could have been an exchange one

So while I wait for the urethane to cure real good on the back window, I wanted to do some other stuff for this conversion. One thing I remembered was when I did the Strato Chief 4 speed conversion I had a brutal time installing the speedometer cable firewall grommet on the new cable. This is because the grommet hole is about 1/4" for the cable housing and the smaller nut of the two on the new cable is about 5/8". That rubber grommet did not want to flex. I remember working and working for likely 20 minutes or so to get the nut through that opening. This time I came up with an idea but had no idea if it would work. 

I cut the end off one of the window urethane tubes I used on the back window. Trimmed it down to the right size so the speedometer cable nut would just fit inside it. Greased up the tube end and slid the grommet on. I had to push pretty hard the last inch or so as it expanded to go over the nut but the whole thing once I started took about a minute. 

I wanted to post this in case anyone has had grief with this and wasn't sure how to do it without cutting the grommet.

65 SD L79 wrote:

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Excellent!

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 Your turn to do this is coming soon (we hope!)

LT1Caddy wrote:

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How many guys here are attempting this.....LOL

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 ALL the guys doing 4 speed conversions. So maybe 3 total??? !!!

cdnpont wrote:

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Be sure to put that great cable trick in the sticky Carl,

https://canadianponcho.activeboard.com/t65524339/65-b-body-4-speed-conversion-post/

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 Hmm, I hadn't thought of that, good idea. I'll do that a bit later, time to walk off that lunch I just ate first though.

No it should have 3 little spring tabs on the back that clip into the hole. The one you pictured may work but it's not the original style. I could check the books but I think they used the grommet you need on pretty much all the Chevs and Pontiacs for a long time. 

65 SD L79 wrote:

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Speedo Cable Grommet At Firewall For 62-70 GM (Qty-1) #1597 | eBay

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 Yup, there ya go.

4SPEED427 wrote:

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65 SD L79 wrote:

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Speedo Cable Grommet At Firewall For 62-70 GM (Qty-1) #1597 | eBay

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 Yup, there ya go.

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 I do think the one Bob posted may seal better

65 SD L79 wrote:

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4SPEED427 wrote:

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I drilled the hole in my firewall last night to move the cable over to the 4 speed location. What an ugly job with the engine in the car. I removed the throttle rod, distributor cap and wires for the left side and that helped. 

Maybe tomorrow I'll get the hole drilled in the firewall for the backup light harness for the Muncie. That's the other ugly hole to drill on the 4 speed conversions. 

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 with the tranny out would it have been easyer just to lift the motor out? clean and orange it up while its out

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 Not so easy on an A/C car though...

And I want a driver, not a show car! If I make it nice then I won't want to mess it up. This way I won't worry about it, I will just enjoy it!

The clips are all that hold it in place. It's not grooved to fit into the full circle of the sheet metal like a typical grommet. This is the backside of a repro grommet that I found. This is how the 3 clips look.

LT1Caddy wrote:

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Hi... Okay, that makes sense that the clips hold it in place. I was thinking that they somehow attached to the cable...DUH.

Can you post a picture of your drilling venture, just for clarity, on where the hole is precisely....

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 Because it's kind of down in behind the booster and the back of the engine, the best is to go through the great detail Mark did in his 4 speed conversion thread. There's at least one, maybe two good pictures of the location on the firewall, taken on cars with the engine removed.