My '40 sedan is very close to it's maiden voyage but I have noticed my clutch pedal lands squarely on the driver side exhaust header. I have searched the archives but can't find a solution that I can perform in the garage. I need some help here and appreciate any sound advise. Just can't get it in gear to go to the muffler shop and don't think heating and hammering aimlessly is the answer. The car has a '38 trans in it behind an 8BA. Happy to hear from you.
Sound advise....well....how about buying headers that clear the clutch pedal? Or maybe you could provide a few pictures, or maybe tell us what kind of headers you have, so we could have some idea of what you're up against, and make some useful suggestions.
The right way would be to see if it looks like you can cut out a section of the tube that the clutch pedal hits and fit a tube in that clears the linkage.
I have Fenton headers with Red's header pipes. Nothing elaborate or tricky but pretty straight forward. It seems like the pedal needs another 1 to 2 inches of travel. Flattening the pipe would seem like it would provide enough depth but I don't want the pipe crushed. If it retained an oval profile that may work. I will be happy to go to a muffler shop for a more adequate solution once I can drive the car. Should the pipe be removed if all else fails and taken to a pro? HRP, I wouldn't know how to bend or shorten the clutch pedal.
You wouldn't want to shorten the pedal,you just need to use a torch and reshape it enough to miss the header. It usually requires very little to gain the needed clearance. HRP
HRP, thanks. I never thought of that, so much for advanced thinking! I will check that out in the morning. Appreciate all of the feedback guys.
Mythbusters proved out that you can do that with no risk. You will not shatter a hammer head, unless you submerge it in liquid Nitrogen first.
I have seen a hammer loose chips. Got a cut in my face, other dude got three in the face and one in the neck. Not really a big deal though. Can you just unbolt the exhaust from the header to get to the muffler shop? Sent from my iPhone using The H.A.M.B. mobile app
Junk yard kid, that's what I will have to do if I'm unsuccessful with the pedal tweak. Thanks for the thoughts.
Have your wife/GF ride shotgun and instruct her to poke you in the ribs if she sees a cop. Trust me, you'll feel it if/when she does...
Ah, open headers...... meeting people in law enforcement, what could be better? Just another adventure!
It may be easier to remove the header and modify it. I had interference between the header and the steering gear on my 40. After trying the hammer technique I pulled the header and made some mods. If you go to page 9 starting at post 267 you can see the modification. There are also some references to clutch peddle to exhaust pipe clearances before post 267. Link below. https://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum...upe-for-uncle-mike-build-thread.949053/page-9
That is beautiful 39 guy. If I can engage enough gears for forward motion to get to the muffler shop, I can only hope mine will be as clean and functional as yours. Thanks for the build!
You are welcome.I hope the info is of some help. All builds are different in so many ways but sometimes you can use parts of another persons ideas for your own. Now about that parachute with the small stain.
Hey @Babar40 I used a set of Red's 1 3/4" pipes (from exhaust manifold to muffler) on my stake truck. The driver's side runs TIGHT towards the front of the oval in the X member, then drops down. I do, however, tap the exhaust pipe at the very bottom of the stroke. When I changed my coupe over to a manual transmission, I took it to a local exhaust shop who must be a magician after work! He was able to route a 2" pipe through the same area without having any pedal clearance issues, and it doesn't rattle against the frame. He mocked everything up with the clutch pedal wedged all the way down as he routed it through. It CAN be done.
Thanks bchrismer. I have massaged the pipe a little bit and my clutch comes within 1-1/2 inches of the floor. Since I am in the midst of wiring right now, I can't fire it up to see if I have an acceptable clutch response. Just need enough to drive it to get a professional rerouting of the pipe. Gonna' see real soon. Thanks everyone for the all of the helpful advise.
Hey Babar- Worthless post #53639173.374927 Learn to match revs and slide through the gears. What clutch?!?! Just kidding, all the best, you'll get it worked out. Best of luck, Chad
Thanks Chad, I'll get that pesky clutch pedal out of the car today! Another day closer to finishing up the wiring.
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