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[jimsayshi]

Help. I'm replacing the rear handbrake cables on a 5 door 51 plate 1.25 ford fiesta. When put on, attached from the balancing plate back to the handbrake brake shoe, both cables are about 20 mm too short: when attached to the rear brake shoe. As the shoe arm sits about 20mm off the stop on the arm. The handbrake lever is backed all the way off, right the way back to the very last thread on the adjuster nut.

Now the problem is that this is happening on two sets of new cables ive bought from Godfries. Both made by First Line. Both fitted the right way round. Codes for both are FKB 2380 and FKB 2593. Their system showed that one of these was a later car, but the other one is for my car anyway. When measured next to the old cables, both are identical lengths anyway. 1650mm and 1600mm. The exact same as the old cables.

But why on earth are the new ones not long enough?
The only thing I can think of is that the replacement balancing plate and end pieces of the new cables are changing the final length of the cables. Does the purchase of First Line handbrakes cables for my 51 plate fiesta, also need you to purchase the front part of the cable too? The section that goes from the balancing plate to the handbrake lever? I am thinking that maybe their front cable is longer as to compensate for any possible foreshortening produced from a different balancing plate design?

Has anyone else come across this? Or will buying the rear handbrakes cables from my ford dealer (at literally twice the price) rectify the problem?

Have had a Vauxhall mechanic friend take a look and the first thing he said was that the new cables appear to be too short. But when we removed them and measured them against the old ones we both saw they are the same lengths as their respective older partners. He's baffled like me. Particularly after the second new set of cables did the exact same thing. Can you help? I'm stumped!!!