The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area General Truck Talk Shorter Pedals

has anyone ever shortened there clutch or brake pedal? i had the truck out for a ride today and im 6' 3" and its already kinda cramped and i have to lift my foot completely off the floor to use the brake. does anyone else have this problem? the gas pedal isnt to bad and the clutch would be more convenient if it was a bit shorter but i can deal with it. the brake, on the other hand, is just downright annoying!! if i did cut it, i know i have to be careful not to cut to much out or the pedal will hit the floor before it starts to put apply the brakes. any ideas on this?

there's a bumper on the pedal that is the original limit on how high it comes, yours might be missing? with good brakes, there's not much play top and bottom, seems wasted effort to cut an inch out, and you do have to allow for brake wear, I think the engineers thought it out .... I've driven a lot of different years of these trucks and can't think of any year you can handle with as little foot work as a new car, good excercise .... maybe girth is more of the problem than height

Bill

I think it might be more of a case of getting used to the pedal arrangement on the older trucks compared to the late models where the brake and gas are almost level with each other. I've personally never had an issue with space in any AD or TF truck I've ever driven, and I'm 6'4", pushing 300#, and wear size 14 Red Wings.

Well longbox55...yer not a man. yer a building with hair!! LOL!!
i do agree it takes some getting used to but i think im past that point. im gonna check for that bumper on the pedal. im hoping that will be the case and it will be an easy fix. the pedal comes out of the floor about 5 1/2" and they dont start applying until its about half way to the floor. so if i am missing the bumper then i would guess that the pedal should be a couple inches closer, just past the stage of them starting to apply, to the floor much like the clutch. would that assumption be safe? the brakes do work good (but with a lot of pedal movement) and they have descent stopping power but im guessing thats just the nature of the beast.

I've been told that I dont drive a car, I wear it!

no, not a safe assumption, nor is guessing about "the nature of the beast" .... I'm suprised you took a new-to-you truck in unknown condition on the road without first checking over the brakes - if your brakes don't start to apply until half way down they need adjusting &/or fluid and maybe new shoes

that bumper isn't inches thick, more like an inch or less, it's intended to prevent the metal pedal arm from banging the bottom of the floor, not to set the height of the pedal, which from the factory sits as much as an inch higher than the clutch anyway

Bill

i can't really explain it but there is an issue with leverage and force applied to the brakes and that is why they are set that way. the average height when these trucks were built was about 5'6" to 5'9".

I'm going to have the same problem I think, I got my foot stuck under the brake pedal while we were putting on the trailer (not that the truck had any brakes).

I was was wondering if shortening the pedals was an option, so thanks for asking the question.

I'm considering a smaller wheel, to give myself a little more knee room while reaching for the clutch and brake.

I've got a similar problem,I'm 6'4".
This has been discussed before in another thread.

I'll be waiting 'til i've fully bled the system,and driven it before I decide whether to cut down the arm.
I've only got the brake as mine is now an auto.
My dual M/C has less travel than the original so I don't see a huge problem in cutting it down as long as the pedal doesn't bottom out on the floor.
I would cut the pad off,then remove the desired amount and make sure your welding's good!

I have shortened the brake pedal on 2 trucks to get it even with the clutch. It is mutch more comforter to drive & looks better. The shaft is easy to remove. I cut it off under the pad, remove the desired amount & welded it back on.

It isn't just restricted to you big guys. I am 5-10 and have the seat as far back as possible. It's still to close to everything. I wonder how Houston 54 fits in. He must be 6-6

Somewhat related:
My brake pedal applies pressure within the first inch of travel. I don't move it much to get full application of the brakes.

My clutch seems to disengage within the first inch of pedal travel in the downward direction, meaning it doesn't engage until the pedal has traveled just about to the up position.

Are these typical points?

Bill

With hydroboosted brakes on my truck all you need is to gently set your big toe on the peddle to stop... well that may be a slight exaggeration but they work very easily with very little travel or effort, and aren't to touchy either.
I'm 6' and have no trouble leaving my heal on the floor and pivoting my toes over to depress the brake.
However my Father who is also about 6' complains about having to lift his foot to find the brake pedal.

The clutch isn't a problem.

Grigg

I would say so, indicates the brakes are good to go and the clutch is properly adjusted

Bill

Can't comment on the brakes but my clutch was at that point just before it went out. The new one takes far less full leg action to work and engages/disengages closer to the floor (maybe about 1/3 up).

The brake pedal on the AD truck uses the stop on the master cylinder, not the body. The clutch uses a rubber pad. This brake pedal is an issue for one of my family members because his lower legs are just too long. The problem with modifying the pedal length is that you end up with less working time in between brake adjustments.

Please excuse my extending the topic, but you might have just solved my problem - which is a great deal of metal-to-metal banging in that area, which stops when I depress the brake pedal on my 1953 3600. So maybe I have to adjust the master cylinder threaded rod?

I've got a small wheel in my 57, and I'm trying to find the original! The smaller one requires alot more torque from you because of the smaller wheel radius. Just something to think about...

well squeeze, like i said before, the truck came from my wifes grandfather so i new the manners of the truck and have driven it prior to bringing it home. i new the brakes worked and stopped the truck with no chatter or squealing. so being new to the "old truck" driving on a regular basis, i just assumed that the pedal stuck out that far and thats when the brakes started to work. it is my first truck thats older than 15 yrs. hence the question whether or not they can be shortened. after some checking, i did find that the bumper is there, fluid is good and that the pads are good. although they did need some adjusting. after doin so i did find that they stopped a bit better but no change to the pedal height. thanx for the input guys. its much appreciated and well considered