Technical Speedway Motors=Disaster

Speedway.....................yikes ! I have a '34 Ford pickup with a new firewall so I needed a brake and pedal cowl mount setup which I purchased from Speedway. The set up is a normal application consisting of a bracket that provides the brake and clutch arms. I got the thing mounted and it fit the bill and all went well until I tried to mount the clutch pedal to the arm. When I tightened the pedal nut the clutch arm broke off!! The arm didn't snap or bend off it just sorta oozed off like it was applied with silicone. I couldn't believe it. The clutch arm is one piece flat piece of 1/4" steel that was advertised as Made in the U.S.A., and it simply broke off, no warning. I examined the break and could see shiny smooth surfaces on both the the broken arm and the broken off piece. The pieces showed no sign of metal weakness or wear. It was at one time, one piece. I called Speedway and apprised them of the situation and stressed the fact that it was a driver safety consideration and that they should examine the defective product. I was amazed that the worker, Natalie a seemingly nice person on the phone was not interested in viewing anything and sorta just blew me off saying only that I would receive a new clutch arm which I did. I wasn't happy about the new part already knowing their lack of quality control and their non interest in driver safety. The damned thing breaking off in CA traffic could have killed me. I was pissed but unsure about what to do about it.
While waiting for the arrival of the new/improved clutch arm and I attempted to attach the brake pedal to the existing brake arm that I had just installed. I torqued the nut just slightly and the brake arm and the pedal broke off !! AGAIN !!! It broke in the exact place that the clutch arm broke and had the same shiny smooth area where it broke. See photos.
I was dumbfounded !! What if this had happened in traffic. I'm 75 and have an 6 year old hot rod grandson who drives me nuts most of the time but he loves riding in my '34. What if....??? It's too terrible for me to even contemplate. I was even more pissed !
I called Speedway and demanded to speak to a supervisor which I did. She informed me that my situation had not happened before and that she was sorry and that she would send me an entirely new bracket. But that wasn't what I wanted from them. I explained the safety issue, an issue that I thought others could benefit from. I told her that I would send them the broken parts so they could determine the cause of the part failure. She declined, stating again that it had not happened before and that all was well. To my mind all was not well. I could have been killed and as I write this, others may suffer the same consequences. The lady's position that It had not happen before stuck in my craw . Speedway is waiting for another situation involving broken clutch and brake pedals breaking and the consequences of that to happen before possibly/maybe acting to examine the damned faulty product ! What kind of thinking is that ?? The world is getting more and more nuts.
By happenstance, I received a generic "how'd we do" sales survey from Speedway. I answered right away informing them of the above situation. A worker bee ( a person with no power) sent me an email request for the broken items. I haven't sent them and don't intend to until I can get more information on how best to proceed.

 

Nice to finally see the pics.

That is totally NOT how those pedals were designed! They beauty of the design is that the tab is bent from the arm. NOT welded on like yours! Something is fishy. I doubt they would sell them like that as it adds about 3 steps to production. Wonder if they were bought, cut and welded then returned? Got dropped back into a bin and resold.

And that is a version of the shitty gas pedal I referred to in the other thread. Yours looks better than the 5th grade art project I received.

 

Sue the bastards!

 

Why is one arm drilled and the other not? Any chance someone started modifying them, were also shortened, never completed properly then returned.

 

Tman beat me to it, I type slow and think slower.

 

Some places do re-sell returns with out checking them. Maybe it was returned defective by someone else.

 

Good pics,,,,,,,like Tman said,,,,,,those don’t look right. .
The bottom bend is supposed to always be one part,,,,with the arm,,,,,,formed into a bend,,,,,not welded .
Those look like crap ,,,,dangerous too .

Tommy

 

I wonder where those speed holes have come from in the clutch pedal. As already mentioned I suspect these are returned items that have been modified (shortened, poorly executed) before being returned (with the speed holes being further evidence perhaps?). A check on the pedal length might confirm this shortening? Not looking to absolve Speedway in in way though. I don't shop there but feel conflicted as I have enjoyed the museum enormously!

Or it might be the infamous spreader bar welder striking (pun intended) again?

Chris

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Hmm...

1. By the way the arms "appear" to be designed, there is NO need for a two piece arm, therefore, there's NO reason to have a weld in a VERY susceptible location.

2. PISS-POOR design.

3. PISS-POOR welding (little to no weld metal penetration). No weld along the side of the arm.

It sounds like you should do what's asked of you. Return the kit as requested to the person that requested them.
But before you do, take several pictures from a coupla different locations, including closeup's the the weld(s).

Mike

 

Were those parts new, or were they part of Speedway’s Garage Sale promotion they frequently have where they sell returned merchandise, among other things?

 

Was the pedal set ordered from the catalog or was it possibly a Speedway “Garage Sale” item? As others have mentioned it sure looks as though they were modified. If they had been returned and put back on the shelf that for sure was a critical error on their part, they should have been given the once over before going back into stock. And if they were Garage Sale even then they should have been checked and defects or modifications noted as they usually do with those items.

 

Not welded, I think the proper term would be tacked, and not even that was well done.. Plus someone used paint to cover their sins.

