Hello again! After discussion on my previous post, https://www.corvetteforum.com/forums...utch-help.html , I have to remove the clutch pedal and put on a new one.

The pin that is welded on to the clutch pedal and goes to the pedal push rod snapped off from the factory weld. I have to purchase a new clutch pedal and can anyone offer help on how to remove and replace the clutch pedal?. Looking for tips/advice/opinions before I tackle this job or have someone tackle the job if it is too big for me. After lots of investigating, the clutch pedal assembly is so far up that I can not even see the bolts and how it connects to the pedal box. I spent about 2 hours trying to trouble shoot how exactly this will be fixed. I am using my 79 factory assembly manual but the diagrams don't help as much as I thought they would. Has anyone ever tackled this job? Can anyone lend some tips? Thank you for all of your help!

 

good luck! take some pics and show how its done.. i am interested..
here are some pretty decent threads a little light on pics but consensus is doable.. pull seat (easy), column (never did that), 79 instrument panel (not bad especially later years and easy after column out).
mine squeaks and would love to lube it but cannot see it and had instrument panel out and forgot if i could see it..
c3 corvette replacing clutch pedal assembly - Google Search

 

My pin broke while downtown Toronto in 2001. Was able to push the broken part into the hole and had to keep pressure on the clutch for the 1 hr trip home. Stoplights were not fun.

I decided to power chisel the weld part off and replaced to broken part with a #8 (Iirc) hardened bolt. I check it every year and spray a bit of white grease on it to lubricate. So far has worked out ok. I have left an extra one in the car just in case. That pedal is a pia to get at. When I did the Vintage Air last yr I had looked at it with a thought of replacing if worn but all looked good.

I had always planned on replacing the entire pedal assembly with a Lokar or other aftermarket unit, just never got around to it.

 

here are some good pics. ebay is great. https://www.ebay.com/itm/35339936873...saAhnzEALw_wcB and the retainer. https://www.ebay.com/itm/12436767329...IAAOSwubRfe-Pg looks lke you could go up on the brake pedal side and finesse the clip, then slide the clutch pedal out. problem is the springs will go BOINNNGGG! i think the assy should come out of the car to replace the pedal. and just think. now that you are in there... did you take the driver's seat out?

 

Thanks for all the advice everyone. I searched the archives and literally read every post pertaining to this issue. It seems like it is a rare occurrence that the pin snaps off the factory weld because there isn't a ton of info on the job.

Thank you for the advice! This has me thinking...maybe I can drill out the weld, pivot pin piece, and then use a hardened bolt with washer in between the push rod and clutch pedal. According to my manual, there is a washer, push rod, another washer, and then the clutch pedal. Doing what you accomplished, I wonder if this is doable. Time to investigate further. Thanks for the suggestion and help!

 

You can drill out the old pin and weld in a hardened bolt for a couple bucks or spend $80 for a new pedal. A machine shop will do it for you pretty cheap if you can't. If you decide that you are going to take the entire pedal box out, it is a bit of a job. Not technically hard, but time consuming. I suggest you take it out and examine all the parts including brake light switch, rubber bump stops, nylon bushings, etc. After you determine what you need, order them all. Otherwise you will have two parts and need 2-3 more and have to wait for them to ship. Lastly, replace the coil spring while you're there.

 

After spending another hour under the dash I can not see a way I can drill it out and replace with a hardened bolt. Any tips on this? There is so much in the way. I was also able to reach up on the right side of the pedal assembly and would be able to remove the retaining clip which holds the clutch pedal in place (this part- https://www.zip-corvette.com/63-04-b...ning-clip.html). Would it be possible to remove the retaining clip, put in a 'dummy' shaft (as it says in the manual to hold the brake pedal assembly in place) and then slide out just the clutch pedal? Has anyone attempted to do it this way instead of removing the whole pedal assembly? There isn't much room so I am sure I would have to finagle the clutch pedal out and to get a new one in. Thanks again for the advice!

 

Hi Davoforty, I found the weld for my clutch pedal pin cracked quite severely when I was rebuilding the entire pedal assembly. I had completely removed mine from the car to do the rebuild. I think you are on the right track to slip in a dummy pin to hold the brake pedal, bushings and spring in place when you slide out the clutch pedal( not sure f there is enough clearance to get it out. Good luck.

Weld is cracked almost all the way around.

 

https://www.corvettemods.com/C3-Corv...QaApn7EALw_wcB generic pedal oic. do you have the length of that pin to the right of the clutch pedal to slide the pedal out? might have to remove wiring, kick panel, etc. dummy shaft. i used wooden dowel pin for counter gear dummy in a trans to hold all the loose rollers in place. but i don't think you have the room to remove the pedal in place.

