The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area Paint and Body Shop brake/cluch pedals not aligning

Here's a little background: The Blue Funk (see my signature) was hit by a Semi near the front door post > sheet metal removed, frame strightened, cleaned, and painted > picked up a '53 cab reinforced floor pan, cleaned, and painted > attached cab to frame.

Now, the brake and clutch pedals don't align properly when attached to their respective levers. The brake pedal rubs on the left side of its hole and the clutch pedal rubs on the upper right side of its hole.

I've loosened the frame mounting bolts and shackles and have played around with the raising/lowering/tilting of the cab at its four corners a bit. I can nearly get the clutch pedal centered with very little rub on the top edge of the hole. I've decreased the rubbing of the brake pedal on the left side of the hole a bit.

I figured before I got another chance to play around with a solution, I'd gain more information and some advice from you Guys.

Thanks.

I have followed your story(progress), but I can't remember what you had corrected on the frame if anything. That would be my first suspicion, a misaligned frame. I had similar trouble when I swapped frames on my '50 3100. I took the easy or lazy way out and slightly enlarged the brake pedal arm pan cut out. I guess doing that would depend on how far off your pedal arms are.

If the pedals aren't properly aligned but the linkage seems to move properly, I would bend them slightly to get them to line up properly in the holes. If the linkage seem not to be working properly, then combat that issue first.

Thanks for the reply, 46gmcpu. The brake and clutch linkages seem to be working fine.

Initially, this was my first concern:


You see, the brunt of the impact occurred in the area of the front door post, hence, the common bracket. I thought maybe the shaft assembly was knocked out of alignment and that could have thrown things off, even with the frame being straightened.

I'm having quite a time attempting to visualize and understand the geometrics of how two stationary points could be thrown off and displced differently. In other words, I can't understand why the brake pedal is displaced to the left and the cluch pedal is displaced to the upper right. It seems to me that, if the assembly shaft was thrown off, both pedals would be evenly displaced.

I've considered the theory that perhaps the levers were bent in the collision. However, both levers appear to sit on the shaft correctly and run parallel to each other until they bend characteristically for their respective pedal attachments.

I sent a PM to Woody since he has done so much work to his cab. Woody said that his pedals wouldn't line up either and he did as you suggested, 46gmcpu- he heated and bent his 'til they did.

I don't know nothin' for sure. I'll just keep playing around and let ya all know what I come up with.

Thanks for the input.

Geez Drew- I'm sorry I missed your post the first time around! Your first suspicion is something I've been considering and I think you have a great mind. And you know what they say about great minds, if I can be put in any class that's somewhere in the same school as you.

Actually, what I was thinking was, that in the frame straightening process, with the frame bent in the area of the common bracket assembly, perhaps the body shop could not completely straighten that area. A slight bend or bump in the frame rail could throw off the common bracket attachment, even though the shaft seats well on the frame.

I have already considered what you called "the easy or lazy way out", in enlarging the holes. I have read many of your posts, Drew, and consider you to to be an expert. So, if an expert suggests an easy or lazy way out, and I'm a novice, then isn't that easy or lazy way out a prudent maneuver?

Just for poops and giggles Drew, what would be the difficult and hardworking way out? Attempt to have the area aligned or straightened?

Thanks so much for following my story and especially for your input!

Your problem isn't too uncommon, Davey. I can remember several stovebolt pickups I've driven that had an annoying "SQUEEEEEEEKKKKK" when the clutch pedal was operated because the pedal shaft was dragging on the floorboard. The quick fix was to open up the hole a little if the bushings on the pivot were in good shape. Since one pedal is off in one direction, and the other is different, that pretty much lets out misalignment of the pivot shaft. I suspect the holes through the floor of the new cab might be cut a little differently than the original. Just hog 'em out a little! Isn't there supposed to be a pretty good-sized rubber washer on the bottom that serves as a dust seal? If not, cut a donut-shaped piece of the sidewall of an old tire that's a snug fit on the pedal shaft and covers the hole from the bottom to seal out dust, and prevent a cold air leak in the wintertime. Good luck!
Jerry

Can you post a pic?

You can see where mine was dragging in this pic
...pic...

Like HRL stated it seems odd that both arms are not dragging on the same side.

also check steps 9-11 in the manual
...link...

you might have to add shims between cab bottom and shackles.

Thanks for responding to my PM requests that you two join in the discussion on this thread, Jerry and Gus.

Your perspectives, information, and solutions are truly appreciated!

I'm playing around with some shims and such and will let you know the outcome.

Thanks again.

Have you tried adjusting just the pedal arm itself? If you loosen the bolts and have someone hold the pedal arm (centered in the hole) on the inside of the truck through its range of motion you can get a good alignment. Then tighten the bolts up good. It's a two-man job for sure to get it right.