Friday, February 17, 2006
Throttle linkage, part 2
So I managed to get the Lokar throttle cable attached to the Crown Vic throttle body tonight. It turned out to be simpler than I thought, even though the throttle cable is meant for a Holley carb and not fuel injection. I had expected to need to make some sort of connecting link to attach the cable end to the throttle lever arm. But it turned out that I was able to use much of the device on the end of the cable. Its original end had a bolt that fit into a ball and socket joint on the end of the cable. I popped the bolt out of the socket and popped the socket over the stud where the original Ford throttle cable attached.
I also needed a bracket to hold the end of the cable. I made mine out of three sections of aluminum angle extrusion. The only tools required were a drill and hacksaw, and it mounts to the bolt holes that also attach the throttle body to the intake manifold adapter.
If there's one thing about this setup that worries me, it's that the throttle moves a lot in the first small movement of the cable. Then again, a lot of engines have throttles that move this way - often to fool casual test drivers into thinking the engine's more powerful than it really is, by making the engine give a big surge of power when you just tap the pedal. I don't think this will give it too much in the way of drivability problems, and if it does I can always make a different bracket that puts the cable attachment point up a little higher.
Now I just have to attach the other end to the gas pedal. This throttle cable is turning out to be easier than I expected - and when you're trying to build a fuel injected slant six, not many things are easier than expected.