 

Thanks everyone for the help. Made some progress. Column is out. What is the best way to store column until the parts arrive and clutch pedal replaced? Don't want to ruin any bearings or anything. Right now I have it as shown.

Second, where are all of the main bolts for the clutch pedal assembly? According to my manual, I have to take off the retaining clip, slide the clutch pedal shaft out, replace with dummy shift and then replace with new clutch pedal and new retaining clip. So there are no bolts holding it? From my manual, it doesn't give much info on how it is attached. Thanks again!

 

Davoforty, I am not sure if you are saying you want to remove the entire pedal assembly or just slide out the clutch pedal itself leaving the pedal support assembly in place? If you only want to slide out the clutch pedal from the assembly while that remains in the car, you are correct in your interpretation of the manual. If you remove the clip on the inboard end of the clutch pedal it can slide out. Be advised though that you will need to disconnect the linkage that goes to the clutch safety switch ( be careful as the retainer is tiny and can be easily lost). Also assume you have the clutch rod disconnected from the clutch pedal as well. As you can see from the picture of my removed assembly the clutch pedal pin slides through the brake pedal and has plastic bushings and the return spring that all need to be kept in place while the dummy shaft is slid in place. I hope there is enough room to get the pedal out. If you do decide to remove the assembly, there are four nuts at the brake booster/firewall, four bolts on the forward side of the wiper well area below windshield an two more bolts at interior lower edge of windshield frame ( almost directly above the two bolts you removed for the steering column. I think storing it vertically is acceptable and will do no harm. Keep moving forward.

Removed assembly, showing safety switch linkage. Can also see where booster studs attach(top) and wiper well bolts are(two gray painted bolt heads partially threaded into assembly just below clutch pedal pivot.

Orange brake return spring.

Clip side.

Spring and bushings that slide onto clutch pedal pin.

 

This is a huge help. Thank you so much for commenting and helping out. The new clutch pedal and parts came in last night so my next step is trying to take out the old and replace with the new! Hopefully it goes smooth. I will update as I make progress.

 

Alright made some progress...maybe haha. After trying to remove the clutch pedal from the assembly it is impossible to do because there is not close to enough clearance. Now onto removing the whole assembly from the car.

I can clearly see 4 bolts that hold it to the firewall (although they look very difficult to get too) and the two right before the steering column assembly bolts I took off. That is a total of 6. According to aerofix (thank you for your help!), there are 4 more that I am missing. Aerofix referred to under the windshield but I can not see them. Any ideas? Where are they? The assembly manual literally doesn't give any descriptions from what I can see! Please help!

 

There are four around the master cylinder / and / or power brake booster. IIRC on the MB cars two of them are studs.

 

It’s been a few years since I had mine apart but I seem to recall those bolts you are looking for are found in the well in front of the windshield where the wipers are. I don’t have my car here or I’d go out and confirm that, but I don’t remember them being hard to find or get at.

 

Davoforty, see the picture with circled bolt holes in the reinforcement plate that is on the forward side of the windshield wiper well area. That is where the last four bolts are. They may be covered in sealant and hard to see. Unfortunately in my picture there is no windshield and wiper arms. Those are the holes where the gray painted bolts in my earlier picture of the pedal assembly show. Hopefully the picture will provide the correct orientation to help you get your wrench on them.

Yellow circles should be where bolts live, they secure assembly to reinforcement plate.

Assembly cleaned up, painted and waiting to go back in.

 

Once again, a massive help. Thank you so much! I was able to get to those and take them off. Now I am on the top left nut for the booster. So hard to get at that with the clutch pedal right in front! I will have to do some maneuvering to try and get to it. Thanks again and will keep you updated!

 

That was quite the task. So close to everything with barely any room to work. It's amazing how they got it in there! Now have some cleaning up to do, replace the bushings, new clutch pedal, retaining clips and G clips and should be all set to reinstall.

Quick question, what is the correct orientation of the brake pedal return spring clip? I have the one that was factory installed but not sure how it connects. I want to make sure all of the parts are put in place correctly before I reassemble.

 

Good news, everything is back together and installed. Quick question, how do you install the special G clip that connects the clutch pedal to the push rod? I can't quite figure out the orientation and I want to make sure it's right. Could I just use a cotter pin? Here is a pic of my clutch pedal and the G clip. Is this on correctly? Thanks!

 

how did you get the assembly to clear the metal sides that it is between? Mine is all loose and moves around a bit, but I can’t remove it because there isn’t clearance for the edges of the assembly. Do you have to remove the instrument panel??
Thanks in advance!