How do you replace the clutch cable on a 1966 Volkswagen?

Answer 1

For this you don't have to unhook the battery! Step 1: jack up the left side of the car. Crawl under, find the clutch lever and remove the clutch cable adjusting nut. Step 2: open the hood and unhook the accelerator cable. Step 3: remove the two bolts holding the pedal cluster in, and extract the pedal cluster from the car. You will find one of two things: that the clevis on the end of the clutch cable wore through (it's made of pot metal, so it happens), or that the hook on the end of the clutch pedal wore through. The odds of either happening are about equal. If it's the pedal hook, stop what you're doing. Take the pedal cluster away from the car. The hook is pushed into a tube and secured with one small bolt. Remove the bolt, stick a metal rod of some sort on the end of the hook rod that's shoved into the tube, and whack it with a hammer until it comes out. Push a new hook into the tube, align the hole in the tube with the hole in the hook, and install the bolt. Then check the end of the cable just to make sure. If the cable is broken, grab it and pull it out. Take the new cable out of the bag. Dunk it in Rustoleum paint, then hang it up to dry. When it does, thread it into the tube the old one came from, put the clevis on the clutch pedal hook, and reinstall the pedal cluster. Step 4: Crawl back under the car. Thread the end of the cable through the clutch lever, and get the adjusting nut (1966s didn't have wing nuts, but I'd get one when I bought the new cable--they make adjusting the clutch SO nice...) started on the cable. Step 5: Have someone go into the car with a ruler. Press the clutch pedal in about half an inch. When it's down, you screw the adjuster nut down until it touches the clutch lever. Step 6: let the car back down and hook the accelerator cable back up. You're done.