I haven't decided on pedal setup for my 46 Ford. Pro's and con's for swing pedals versus through the floor. I plan on it being a four speed or other manual trans. Nontraditional Olds engine, a late model 425 or 350. Mainly asking for input on pedal setups.
Are yo going to do any body mods like channel it? What about room for the master cyls on the firewall. Or you can get the reversed or 90 degree ones and keep it all under the dash.
No channel but I have already installed a flat firewall, so there will be plenty of room under hood. Not building anything traditional looking. Just want the best comfort and drivability.
I think its apples and oranges. I'm fine with either pedal....what matters most is the geometry of your car/build. If you go with your master cylinder under the floor, go with pedals out of the floor (Thats what I did and Ive been quite pleased), if your putting the Master Cylinder on the firewall, swing pedals would be cool and probally easier to install depending on the location of your steering column (if you changed it, moved it, etc....) again, I think it all comes down to the geometry of the build and your style...what do I know though? Im just some hack hobbiest wannabe mechanic!
I like the "feel" better on swings. Also, i like the idea of the master on the firewall. Works better, and more accessible for checking fluid and for service/repairs
glad sombody finaaly posted this. I have a 31 model a pickup that will be chopped 3 inches and channelled 3 inches. I've heard swing pedals will give me more leg room. give me your imput on that.
i'm leaning towards swing pedals. i figure i may be able to slide my toes underneath the pedal when i'm not shifting. this should let me extend my leg more. i too am going to 3" channel my 30 sedan. we'll see though. Bryan
I like swing pedals because I like the master cyls on the firewall and on long trips when you get tired and take a nap your legs can go under them ....
good question. I was debating on going with a under floor master for the brakes, or going to the bonyard and getting a swing pedal assembly. Where do you find the opposite side master cylinder assemblies to put it under the cowl top
I bought a chevy dual master cylinder (clutch and brake) to put on the firewall with swings....but I think I'm going the other way. Still using the same mastercylinder, but puttin it under the floorboard with a trap door for access. I like the cleaner firewall look myself. Another cool setup i saw used sandrail pedals and mcs. they are fairly inexpensive and all built up into one unit, dont know if id use em on disc braked but drummeys would be okay.
If your not concerned with the look of it, m/c on the firewall is the easiest. I hate the look, so mine went back under the floor. For the 90 degree one, all you have to do is extend your pedal over the pivot, and move the pushrod over the pivot. When you push the pedal the top moves back toward you. Use a Strange m/c for disk drum, it is the same as the late model Chrysler, but has side mounts as well as back mounts. Under the cowl it would be much easier to mount. (Kinda pricey) It also can be setup for a remote resevior, for easier filling.
VERY generally speaking, I think that floor pedals work best when the seat positions you up high like the old pickups, and hanging pedals are mostly for the cars with lower seats. For me that is just taking advantage of the natural angles of the legs and levers that result from the different positions of the driver. Of course there are many other reasons to adopt one type or another, but I would ask the seat question first before I go to the next.
I don't like putting them on the firewall and i have no room under the floor anyway, but I prefer swing reverse setup. Everything's under dash and tidy. AP racing will set you back $3000 - so these were a bargain at $200 from summit.
I went under the floor on my 47 Ford, cuz I don't want ANYTHING on the firewall. I like that nice clean look.
You haset your priorities. Safety, accessibility, or appearance. On the safety side definately go with a dual cylinder. Accessibility: put it on the firewall where it is easy to service. Appearance: put it under the floor out of view and use the original pedals if thats what you want. Or mount it under the dash out of view with hanging pedals where its hell to add fluid to and hope like hell it doesn't leak. I put mine on the firewall on my 38 chevy because its a driver and will have the hood closed unless I'm working on it.
If you haven't had floor pedals before, it taks a little to get used to them. It's definitley a different feel. The floor pedals are part of what makes it feel like I'm driving my coupe. But generally, I think swing pedals are more comfortable.
A lot of the defining factor is really placement of all the components compared to all the other components. (Whoa, that was deep! ) What you gotta look out for is placement of the brake master (+ booster if applicable) and clutch master (or linkage) in relation to the cylinder head/valve cover. You don't want to hafta pull the brake master to get the valve cover off. Also, you need room for your clutch linkage or slave cylinder to be able to operate very close to where an under-floor setup would be. Don't forget that you'll probably have an exhaust pipe going through that general area as well. If you haven't already done so, I'd get the engine & tranny set in place, then let that make your decision. I do agree with others that an empty firewall looks better, but servicing the master is a pain when it's under the floor or under the dash. For me, that part comes down to whether I want to show or to go.
I went with swing pedals out of an S10 for my 49' chevy. It already was setup for a master cylinder on the firewall, with an s10 brake pedal, but still had the old pedals on the floor also. I jest went with it.
In the model A, a switchover to floor mounted pedals allowed room for a direct clutch release rod. So I could eliminate the master/slave hydraulics. It was tight, but the brake master did fit, and the mounts were on the frame, which felt quite solid. Seat height, and whether you prefer the swing (from the dash) pedals, for comfort reasons may help to decide which way to go.
I was mid way on a '46 till someone wanted it more than I did.I had a 77 t-bird parts car, 302/c4,tilt wheel etc I used the pedals ,m/c and booster and it mounted fairly easy with just a little modifing of the pedal mount,sorry I don't remember what I did but it wasn't much.The guy that bought the car was still using it when I lost touch with him.Any way the t-bird/torino of that period were built on a similar platform so if you want a manual trans loog for Torino/Montego ,never was a manual in that period on t-birds.
I have floor pedals in my '31 coupe. I'm not finished with it and I'm going to keep the floor pedals, I'm too far along to change everything (plus floor pedals match the look I'm after). But, I'm sure that swing pedals would be more comfortable and practical.
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