 

I'll BET somebody ordered....cut'em....welded 'em ....and then ground ALL the bead off trying to cover their work until they could send them back for a refund!!
We are surrounded by jerks/clowns/clods/milleniels/and crooks. (then they wonder why Speedway/Summit are getting away from return policies!)
I bought a can of acetone from Lowes and some 'turd' had used it and then returned it full of water for a refund!!
6sally6

 

The ad..you be the judge..https://www.speedwaymotors.com/Univ...ssembly,73779.html?_br_psugg_q=pedal+assembly

 

As someone who has owned a manufacturing company in the truck industry, this is what I would have done.

I would have taken the customers call.
Ask the application.
Ask the customer for pictures to be emailed to me immediately.
Examined the pictures and note that the pictures in the catalog were not welded but formed and ascertained that a bad weld was not an issue. Metal fatigue or material would come to mind. what material was used, i.e. mild steel
Called the customer and ask for the parts to be returned as fast as possible.
Halt sales of the part number currently in stock immediately due to the fact that a catastrophic event would be possible on same part number sold.
Stay in communication !!!

 

That's what should have been done. Unfortunately the bigger an organization the less likely this can be handled appropriately. It just takes one ignorant or indifferent person in one role to prevent an investigation into the qc and cause of this potential catastrophic problem.

Everyone knows now a days it's impossible to get good employees in all positions. Sad fact that's just the way the world works now.

 

If the part would have been welded correctly it would have never broken . The part should have never been welded in the first place as previously discussed , also . All I can say things like this give us all a bad name when tragedy strikes because of shit parts like this . I do think I would have looked very closely at the pedals before installing , looking at them it’s obvious the welds were completed by someone of the second grade level not a qualified welder . I was always told “ you pay peanuts , you got Monkeys working for you ! “ I’m just thankful no one was hurt , you can replace the broken part , but not the human damages that easily could of taken place . Again , please try to be as safe as humanly possible , peoples life’s are at stake here .

 

Judging by this, they've obviously been modified somewhere along the line. Scary tho, glad you didn't get hurt.

 

I drilled the holes in the shank and painted it. Ain't proud, or tired. The part that I'm referring to that broke WAS NOT WELDED ON. Let's get that straight. It was one piece. The broken pieces show no evidence of a weld or a tack weld. IT WAS ONE PIECE. And it was not a "clearance item". It was new. Nobody cut or modified the darned thing. that I can see. Examination of the new part that Speedway sent shows no evidence of a weld either. The piece is smooth and bare metal from end to end. What's important to me is that maybe some guy has a similar set and is unaware of what might happen when he steps on the brake. Somebody please pick up on the safety issue. Are there any legal issues involving the defective brake/clutch arms. The parts are obviously defective. That's a fact and I have the evidence to prove it.. It's a safety issue that might at some point affect any one of us if we continue to kick the can down the road. What can be done ? Must some poor slob maybe die or become injured because, according to Speedway, that's a condition that must happen before any inquiry ? Am I missing something somewhere ?

 

They have been modified. Still, they should have someone inspecting returns that would have caught that and rejected it. They should not have been sold to you.

I just got a brake pedal assembly from them for my 34 Ford and it looks excellently crafted. The Tig welding had to be done by machine, as did the plasma cutting of the pedal arm.

You need tto ask to speak to a supervisor or manager at Speedway.

 

Pics from truckedups link.... is this the kit Born2loose ?

 

So the pedals actually are made from one single piece of plate (as they should be) and they BOTH broke in the exact same spot, leaving a perfectly straight cut line when they failed? How is that even possible? Did they hold the pedals in a shear when they bent the ends?

 

From what I can see the pedal ends were cut off and tack-welded back on. If you want to know for certain, call Speedway, find out what the overall pedal length should be from the pivot bolt to the center of the brake pad bolt hole. I think you'll find your pedals are a few inches short.
Also, from what I can see, the holes you drilled in the clutch pedal are way too big and seriously compromise the strength of the part. Best of luck with your project.

 

as per @borntoloze post above,
Extremely unusual for 2 to break so cleanly in exactly the same spot.
Maybe they were cut and siliconed on.......
I would not recommend drilling ‘lightning’ holes in such a crucial part either !
You really need to post more photos of the broken ones and the new ones if you want some educated opinions from the good people here.........

if this is them it gives details so you can work out if they have been shortened.

https://www.speedwaymotors.com/Universal-Fit-Firewall-Mount-Clutch-Brake-Pedal-Assembly,73779.html

edit: two posters above are obviously faster typers than my one finger efforts....

 

As Clem says do a measure...

 

Some of us here have had experience fabricating, welding along with knowledge of various metals for years, I still think something doesn’t smell right here.
I would like to see a third party with those skills have the opportunity to examine that pedal assembly.
@Born 2 Loose , you said you still have the pedals, how about taking them to a professional and report back with his opinion?

 

From the Speedway link Q and A

 

I just modified a Speedway Universal Brake Pedal Kit . It was an OK piece ! The problem we had was the brake pedal ended up on the wrong side of the steering column where the clutch pedal would be in order to place the Booster/ master cylinder on the the firewall. I had an old bench grinder laying around so I cut the Stator with a cut off wheel and used the bearings and shaft to jack shaft the pedal to the other side of the steering column. It worked out rather well but I can’t show you the installed part due to fact the the owner doesn’t wanted it displayed on this forum . A certain member of this forum called a different member of this forum a patsy-ass in JEST . We are all about modification in this world .I


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Unfortunately the pictures aren't focused on the break as it would be interesting to see what the metal looked like there. But even if they were originally good parts, the holes you drilled in the metal would be a safety concern to me.