When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.
Last night, the pin or dowel at the very top of the clutch pedal broke off. Now I'm looking at it and the pin or dowel for the clutch is welded in!!! I drilled it out for two hours and it's just going to be a loose ho. %$$#*&)#!
If any of you guys have the dash out or the car down to nothing, I highly recommend replacing this, because I'm going to go into the dash AGAIN!
Did they put a replaceable clevis pin in there, that would've been easy to remove and replace. Noooo. They welded it. We're going to look at it and see if we can tack weld a dowel in place. No room whatsever and it's hard enough getting under the dash, much less welding under there!
So I'm betting that I'm going to just have to suck it up and pull the dash....
Be sure to take the seat out so your welder can get somewhat comfortable.
I think the worst part of that job is going to be cleaning the weld up so the dowel will slide in correctly.
I had that dowel break in the middle of Toronto on me about 10 yrs ago. I remember putting the roof down and being upside down trying to wedge the broken piece in and as long as I kept pressure on the clutch pedal it stayed in to drove the 60 miles home. What a pain in the butt it was. Went to a freind's place near me who had an air chisle to get the welded in part out. Been using a grade 8 bolt ever since and keep it lubed with some white grease.
That pin is hardened. Once you wear thru the hard skin, you are into softer material that will wear out quickly.
You can buy a new clutch pedal for around $80 but the entire pedal assy will need to come out which means the IP comes out and the steering column.
Or you can just get a pin. I spent some time trying to track one down.
The following is bang on to the right size except the head is a bit smaller in diameter.
You need to do a quick weld so as not to heat up the pin too much and destroy its temper.
I had that dowel break in the middle of Toronto on me about 10 yrs ago. I remember putting the roof down and being upside down trying to wedge the broken piece in and as long as I kept pressure on the clutch pedal it stayed in to drove the 60 miles home. What a pain in the butt it was. Went to a freind's place near me who had an air chisle to get the welded in part out. Been using a grade 8 bolt ever since and keep it lubed with some white grease.
I like the grade 8 bolt idea, as it's going to have to be hardened. We may even heat up a section of steel rod and quench it in oil. Gotta get it out first, and we're wrapping up the Mustang for now.
That pin is hardened. Once you wear thru the hard skin, you are into softer material that will wear out quickly.
You can buy a new clutch pedal for around $80 but the entire pedal assy will need to come out which means the IP comes out and the steering column.
Or you can just get a pin. I spent some time trying to track one down.
The following is bang on to the right size except the head is a bit smaller in diameter.
You need to do a quick weld so as not to heat up the pin too much and destroy its temper.
Steve L
73 coupe since new
Thank you, brother, as I'm going to look at this option as well.
Be sure to take the seat out so your welder can get somewhat comfortable.
I think the worst part of that job is going to be cleaning the weld up so the dowel will slide in correctly.
I'm thinking, it has just gotta come out first. I just can't see any way to even tack it, as there's zero room, deep up in there. I did manage to drill a hole through it, but it is rough and whored out and would make a lousy receptacle for a pin or dowel. Too much excessive motion is a far bigger problem.
Thank God, for the Rockwell 90 degree drill, I got at Salvage Sales! It'd be very tough, if not impossible, to use anything else to drill out the clutch pedal at the top, without removing it. And it was still a bastard of a job!!!
It took over two hours to three hours to drill it out and then, using the drill, widen the hole until the pin (as seen in the pic) made it though. It was a friction fit and I had to use a really long punch to tap the last 1/16" of the pin, into the hole. I added the spacer and the washer, then used a clevis pin for the hole, but it works and I didn't have to remove nothing.
Just a follow up on the clutch pin install (without having to remove the clutch pedal). Many of you know this scene: looking up, into the bowels of a C3 dash. Tight, complex and a big PITA.
Deep up in there, if you use a Rockwell 90 degree drill and manage to hold the loose pedal in place, while you're doing it. The metal chips tasted strange though. But I got it drilled, all the way up there, ho'd it out with a couple of drills, working them on the sides (there isn't a drill that big for a Rockwell 90 degree drill) around and around and then examine it, again and again, seeing what ridge or burr is holding up.
