Stupid Speedometer Cable Question

[jhdeval]

Please laugh because it is funny if not unfortunate. So 65 Barracuda my speedometer cable broke inside the housing and appears to have fused to the housing that goes into the transmission. So in an attempt to save over 100 dollars I decided I couldn't hurt anything anymore then it is and I decided to try and drill out the cable. It seems to have worked sort of the end is certainly open again but the rest of the cable is not coming through. So here is my thought the large end that goes into the transmission I am pretty sure is where the issue lies. Can I carefully cut the end off without going through the core and "clean out the end" then reattach it? It seems the housing past the large end is really just that a housing so I figure as long as I make it waterproof maybe like silicon tape or something it would be safe. Any thoughts from the more experienced?

My other thought is ATP sells speedo cables and they have the wrong part listed for the Barracuda but if anyone knows the right part Rockauto has them pretty cheap and I will just order the right cable and housing then,

 

[zigs]

Not worth the fuss. Order a new one.

 

[jhdeval]

Zigs I appreciate the sentiment and you are right I would rather change it then modify an existing but effort costs less then a new one. I am putting all my money into a new interior right now so extra is limited. I did find this tip on:

http://www.1962to1965mopar.ornocar.com/techstuff.html
"While restoring a 1963 Plymouth Sport Fury and discovered a good fix for a broken speedometer cable. The speedometer cable was broken in the sheath. After trying to extract the small lodged segment for the better part of a morning, I gave up and tried the local Kragen auto parts store just to see if they had a cable that might come close. The closest thing they had was a cable for a later model Plymouth. The part number is CA-3004. The length and gauge end connector all matched. The transmission end did not. This cable sheath on the newer cable is a flexible plastic. The original sheath is made of coiled metal. I cut the transmission end off of the original sheath leaving about 2 inches of sheath sticking out of the transmission end sleeve. This made it easy to unscrew the remaining coiled metal out of the transmission fitting. The plastic O.D. is a bit larger than the trans fitting sleeve O.D., so a bit of whittling was needed to decrease the diameter of the sheath. Once this was accomplished the cable slid into the fitting. I used epoxy to fix the two parts together." Curtis Thanks for the tip, Curtis!

 

[jhdeval]

So i cut the connector off cleaned it out and put everything back together. It is working mostly. Up to 20 mph the gauge is smooth after that it starts to jump between the speed and 10 miles above. So if i am doing 35 mph it jumps between 35 and 45. Also the speedometer seems to kind of grind. Can or should the speedometer be greased? If so what kind of grease?

 

[RedFish]

If the cable itself is too long and applying pressure to the instrument it will screw it up. Since you've doctored the sheathe you might need to trim a little off the cable length.

 

[jhdeval]

Which side should be trimmed and how do I square it off again?

 

[RedFish]

The end is formed square for at least an inch. to grind away an eighth inch or so isn't a big deal.
If you want to lube the instrument, look for a small plug driven into the casting on top of the input. Punch a hole in that cap and put a few drops of 3 in 1 oil in it.
I have seen some so gummed up that I had to remove the plug and the wick beneath it. Flush the drive with parts cleaner. Reinstall the wick and plug, add oil.