By Don Nester

Chapman Report – Feb 1978

I recently had to replace my clutch cable. After discovering that my friendly Lotus dealer wanted $40 for the clutch cable, I decided that I would find a better solution. A trip to the local Economy Imports parts store resulted in the following solution:

Alternative Clutch Cable Replacement for Twin Cam Europas

The clutch cable in an Europa Twin Cam may be replaced by a VW bus clutch cable which costs about $4.00. These steps may be followed when using the VW cable as a replacement:

1. Remove Lotus clutch cable with housing.
2. Saw cable at pedal end and remove cable from housing.
3. Using original cable as a standard, cut the VW cable to correct length. Then fit cable in Lotus housing.
4. Fit pedal clevis on cable, fit cable end on end of cable, and hammer tight. If you don’t trust the cable ends (like me), weld the cable end to the cable.
5. Drill Lotus clutch abutment to fit VW cable. (Note: Lotus clutch abutment is case hardened, so use a drill which is suitable.)
6. Reinstall in the car.