You can see it start coming through and I could actually see the tight spot was at 7 o-clock and 1 o-clock, it was that close. Used a push on, Clevis pin to hold it in. Test drove it, felt totally great, way better than before.
It sure beat pulling the dash. I hate, hate pulling the dash on the mid-C3's. So this is to show an alternate method of doing it. BTW, you should have either big air, go somewhere, where you can get capacity and PSI, because these 90 degree drills, use a lot of air, they are high speed, little puppies.
You can see the back edge of the clevis pin in the picture below.
PS: That crazy pair of pliers is what it took to get the pin in from the passenger side. And that is in the "full up" position all the way at the top! The brake pedal switch is directly in the way, for the rest of the travel = zero access. No room for hands and even fingers unless you drop the steering column, but I managed. Also, good place to drill, besides the backside, but does take patience and hanging in there. Might as well try to relax, while you're down there.
Man I gotta hand it to you for attempting this. I finished putting all this back together a few wks back because I had to remount my firewall (long story).
I replaced that pin since it was well worn at the same time.
At the time, I was wondering if your method was even do-able.
But now that I see what you went thru and the time and effort I think I would opt out and take the pedals out (and steering, and connectors and rag and IP and duct work and speed cable, and tach cable, and trip cable, and cable harness, and lower IP, and seat) and put it all back.
I would challenge you to a race. That includes grinding out the old pin and rewelding a new one.....I suspect it would be a tie. The worst thing is matching up the duct to the ball vent.
Man I gotta hand it to you for attempting this. I finished putting all this back together a few wks back because I had to remount my firewall (long story).
I replaced that pin since it was well worn at the same time.
At the time, I was wondering if your method was even do-able.
But now that I see what you went thru and the time and effort I think I would opt out and take the pedals out (and steering, and connectors and rag and IP and duct work and speed cable, and tach cable, and trip cable, and cable harness, and lower IP, and seat) and put it all back.
I would challenge you to a race. That includes grinding out the old pin and rewelding a new one.....I suspect it would be a tie. The worst thing is matching up the duct to the ball vent.
Steve L
73 coupe since new
Yeah, I considered it, maybe it is a wash, but a man's got to pick his poison!
PS, thanks for the dimensions, but didn't have to order it, that size ended up being one of the common pin sizes sold at many auto stores, so lucked out on that!
Yeah, I considered it, maybe it is a wash, but a man's got to pick his poison!
PS, thanks for the dimensions, but didn't have to order it, that size ended up being one of the common pin sizes sold at many auto stores, so lucked out on that!
I hope you took a file to the pin from the auto store to check hardness. I thought the same thing when I got one from Fastenal. One scratch from a file showed it was dead soft.
A soft pin will get you doing this over again pretty quick.
And if you drive like me when at a red light, I usually have it in first. If the pin breaks, you will be taking inventory of the trunk in front of you.
I hope you took a file to the pin from the auto store to check hardness. I thought the same thing when I got one from Fastenal. One scratch from a file showed it was dead soft.
A soft pin will get you doing this over again pretty quick.
And if you drive like me when at a red light, I usually have it in first. If the pin breaks, you will be taking inventory of the trunk in front of you.
steve L
73 coupe since new
I didn't check it, because it's going to be easy to replace for less than a $1 at any hardware store, as well as an easy replacement under the dash. The front of the linkage disconnects in seconds and the pin should take five minutes to replace.
In fact, I'll probably order one of these in stainless steel or carbon steel. That should be plenty hard enough for the application. There are plenty of choices out there.
I didn't check it, because it's going to be easy to replace for less than a $1 at any hardware store, as well as an easy replacement under the dash. The front of the linkage disconnects in seconds and the pin should take five minutes to replace.
In fact, I'll probably order one of these in stainless steel or carbon steel. That should be plenty hard enough for the application. There are plenty of choices out there.
I forgot that you didn't weld it in. That makes a big difference for replacement. GM probably welded to reduce the amount play.
These 2 links don't mention hardening at all which most likely means it is not hardened. Stainless will not be hardened and the zinc plated is most likely not hardened.
I guess it's about that time in the life of these Vettes. Mine just crunched about two weeks ago. Sitting at a red light, went to put the clutch in to shift to first and . . .SURPRIZE!. At least now it should be good for another 40 years.
Bleah!
