Not getting full throttle
5th Gear
Joined: Mar 2022
Posts: 5
Likes: 1
Due to lack of W.O.T., I have had to bend the gas pedal linkage back into shape on my '70 Chevelle SS and a '73 Camaro I used to own. Question: Because getting under the dash of my '74 C3 LS4 is nearly impossible, can the rod be bent while still bolted to the firewall or will I possibly fracture the firewall at the retaining bolts? I can remove the gas pedal, then slide a length of 3/4" galvanized pipe over the lower portion of the rod so all of the torque won't be trying to pull out the mounting bolts. Think that'll work? (The '74 Corvette gas pedal linkage is different than the linkage on the '68-'72 Corvette...it's nearly identical to my '70 Chevelle and '73 Camaro)
Last edited by Xcytibl; Aug 17, 2022 at 07:05 PM.
Is my vette stock?? HAHA
Joined: Oct 2015
Posts: 20,153
Likes: 9,279
From: Im not allowed to tell you
2020 C3 of the Year Finalist - Modified
2020 Corvette of the Year Finalist (performance mods)
2019 C3 of Year Winner (performance mods)
2016 C3 of Year Finalist
depends on the year. THe 68 I have has a fiberglass fire wall and a resin hinge. I took it out to bend it and 4 years later the hinge just snapped on its own. If you have a later year with a metal floor and the hinge is metal then you might be able to do it in the car.
5th Gear
Joined: Mar 2022
Posts: 5
Likes: 1
Got 'er done... I verified that on my '74 Corvette there is a metal plate on that portion of the firewall, so I got my BIG screwdriver (which doubles as a pry bar when necessary) and pried the z-bar gas pedal linkage upward right behind the gas pedal and was able to bend it upward approximately one and a half inches. Then I had a neighbor come over and MAT the gas pedal (while the engine was NOT running) and looking at the carburetor, I verified that I now have W.O.T. with about half an inch to spare! FINALLY! No wonder it wouldn't kick-down above 40 mph!
The z-bar gas pedal linkage on my '70 Chevelle SS and '73 Camaro is MUCH thicker, so I had to remove them to reshape them. Thankfully, this bar was thinner material. Of course, being thinner material lends to eventually straightening out, which causes the need to periodically re-shape the bar.
The z-bar gas pedal linkage on my '70 Chevelle SS and '73 Camaro is MUCH thicker, so I had to remove them to reshape them. Thankfully, this bar was thinner material. Of course, being thinner material lends to eventually straightening out, which causes the need to periodically re-shape the bar.
Is my vette stock?? HAHA
Joined: Oct 2015
Posts: 20,153
Likes: 9,279
From: Im not allowed to tell you
2020 C3 of the Year Finalist - Modified
2020 Corvette of the Year Finalist (performance mods)
2019 C3 of Year Winner (performance mods)
2016 C3 of Year Finalist
I keep a tiny zip tie on the throttle cable so I can slide it against the housing and mat the pedal, then feed it back into the housing to verify full throttle.
5th Gear
Joined: Mar 2022
Posts: 5
Likes: 1
What I do is put a 28" long 2x4, length of pipe or something similar wedged between the front of the seat bottom and the gas pedal until it is in Wide Open Throttle position. Next, I go to the carburetor end of the throttle cable and using a yellow "Brite Mark" pen, I make a highly visible mark on the cable's housing where the sheath slips over the cable. Next, I disconnect the cable from the ball socket on the carburetor linkage and pull the linkage to W.O.T. position to see if, and by how much, the cable is enabling W.O.T. My goal is to have an additional 1/2" to 1" of cable travel after W.O.T. In this case, I have W.O.T. plus an additional 1" of travel. That way, as the gas pedal z-bar flattens out again, and it WILL, it won't affect W.O.T. until the entire 1" of additional travel is depleted. In the meantime, the yellow mark I made on the cable housing remains my reference point for the gas pedal's W.O.T.
Last edited by Xcytibl; Aug 21, 2022 at 08:53 PM.
