front brake rod thread size ?

[nevhunter]

It's the same as the original one on the magneto cable of the 37 on magneto's. (lower end). It looks like a key slot from the side. About double the length of solder on the cable. Nev

[ray.tolman]

Thanks Nev,
I think I have that nipple on my original front cable. Key shaped profile, flat on either side, about 5/16" or so wide and slides into screw on fitting on top of brake rod.
I see Draganfly carries a slightly modified version of this part to fit the small, round nipple as on my brake cable. At least is modified from the original I have.
Ray

[simon.holyfield]

Hi Simes,
Thanks. A pear nipple? As shown on the handlebar end in the photo?
Ray

Yes - though the one I have is longer, and the wide end is smaller.

[nevhunter]

You would need something better than the cylindrical one for a brake cable end. I will check my "fairly original" W/NG to see what's there. Nev

[simon.holyfield]

You would need something better than the cylindrical one for a brake cable end. I will check my "fairly original" W/NG to see what's there. Nev

Could you take a picture of the top end of the rod please Nev? I'm not convinced my repro one is right.

[paul.jameson]

I use nipples made of brass rod turned to the correct diameter (on the lathe, another job for it) for the brake rod end. I then cross drill to take the cable and counter bore part way to make what I consider to be a conventional nipple. Then I push the (new) cable through the nipple, splay it out and hammer a brass tack back up into the cable end, so wedging it into the nipple. Then I solder up, cut off the remains of the tack and cable and file down to fit the brake rod.

Tip courtesy of the legendary Dick (Chopper) Henry.

For the larger nipples, where there is space, having splayed the cable I turn each strand back round on itself and pull back into the nipple before soldering.

Tip courtesy of "Torrens" in his fine book "The Motor Cyclists Workshop".

"Torrens" was a serious Ariel fan (and Editor of "The Motor Cycle" for many years) so his book has great relevance to Ariels. Before I got the lathe I used his tip of a drill mounted in the vice in lieu of a lathe. Definitely a "don't try this at home" one these days, especially with an electric drill, but it is surprising what you can achieve this way.

[simon.holyfield]

Before I got the lathe I used his tip of a drill mounted in the vice in lieu of a lathe. Definitely a "don't try this at home" one these days, especially with an electric drill, but it is surprising what you can achieve this way.

I've made a lot of special screws lately, for mounting Victorian door knobs. I chuck a piece of 1/4" brass rod in the drill, and reduce a short length to 1/8" by filing with the drill running. I then thread the larger diameter, which screws into the door knob, while the smaller diameter goes into a hole in the spindle.

Works a treat. Necessity is the mother of invention!

Now where did I put that machine tool catalogue...

[nevhunter]

Simon, I looked at 3 different front brake rods. None have the end we are discussing. You have to use the plain cylindrical one of brass and clean all surplus solder from the job to make it fit. AS Paul advises If you countersink the hole for the cable and spread the end of the cable into the countersink, It can't pull off. You may have to grind the excess off with a dremel or such as there usually is some protruding, ALL very fiddly but you want the front brake to work reliably. Nev

[RTichard Woolnough]

I have just made a new brake rod in a piece of stainless , I have a considerable amount of 5mm in 2mtr lengths given me some time ago, to good to discard so it is stored in the roof of the chicken shed!
anyway a good 9" is already threaded and using the thread guage, it appeared to read 32tpi bit surprised to find it imperial anyway long story short it wasn't I tried a M5 die it fitted perfectly.
The adjuster nut has at some time lost its threading so a piece of tubing has been brazed to its bottom part and threaded to fit, however this thread also wasn't much good so I ran a M5 tap through it and it now fitted the threaded rod nicely .
Top of the rod I had to turn down a tad and having done so after considerable profanities thinking I hadn't got a 7/32" die, I found an old two part die of this size , more profanities turned up a die holder, for it, wow! never used one of these before, so I managed to complete the task, I learnt about the flats reading this post but I managed to get away with only milling one side, the hole in the brake arm pivot has obviously worn abit, I expect I will knurl a piece of brass or stainless and make a new nut at some time but I'm afraid it will still be threaded M5! and in any case I shall put a locking nut under it. thanks for all the tips. kind regards
and my twopenny tip, if your given something that you never think you will have a use for, in my case the die and holder, stick in a drawer.cupboad out of the way, it just may come in useful.