Re: Trunk release cable blues

[Jay Mackro <jmackro@xxxxxxxxxxxx>]

At 06:55 PM 10/22/98 -0400, EllaGuru@domain.elided wrote:

>From: EllaGuru@domain.elided <EllaGuru@domain.elided>
>Subject: Trunk release cable snaps!
>
>I thought I posted this yesterday, but it didn't work for some reason
>I broke the trunk release cable yesterday while trying to open the trunkof 
>my '83 Spider. I am curious if there is a way to open the trunk with the 
>cable snapped, how much trouble replacing the cable is, ...

EllaGuru:

By now, you've gotten 78 replies explaining how there is a hole in
the trunk floor, just beneath the latch, and how to bend up a piece
of heavy wire, and then how to fish around for a few hours to catch
the release on the latch.  But, before you try doing all of that...

99% of the time, the cable breaks right where it attaches to the
little lever in the door jamb.  At least in my '77 spider, and in
earlier cars, there's only a piece of naugahyde covering that
area - you can easily lift up the naugahyde, undo cable sheath 
from the lever/lock assembly, and just pull on the severed end 
of the cable with a pair of pliers.  (In fact, if you ever lose 
your key, you can just pull on the whole cable - sheath and all - 
and the latch will generally release.  Note that this trick will 
only work if the end is still secured to the lever).

Alfa cleverly designed the trunk (and hood release) so that the
cable is rigidly attached to the release lever, but looped around
the latch itself.  This practically guarantees that the end at
the lever will fatigue LONG before the end at the latch wears out.
You can generally just undo the clamp that secures the loop at
the latch, feed a little cable back toward the lever, re-attach
the broken end into the lever, and re-attach the clamp at the
latch to extend out the loop.  Or, if you must install a new
cable, generic steel cable from a large hardware supplier
can be substituted (I've even used bicycle brake/shifter cable,
though the gauge may be a bit light).

Good Luck!

Jay Mackro

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