Has anyone else have a problem were the aftermarket tach drive cable is about 1/2 to 3/4 inches shorter than the original one that was in the car. Of course this means there is no way the new one will ever work on the car. This is for a 1956 XK140 MC FHC and I am now wondering if I should order a cable for a DHC which is apparently about five inches longer than what is used on the FHC.
I think (the 120 at least) there were 3 different lengths. Might have seen it in 120 Explored.
So, it’s likely that there is only one length being made at the moment.
Yes Mitchman … it is the same for XK140’s … three different sizes. I was just wondering if anyone else run into this same situation with aftermarket cables for their 140’s and if they solved the problem by using the next longer cable by putting it into a bit of a loop??
From the XK140 Spare Parts Catalogue:
Strange that the Smith number given is the same for all, as is the outer cable, but the inner cables have different suffixes, suggesting different lengths.
XK120 also has a number of variations of different lengths. Maybe one of them would work for you.
Thanks Rob. It think I will try ordering C8272 and see if that one works any better. Apparently that one is 16 inches long which would give me a little more wiggle room that I seem to require?
How did you get on with the cable ? In the UK they seem to list C8274 as being suitable for FHC and DHC (and 120 OTS ) , yet this is the part number for DHC .
Yes Jim … I did order the longer one and it worked very well. That part is all in and finished up
Hi Harv
I guess you fitted C8272 at 16" long (for a 120) ?
Just checked my old one and it is 18.5" long , I expected it to be original but appears to be C8274 for a 140 DHC , I have a 140 FHC .
David Manners list all the above whereas SNG only list C8274 suitable for 140 FHC and DHC
Yes Jim, I ordered and fitted C8272 cable which was [is] around 15-1/2 inches long
Just received a new cable from David Manners .It is listed as correct for 140FHC and seems correct lentgh .
Yes Jim … it looks the same as the one I have, but was about 3/4 inch too short to work on my car. I will be interested to hear if that cable will work for your car.
My cable fitted fine and was plenty long enough , although big mess up by me . I hadn’t checked to see if the clock was free , it was froze and the cable immediately broke .
Good to hear that your cable worked OK Jim. Not sure what you mean when you said the clock was frozen and it snapped the cable because the clock is actually electric. My tach was frozen and I did have to get it rebuilt by a fellow that specialized in that type of work.
Sorry , I used the term “clock” instead of Tachometer (although the clock is also not working ).
Uh oh, there he GOES again…
OK Jim … sounds like you have the same problem with your tach as I did. The technician that worked on my tach told be that the clocks seem to be a typical problem in these cars.