Fiat Dino Forum (FDF)

I have a 2400 Coupe with a very stiff and badly operating boot lid release. One day the cable is going to snap, which would be very bad, and I want to replace it now.

But I cannot see how to get to the rear of the release handle in the driver's door jamb. If you take the thin alloy cover off the door-jamb, there is no access. From underneath I see nothing. Maybe the only way is to remove all the interior vinyl that is to the left of the rear passengers and dig in there - but before I do that and cut through all the moisture barriers etc - has anyone found a better way?

And does anybody know where to buy long control cables like this one by the meter (foot?) - they always seem to be application specific, but nobody makes this one.

Thanks very much,

-Richard
Scotts Valley, California

Hi Richard. It is the right way to Come From the Inside via the rear side internal panel. You have to remove the Mechanism to lower the rear Window (just the switch), the handle, the Light and one screw at the rear Top end of the panel. Then you See the handle to Open the boot. Its a fiddly Job to get the cable tight. It might help to bend the end of the cable to get a 90 degree angle at the last 2cm or so.

I have ordered one spare cable a few years ago but dont know if it really fits as Mine turned out to be correct but was not connected tight enough to the switch/handle.

I ordered it From del priore. He still has it in his online catalogue. Its worth a try to contact him. Here is a link to the cable:
http://del-priore.com/shop/index.php?pa ... &info=5127

KR Thomas

Thanks Thomas - very helpful. I will now spend the day in the back seat of my car.

And the link looks good - it's a pretty long cable, nearly 3 metres. I've had good luck replacing shorter cables with new brake cables from a bicycle shop because they're very high quality. But they're always cut to a shorter length for bicycles - I need one from a 3-seat tandem.

cheers,

-Richard

You need to keep in mind that it needs to be a solid inner cable (which bike shops often don't have)

You need to find a shop which makes tailor made handbrakecables/brake hoses/etc cables and they supplied me with one.


Good luck,

Regards

Thanks Tom,

I'm not sure why you think it has to be a solid cable? I know the original was, and I guess that zig-zag shape they used to attach to the latch needs a solid core to be bent.

The clamp at the opening handle accommodates the flexible cable very well. It's a good design and will hold, I'm sure. At the latch end I looped the cable through the hole and then brought it back to a cable clamp - so that there is a loop around the latch's lever. Very secure I think.

The flexible cables have less friction, are more tolerant of routing - and seem impressively strong.

By the way I didn't dismantle the interior in the end. I disconnected the old cable at the handle, discarded the solid inner core - taped the old outer cable to the new cable and used the old one to pull the new cable (the outer, sheath part) through the body and into the trunk. That worked great.

-Richard