Cable

Maintenance advice to keep your Spider in shape.
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fiat218
Posts: 5745
Joined: Fri May 16, 2008 5:06 pm
Your car is a: 1969 124 AS spider

Cable

Post by fiat218 »

Any one ever run across that your cable for the top is to short , I can barely get it around the screw in the back , it supposed to go beyond that
Jim
East Grand Forks MN
1970 Fiat Spider BS1 ( FOR SALE
1969 124 AS Spider
2017 Abrath
2018 Alfa Romeo 4c Spider
18Fiatsandcounting
Posts: 3791
Joined: Fri Mar 15, 2019 11:23 pm
Your car is a: 1969 and 1971 124 spiders
Location: San Francisco Bay Area

Re: Cable

Post by 18Fiatsandcounting »

Are you talking about the two cables that run on either side of the top, from an attachment point on the front bow, across the top of the window opening, down the sloping part of the triangle window, to an attachment clamp behind in the rear? No, I haven't had a case when the cables were too short, although they can break at the rear clamp and then people reattach them using whatever is left.

New cables are available, so that might be your best option. The new cables can be guided through their "channels" in the top, although it is a bit tricky.

-Bryan
fiat218
Posts: 5745
Joined: Fri May 16, 2008 5:06 pm
Your car is a: 1969 124 AS spider

Re: Cable

Post by fiat218 »

yes it a brand new cable
Jim
East Grand Forks MN
1970 Fiat Spider BS1 ( FOR SALE
1969 124 AS Spider
2017 Abrath
2018 Alfa Romeo 4c Spider
18Fiatsandcounting
Posts: 3791
Joined: Fri Mar 15, 2019 11:23 pm
Your car is a: 1969 and 1971 124 spiders
Location: San Francisco Bay Area

Re: Cable

Post by 18Fiatsandcounting »

fiat218 wrote:yes it a brand new cable
Then unless there is something unusual in the way the cable is routed, it sounds like you got a bad cable. Could be a production error, or an aftermarket one that just wasn't designed right. With the proper cables, there should be an extra 6" or so of cable at the rear.

But a question: You are clamping the rear of the cable with the little metal clamp held against the body with two Phillips head screws? This clamp is about a couple inches below the top of the metal body, just to the rear of the quarter window.

-Bryan
fiat218
Posts: 5745
Joined: Fri May 16, 2008 5:06 pm
Your car is a: 1969 124 AS spider

Re: Cable

Post by fiat218 »

yes
I did get a cable at lowe's
I have the cable running thru the top and down thru that eye behind the folding window, and about to pull it to fasten to the clamps
MY question
How tight ? Top is latched
the window flap gets rivet to the window frame . does the seal and flap get rivet together or seperate, there are two holes
Jim
East Grand Forks MN
1970 Fiat Spider BS1 ( FOR SALE
1969 124 AS Spider
2017 Abrath
2018 Alfa Romeo 4c Spider
18Fiatsandcounting
Posts: 3791
Joined: Fri Mar 15, 2019 11:23 pm
Your car is a: 1969 and 1971 124 spiders
Location: San Francisco Bay Area

Re: Cable

Post by 18Fiatsandcounting »

fiat218 wrote:MY question
How tight ? Top is latched
the window flap gets rivet to the window frame . does the seal and flap get rivet together or seperate, there are two holes
With the top latched, the cables should be taut but not super tight. Don't make the mistake of tightening the cables with the top unlatched (as I did once), because then the top will be hard to close.

On the rivets, there should be two on each side, both on the padded flap that rests against the top of the window. One rivet in front to the top frame, and one in the rear at the top of the vertical window frame.

-Bryan
fiat218
Posts: 5745
Joined: Fri May 16, 2008 5:06 pm
Your car is a: 1969 124 AS spider

Re: Cable

Post by fiat218 »

Thank you
Jim
East Grand Forks MN
1970 Fiat Spider BS1 ( FOR SALE
1969 124 AS Spider
2017 Abrath
2018 Alfa Romeo 4c Spider
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