Are all cables equal? Nope.
Until now, any replacement parking brake cable I've purchased has been a simple, aircraft-type cable in a metal sheath deal, with an outer plastic coating on the sheath. Even if you use them religiously, eventually both the metal cable & the surrounding sheath starts to corrode & stops moving smoothly.
It should be obvious in the photos below which is the new cable, and which is the crusty old one. What may not be obvious, is that the moving part of the new cable is sealed & coated.
The cable itself has a plastic coating running its entire length, effectively sealing the twisted cable from the elements. At each end of the sheath, there are apparently two seals to help reduce the number of contaminants that get in between the cable & the sheath. Finally (no I'm not going to cut it open to verify!) the sheath itself is apparently plastic-lined as well.
This
should make for a smooth-moving, long-lasting e-brake cable. Only time will tell however.
Canadian Tire's
Certified line of brake products market the metal-on-metal cable I described above, at a reasonable price IIRC.
For slightly more, you should be able to purchase the coated cables through your favorite NAPA dealer under the
United Brake Parts name. For the 84-87 models, p/n 93902 is the left-hand cable, p/n 93903 is the right-hand cable.
You get what you pay for...
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