Thread: Project $ 3 K Is Underway

Tweet

Experience..................being able to recognize more quickly a mistake you've made before!

Today I decided to get away from the shifter thing for awhile and work on the brake pedal and master cylinder mount. Building one of these is no big deal, but obviously you want everything to be strong and function properly.

I started by cutting the shape of the brake pedal out of some 3/8 inch thick steel plate I have. I used the bandsaw to cut it into sort of a hockey club shape. Once that was done I started the heating and bending process to get it to the shape I needed. The pedal has to go to the left a little of the frame rail, so I bent it that direction a couple of inches.

Once the bending was done I trimmed the ends a little to make it more attractive, and drilled the hole in one end for the pedal pad I will probably order from Speedway, and I put another hole in the bottom for the master cylinder rod. A final, 5/8 diameter hole was drilled toward the bottom, and this will be the pivot point that mounts to the frame.

Here are some pictures of the first steps in making the pedal.

The next thing I did was build a mount to afix the master cylinder to the frame. You can use just a flat plate to do this, and gusset it, but since this car sits so low I want some protection for the master cylinder in case the car bottoms out or hits something in the road. I used a piece of large angle iron, and after cutting it I drilled the proper pattern into the front edge to accept the Ford Mustang master cylinder I bought last week. I also made up a 3rd wall out of 1/4 inch flat stock, so when the whole thing is welded to the frame it should not only be strong, but act as a skidplate to protect the master cylinder. I'd hate to wipe out the master cylinder on a speed bump or pothole.


The last pictures show the pedal and master cylinder mount, and their relationship to one another. I still have some work to do on them, but this should give you some idea of what I am shooting for. That flat plate you see on the side of the master cylinder will be welded completely to the frame and to the angle iron mount, so it should never move.

Thanks for looking,


Don

Don
Shouldn't there be some protection for the rod also if you were to hit somthing the brake would be activated.

Very good point. Actually, only about an inch of the master cylinder mount will be down below the frame, and the entire rod and bottom of the pedal is not below the frame, so they are in no danger. I had to mount the master cylinder a little lower to get it below where I want the floor to be, that is why it is lower.

But, when I looked at the pictures tonight, I think I will continue a skid plate curved up to a point in front of the pedal, arching upwards. This will be a smoother transition for any obstruction I might hit, and let it sort of flow past the master cylinder.

Don

I know that if it CAN happen it will. I remember on time trying to adjust the steering valve on a vett. I thought I had it centered. Got in had my hand on the wheel started the engine That wheel took of so fast that if I'd had my hand anywhere but loose on top I'd have broke somthing. I try not to leave anything to chance any more.

Today I got more done, and didn't spend a penny. My favorite kind of day.

The first thing I did was weld the 3rd wall to the master cylinder bracket, and clamp it to the frame rail for a trial fit. It also dawned on me that I still have the stick tranny in place, and maybe I had better put the turbo 350 in there to make sure everything is going to clear. Rather than use the rebuilt one I just got, I used the dummy case so that I can drip fiberglass and stuff all over it without causing any harm to my good one. After it was in place I was kind of relieved to see that it took up no more space on the drivers side than the stick trans, so I am going to be ok there for pedal room and foot room.

The next thing I needed to do was finish up the cowl roll bar skeleton that will be the backbone of the dash. I finished welding the part that goes under the dash to the roll bar with 3 short lengths of 1 x 1 tubing. When it was all done it really is strong, and will give me a great mounting place for my steering and my windshield. In fact, I could actually drive the car with only the skeleton in place, because the body will only be a skin to dress this framework up.

Here are some shots of how it turned out.


Don

PS: The little wing on the drivers side is smaller than the passenger side by design. My ignition switch comes through the dash there, and it had to be smaller to clear that.