The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area Engine Shop rod to gas pedal

I'd love to see a picture of a rod that runs between the accelerator pedal and the bellcrank, that works nice and smooth. Th rod that came with my truck had a large sweeping curve in the large cab end when I got it. I straightened it the 3 inches or so at the top, and it will work now but is still just a little too stiff to slide smoothly. I have been eyeballing it, and trying to find signs of where it's rubbing, and bending accordingly. It just seems like common sense, but so far mine hasn't kicked in completely. Pics, tips, hints, etc all appreciated.

Truck pics.

Mine looked very much like the one in the factory drawing, before I started straightening portions of it. I guess that I probably should have left it alone. I don't really remember why I thought that it needed altered. Anybody have any recommendations on how to put the original curve back on it??

Use pipe bending coil of the correct inside diameter. It's used for putting curves in copper pipes without creasing or bending them.

https://www.lowes.com/pd/Kobalt-Spr...Nr7sX4BAuwaAjehEALw_wcB&gclsrc=aw.ds

A pipe bending coil won't work very well unless it's inside the tubing. Not really possible with the accelerator rod.

A bending jig made from a disk of wood of slightly smaller radius than desired to allow for some springback. A sandwich around that disk would be good to keep it in line. Kind of hard to describe in words, but here's a sketch.

I could dig mine out and figure out the bend radius for you.

By altering the bend of that thick part, you have destroyed the geometry that was engineered into this setup.
SInce the end of that rod is bolted to the pivot bracket on the back of the gas pedal and the pedal is hinged at the toeboard, the pedal swings forward on an arc.
The curved bend in the rod is there to accommodate the arc in the swing of the pedal to avoid contact with the hole in the toeboard.
If one has a need to alter one of these rods to work with a non-stock engine, bends and extensions need to be limited to the skinny part of the rod.
It is also important that the skinny part of the rod travels in the same direction/angle as the original.
Failure to do that will also result in destroying the geometry of this rod.

Thanks guys. I understand all of your replies. As I said earlier, I should have just left it alone. But it did not slide through the toe board smoothly enough to use at that time either. So, maybe it wasn't correct as original manufacture anyway. In any case, I'll get it figured out eventually. Thanks for the responses.

Just an idea.
The accelerator rod, that goes through the floorboard, moves through a thick felt seal.
Remove the seal and test the movement.
If the linkage is free, the rod may be riding against the seal causing significant drag because the rod alignment is not correct.
The link is a picture of a new seal, for reference only.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/122328548165

I added heim joints/rod ends to each attachment point of my accellerator rods, now smooth as silk. I see trucks all the time that are still running original rods which are nearly worn through. There are rod ends available at most hardware stores, also search Speedway motors for their assortment.

https://www.speedwaymotors.com/the-toolbox/rod-end-and-heim-joint-buyers-guide/28762

Well excellent! Please post pictures of what you have. I for one would like to see how it is done.

You can't add joints to the rod between the pedal and the bellcrank on the motor or it won't be able to push the linkage anymore. The pedal moves in an arc, and the original rod has the bend in it to accommodate that arc. My cab was severely settled in front enough that the brake and clutch pedals were rubbing, but the accelerator rod was not, because it was attached closely to the accelerator pedal, which is attached to the cab. The other end on the engine is far enough away that it didn't cause much movement at the toeboard and cause any wear.
I'll post some info from my rod for Mike so he can get his rod back into the right shape.

[on edit] Here's a pic of my accelerator linkage rod with some dimensions that should get you close. I clamped the big end to my table and measured some critical points.

Simply cool Kevin. Thanks.

Anywhere along the travel of the accelerator rod (accelerator to carb) that you CAN add a smoother function is 100 times better that the worn out junk that many are using.

My 1955 is 67 years old and still has it's original linkage. I have no discernable play that would make me want to alter what I have.
If I did have play, I would find out were it is and repair it back to original.
I guess you can call it pride but there is something to be said about wanting to maintain a piece of history.

This morning, I finally got a smoothly operating accelerator linkage working on my 53 truck. The curve in the top end (pedal end), does not even come close to the original, but it works fine. I think that part of my problem may be that I'm probably working with mismatched parts from "who knows what". I replaced the portion of the floor where the pedals and linkages go through too, although I tried to be very careful to locate all holes in their original locations. My brake, clutch, and starter pedals all line up fine, so I assume that the gas pedal hole is correct too. I have another pedal to bellcrank rod that is similar to the original except that it's a little longer, and it has a dog leg in the upper fat area. I'm going to re-shape it to match Kevin's picture and measurements. Then I'll try to see if I can make it work the way it was originally itended. For now, at least it's working.

Here’s a side and top view of my spare gas pedal rod. Not certain it is still factory bent. Note the slight zig zag in the top view pic

Yep, that's the 2" offset I showed (noted on the paper towel background) on the photo I posted.

Mike Burns I just get mine on the anvil,or clamp in the vise use a pipe over it,gotta watch for wind in it (will bind) some place there is a picture so you can see the curvature of about what it takes. Gotta go thru that felt about straight or it wont want to come back to idle like it should.

cmayna They do need that zig-zag offset to help hit the bellcrank just right,that curve looks close to factory if not right on it.