26-09-2017, 08:43 PM
(This post was last modified: 26-09-2017, 08:44 PM by John Cornforth.)
Hello Malcolm
I still have the Bowdenex parts I removed from my car years ago, which I have just measured for you. The 3 holed strips do indeed fix with 2 bolts each to the cross member and hang down. I don't know how far apart they were mounted laterally, but for a straight-ish cable pull (see below) it would be 4 or 5 inches. There is a lower counterbored hole in the front of each strip into which the ferrule of the cable outer is located, there is no nut or other fixing for this. Even though they are made from quarter inch thick "boiler plate", I suspect that both they and the cross member probably flex back a bit when you are really using the brake pedal - a triangulated arrangement would probably be stiffer.
There is also a steel bar which is half an inch diameter and five and one sixteenth inches long. Through this are two quarter inch holes spaced by 4 inches. The threaded cable inner ends pass through these and are equipped with nuts and locknuts to set the cable length. The bar is a sliding fit through the two holes of the forked end of the central lever descending from the cross shaft, and takes the place of the standard yoke and swivel compensator. The bar normally sits symmetrically in the central lever, even though there is no fixing or screw to guarantee this. Brake balance is achieved through cable length adjustment, though I suspect that additionally the bar may pivot just a fraction and the central lever may twist a fraction to give a little bit of compensation, given the high forces on them.
People seem to have mixed views on Bowdenex. The main advantage is that it removes the "anti servo" effect of front axle twist experienced with the earlier lighter pattern front axle, and removes the effect of steering lock on braking. The kits (From Super Accessories ?) included longer levers for the front, plus a matching set of longer levers for the rear so pedal pressure was reduced (in theory) in exchange for a longer pedal travel and more frequent need for adjustment. The disadvantages are extra weight and cable friction especially if full of old grease ( Some say that oil should be used ). Ground clearance is no better or worse than the standard open cables.
Hope this helps
John Cornforth
I still have the Bowdenex parts I removed from my car years ago, which I have just measured for you. The 3 holed strips do indeed fix with 2 bolts each to the cross member and hang down. I don't know how far apart they were mounted laterally, but for a straight-ish cable pull (see below) it would be 4 or 5 inches. There is a lower counterbored hole in the front of each strip into which the ferrule of the cable outer is located, there is no nut or other fixing for this. Even though they are made from quarter inch thick "boiler plate", I suspect that both they and the cross member probably flex back a bit when you are really using the brake pedal - a triangulated arrangement would probably be stiffer.
There is also a steel bar which is half an inch diameter and five and one sixteenth inches long. Through this are two quarter inch holes spaced by 4 inches. The threaded cable inner ends pass through these and are equipped with nuts and locknuts to set the cable length. The bar is a sliding fit through the two holes of the forked end of the central lever descending from the cross shaft, and takes the place of the standard yoke and swivel compensator. The bar normally sits symmetrically in the central lever, even though there is no fixing or screw to guarantee this. Brake balance is achieved through cable length adjustment, though I suspect that additionally the bar may pivot just a fraction and the central lever may twist a fraction to give a little bit of compensation, given the high forces on them.
People seem to have mixed views on Bowdenex. The main advantage is that it removes the "anti servo" effect of front axle twist experienced with the earlier lighter pattern front axle, and removes the effect of steering lock on braking. The kits (From Super Accessories ?) included longer levers for the front, plus a matching set of longer levers for the rear so pedal pressure was reduced (in theory) in exchange for a longer pedal travel and more frequent need for adjustment. The disadvantages are extra weight and cable friction especially if full of old grease ( Some say that oil should be used ). Ground clearance is no better or worse than the standard open cables.
Hope this helps
John Cornforth