Stolen Mustang

Mustang Clutch Cables and Quadrants – Everything You Need to Know

In between adding an intake, nitrous, and exhaust components, it seems that nary a thought is given to replacing the factory clutch-cable arrangement. That is, until the cable breaks or wears out. Then it seems like a good idea to replace it with one of the performance variety. However, there are many options out there and between opinions on the internet, in addition to all the magazine articles/adds, it can be confusing as to which direction you should go. I will attempt to explain the pro’s and con’s, as well as the differences between many of these choices.

Let’s begin with the stock setup itself. The plastic stock clutch quadrant that the factory gave your car is garbage. This plastic part is known to flex under the pressure of a heavier than stock clutch and has plastic teeth that wear down allowing your clutch to self adjust itself into positions that causes the clutch to wear improperly and makes shifting difficult. While an after market quadrant really can’t fix an ailing clutch, proper adjustment of the cable is essential to longer clutch life.

Then there is the cable itself. The cable is non adjustable and has a rubber spacer that mates up with the firewall and holds the cable in alignment with the quadrant. It’s construction is also quite vital, but we’ll cover that in a few minutes.

So now you know what you’ve got, but where to go from here? With such a plethora of choices, how do you know what you need? Many companies offer packages that include everything you need to complete the conversion; quadrant, cable and firewall adjuster. However, something that you need to know is that these packages are NOT all the same.

The first choice you have to make is if you want an adjustable cable, or non adjustable OEM cable. This decision will affect the quadrants that are compatible with your setup. I’ve spent time talking with several mustang owners who are very knowledgeable on this subject and the consensus is that an adjustable cable will make for a “harder” clutch due to the increase in drag due to the inferior construction of the cables. The cable on top is your run of the mill adjustable cable, while the one on the bottom is an OEM cable.

About five years ago, I installed the BBK package. It included an adjustable cable, quadrant, and fire wall adjuster. Immediately after installation, I noticed that it was much more difficult to engage the clutch than before, a problem that only became worse. Recently I switched back to an OEM cable and immediately the pedal pressure required to engage the clutch dropped. It is because of this incredible difference in pedal pressure that I will never use an adjustable cable again. It should also be noted that it is not just the BBK cable that will cause this as all adjustable cables are made the same, and many people using a variety of adjustable cables have complained of the increase stiffness in their clutch pedal after installing an adjustable cable.

Earlier I mentioned that you must decide between an adjustable or non adjustable cable due to the quadrant requirements. This is because some quadrants can only be used with adjustable cables, some only non adjustable cables, and finally there are a few that can be used with both. Some replacement cables, like the universal cable that maximum motorsports sells has an overall longer length than your stock fox cable but it’s working length is the same. However, all adjustable cables, even if they have the same overall length as your stock cable, have a longer working length than a non adjustable OEM cable. This is where cable specific quadrants come into play. Most adjustable cable quadrants are 3/8 circle in shape. My old BBK quadrant was like this. If using a non adjustable cable you’ll need one that is 1/4 circle in shape or has multiple hooks. This next photo demonstrates this. On the left is a BBK quadrant made to be used with an adjustable cable. On the right is a multi hook UPR quadrant. The farthest throw hook on the UPR piece is made for an adjustable cable while the middle hook is used for a standard cable. The shortest throw hook is used to get around the patent that Steeda has on two hook quadrants.

You can attempt to hook a standard working length cable up to a quadrant that’s designed for an adjustable cable, and it will “work” if you need to get the car home. However, you’ll have to pry the clutch fork forward about an inch in order to hook the cable. Your FWA will have also to be screwed in all the way in order for the cable to hook. The problem that you will run into with prying it onto the fork is twofold:

You’ll have no adjustability to dial in more slack.

There is a HIGH probability that it will be too tight, causing constant engagement, and clutch wear.

This is the appeal of multi hook quadrants such as UPR or Steeda. They are able to work with either adjustable, or non adjustable cables. Quadrants such as BBK, FRPP, and Pro 5.0 really can only work with adjustable cables. Likewise, quadrants made from Maximum Motorsports and Fiore are designed to work with OEM cables and can only be used with non adjustable cables. Your firewall adjuster will not be able to take up all the slack that will be present if using a standard throw quadrant with an adjustable cable.

Speaking of which, we come to the final piece in this puzzle. The stock quadrant performs two functions: it pulls the clutch cable to engage the clutch, and it adjusts tension in the cable in order to maintain proper adjustment of the cable by way of a ratcheting tooth mechanism next to the quadrant. With an after market aluminum quadrant you lose this automatic adjustment. The problem is resolved by a fire wall adjuster. A fire wall adjuster works by replacing the black rubber bushing that normally comes on your cable, and can increase or decrease the space between the cable housing and the firewall by turning the adjust clockwise or counter-clockwise. This increases or decreases the available working length of the cable, thereby, increasing or decreasing tension on the cable, and allowing the user to maintain proper clutch adjustment.

While there are minute differences between the different manufacturers FWA, they are, for the most part, the same. Some click when you adjust them, some have one or two mounting screws, others simply screw in and out. Fiore has the highest rating, however, in my opinion, any one that is on sale or you can acquire easily will do. I’m using a BBK FWA and have no complaints.

Now that you know all about the individual components, the next question is where to buy? Well that’s really all up to you. You can purchase a complete kit from any of the manufacturers mentioned here; BBK, Steeda, Maximum Motorsports, FRPP, UPR, Fiore, or others, or you can search the classifieds and piece together a kit. The latter is almost certainly cheaper but might not fit into your time contraints.

Problems with your kit after installation:

The number #1 problem that results after installing a new kit is the cable collapsing or melting. This can result from several causes. First is improper cable routing. After coming out of the firewall, the cable needs to be turned around and routed underneath the drivers side motor mount. That’s the factory routing. You want the widest “loop” possible, as this will prevent any binding or operation issues.

Another cause can be headers melting the cable. This is a problem that can occur with both adjustable and non adjustable cables. It can be caused by not attaching the cable to the strut tower, or not being able to attach the cable to the strut tower. An easy solution to this is to drill a new hole for the bracket that holds the cable away from your headers, or buy an sn95 clutch cable, it’s longer and will allow you to route around the headers more easily. Another hot spot that can occur, seeming to be common with MAC longtube headers, is down by the bellhousing. Many people place header wrap on one of more of their primary tubes, and/or a protector over the cable itself.

However, if your cable is contacting a primary then you either need to relocate the header tube, or switch header manufacturers. Wrap will not do anything if there isn’t an air gap between the cable and the header. So try to bend the primaries, or cut and re weld in a new path, a different primary.

Finally, if you have a heavier clutch and the stock one just isn’t cutting it, you try upgrading to the heavier and incredibly durable Hays cable.

So to summarize, make sure your quadrant is correctly matched with the type of cable you are using, adjustable cables increase the amount of pedal pressure needed due to drag, firewall adjusters are nothing special, so just get one, and then route and properly protect your cable when installing. I’ve tried to make this as complete as possible, but if you feel that I have given bad information, or if I missed something, please feel free to contact me.

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