Brake pedal issues in a '36 Ford

[Django]

I think I'm going to have problems with my pedal. Right now the pedal does not have full travel before it hits the firewall. So why does it hit the firewall you ask??

I hope I get this right because I am 150 miles away from the car... The firewall is a Bitchin BBC/SBF with 5" setback that Dad had put in in the mid 90s. The pedal is original adapted to a late model MC. I can't move the assembly forward because it will hit the headers. My buddy Jon warns against lengthening the pedal because of the added leverage that will enter into the geometry. They did that on another buddy's truck and if you even look at the brakes funny, it locks the tires. His truck and my car are both manual brakes.

Any suggestions? I called Bitchin and the tech guy told me to either move the asembly forward or lenghten the pedal. He said he had no problems lengthening th pedal but he had power brakes. Also I don't want to have my knee in my chest everytime I need to brake. With that firewall, there is alot less room. It was looking good for the Pileup Debut, but this may kill any chance of that happening with everything else there is to do yet.

[36couper]

Django...you have the exact same problem I had with the brake pedal in my coupe. Although I don't have a Bitchin firewall, I nonetheless fashioned my new firewall off the Bitchin product.
I have a swing pedal mounted to a master cylinder with no booster (manual brakes). What I did was remove the pedal assembly and made a pie cut in the arm and test fit it a number of times to see what angle worked best for both my leg position and operation of the brakes. Once I had the right angle, I had a professional do the weld.
Now I have a good strong pedal that comes no where near the firewall and is still comfortable to push.
I merely changed the angle of the pedal arm.

[Django]

What part of the arm did you make the pie cut in? Would you be able to send me a jpg of your pedal inside and outside?

I'm guessing you made the cut on the upper part of the arm, on the top side angling the pedal in the car downward. Am I right?

[Django]

Sent you a pm.

Anyone else have any thoughts?

[Model A Vette]

How about a master cyl with a bigger bore? That would move more fluid with the same stroke of the pedal. If you know what master you have now maybe there is a power master that has a bigger bore. That is the way chevy did it on 60's vettes and Camaros: manual cyl was 1" and power cyl was 1 1/8th. Slightly harder pedal pressure without a booster but it might solve your problem.

[Django]

I'll ask Dad tomorrow what that master is out of.

[bdrake]

Hey Django, Some things to consider. Lengthening the pedal makes it more sensitive, would be magnified with power brakes. Shortening the pedal will make it harder and give poor feel. Going to a larger bore master cylinder will also give you a harder pedal.

Can you move the pedal mount backwards away from the firewall closer to the seat? Although, that would also move the brake pedal towards the gas pedal due to the stock frame.

Modify the pedal to clear and keep your pedal ratio around 6:1. If any welding is done make sure they are good welds. You don’t want that to break.

Or build a new pedal assembly or an aftermarket one. I went this route on the ’47 Ford I had. It had a 5 inch recessed firewall for the BBC and auto trans and I moved the pedal to the left for clearance along with a wider foot pad.

[Django]

The master is a 66ish Mustang.

I would buy a new setup if I knew what to get and if it would aleviate the problem. I'll look into moving the assembly back, though it won't be easy... http://www.jalopyjournal.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/frown.gif

I hope we can actually drive the damn thing this weekend and see how it is going to perform.