I gotta hand it to the guy that did this. It probably actually worked for awhile but man, why not just change the cable?
So I decided to get this removed today and measured so I could order a new one. Encountering all the RTV, wire and whatever else was used to sleeve this certainly made it more difficult.
I hope that all the parts are there so I can get this back together. Not knowing for sure what is SUPPOSED to be there worries me a bit. I am hoping the people at Berkeley are going to be able to help too. I'd hate to get a new cable strung and have to remove it again because I forgot or didnt know that a nut washer or o ring was supposed to be on there.