall and bracket that holds the gas pedal placed the end of the cable housing offset from where the cable links to the pedal arm... the cable was at a weird angle at rest and put a lot of resistance on the pedal. Looks like I need to modify the gas pedal bracket a bit. I also lubed the cables with graphite they are a bit smoother now but not a huge change I think the other problem is, well, the problem LOL.
 
Finally got it all sorted out, turns out the ball fitting that connects the KD cable to the arm on the trans was hitting the arm for the gear selector and binding up. I had to cut the protruding threads off and after messing with the pedal bracket a bit it's finally working.
 
Nice to see you figured it out,Khalid... Used the Lokar shortie 727 dipstick tube,nice product. However,(as you know..) NOTHING Mopar ,is a pure "bolt on "product... Congrats...
 
MOPEkidD-3 said:
Finally got it all sorted out, turns out the ball fitting that connects the KD cable to the arm on the trans was hitting the arm for the gear selector and binding up. I had to cut the protruding threads off and after messing with the pedal bracket a bit it's finally working.
Click to expand...

I was watching that when I cabled mine and man they are close, but a light tweak on the shift shaft lever cleared it.
 
Abodybomber said:
Nice to see you figured it out,Khalid... Used the Lokar shortie 727 dipstick tube,nice product. However,(as you know..) NOTHING Mopar ,is a pure "bolt on "product... Congrats...
Click to expand...

I know right? It's ridiculous, I'm telling myself "oh it's just putting in a cable what could go wrong?" ...Basically everything LOL.

TrailBeast when I first got it together it looked like the ball would clear the gear selector arm but once I would put the shifter down into 2 or 1 and then work the KD cable it definitely hit. Even after trimming off the excess threads there's like 2mm of space to the lower arm. I thought about bending the arm/arms but just decided to cut it and be done.

Now that I can drive the car and everything works like it's supposed to I definitely noticed more "precise" shifts; before once I got the linkage set up to kick down at WOT without binding up the throttle, it would shift at part-throttle super early and I was always driving around town with the shifter in '2'. Now it actually holds on to the lower gear when I give it more gas and I can leave it in 'D' more often. I'm glad I didn't wait longer to do this upgrade I was probably putting more wear on my trans than expected with that half-assed 2-bbl linkage...
 
Joe,
Can you let me know all of the part numbers I need for a lokar set up. Including the Throttle cable.
Cables, brackets, springs etc.

Thx.!
AlV
 
abodyjoe said:
these are the numbers for the black cables.. i like th elooks of those better. if you want the stainless then its a different part number and you can find that here.. Lokar: Throttle Cables and Kickdowns - Part Numbers


https://www.summitracing.com/parts/...y4LM9pxxnehTUd3rznlu0ZlVaDx09admWLBoCAvPw_wcB

https://www.summitracing.com/parts/lok-srk-4000/overview/

904 https://www.summitracing.com/parts/lok-kd-2904u

727 https://www.summitracing.com/parts/lok-kd-2727u
Click to expand...
Thanks Joe!
I think like the idea of black cable and will probably get both throttle and kickdown in black.
 
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