'48 Plymouth pedal box floor-whats supposed to be there?

[FarmerJon]

Been working on insulating the floor and doors of my car ahead of installing new carpet. I got new rubber seals for around the pedals, but it seems I am missing one of the pieces of sheet metal from around where the steering column goes through the floor. I have the 4"*8" one that bolts right above the pedals. 

Can anyone post a picture of what is supposed to be there so I can make a replacement?

I assume most Mopar of the same era are about the same.

 

I will try to get a picture of what I am talking about tonight.

[desoto1939]

You are talking about the rubber seal that goes around the steering column at the floor. Might try Steele rubber or even Andy Bernbaum for a replacement or get a generic one and cut and fit to you car.

 

 

Rich Hartung

desoto1939@aol.com

[harmony]

Is this what you're talking about?  It wasn't the focus point of the shot.  Plus I cropped it so it would show properly here.  Sorry but the top of the boot is cut off. 

[harmony]

If that's what you're talking about.  Keep in mind if you buy that one, you either have to make 2 cuts from the top for it to shift over the column and the shifter shaft, or remove the entire steering column.  The other difficulty is that that rubber piece is as rigid as steel.  It would be a real struggle to get it around the column/shifter shaft, if you only made a cut in the rubber for it to slip around.  Maybe the ones produced now are soft rubber though.

[FarmerJon]

I have the rubber piece, what is under it? Sheet metal or a hole into the engine bay?

[desoto1939]

The rubber seal overs over the hole in the floorboard. you could make a metal piece to seal the hole and then put the rubber steering cover on to make it more air tight.

 

Rich Hartung

[FarmerJon]

So this is what I have now:

Plate above the pedals is just laid in there.

 

The rubber pulls down over my (soon to be) carpet and screws down into the floor? The existing holes don't seem to line up at all.

Also, where is this supposed to fit?

 

I may make something to go over the hole, been trying to get the cab sealed better- one of wife's complaints is excessive engine smells while riding. 

[harmony]

Since you're replacing the rubber seals around the pedals, here's something you might run into that will cause you to scratch your head, as I did.

The second time I went for a drive, After firing up the old girl. I went to back out of my shop.  I depressed the clutch, slipped her into reverse and as I took my foot off the clutch the pedal didn't follow my foot.  ??????

I'm thinking I better crawl under the car and see if the linkage had strangely slipped out of the socket on the arm coming out of the trans. 

Turns out the boot was so tight around the clutch pedal arm, that whatever lubrication was on the boot from the Chinese factory, had worn off on my first trip and the friction between the rubber boot and the clutch pedal arm, was keeping the clutch pedal from returning.  I hit it with some liquid wrench and it was fine.

About a week later I was about to go for a drive and it was like my brakes sort of locked up.  Turns out it was the same issue with the boot on my brake pedal arm.  Liquid wrench did the trick and away I went.

But then 50- 100 miles or so later the problem reoccurred.  This time I coated the clutch pedal arm and the brake pedal arm with grease and they have been fine ever since. 

 

  

[Sam Buchanan]

6 minutes ago, harmony said:

Since you're replacing the rubber seals around the pedals, here's something you might run into that will cause you to scratch your head, as I did.

The second time I went for a drive, After firing up the old girl. I went to back out of my shop.  I depressed the clutch, slipped her into reverse and as I took my foot off the clutch the pedal didn't follow my foot.  ??????

I'm thinking I better crawl under the car and see if the linkage had strangely slipped out of the socket on the arm coming out of the trans. 

Turns out the boot was so tight around the clutch pedal arm, that whatever lubrication was on the boot from the Chinese factory, had worn off on my first trip and the friction between the rubber boot and the clutch pedal arm, was keeping the clutch pedal from returning.  I hit it with some liquid wrench and it was fine.

About a week later I was about to go for a drive and it was like my brakes sort of locked up.  Turns out it was the same issue with the boot on my brake pedal arm.  Liquid wrench did the trick and away I went.

But then 50- 100 miles or so later the problem reoccurred.  This time I coated the clutch pedal arm and the brake pedal arm with grease and they have been fine ever since. 

 

  

 

Pretty sure the boots for the pedals don't slide on the pedals, they are stationary on the pedal arm (near the crook in the arm) so the gap in the floor will be sealed when the pedal is 'up'. This also serves as a cushion when the pedal returns.

Edited May 5, 2022 by Sam Buchanan

[harmony]

23 minutes ago, Sam Buchanan said:

 

Pretty sure the boots for the pedals don't slide on the pedals, they are stationary on the pedal arm (near the crook in the arm) se the hole in the floor will be sealed when the pedal is 'up'.

You're quite right Sam.  In my case I couldn't get the boots below the floor without either taking the floor up or pulling the clutch/brake assembly out. which is a monster job.  So I chose to mount them on top and then put a plate over them to hold them in place.   So in effect my alteration caused my problem.  

So is there a simple way of getting those boots under the floor?

I remember unbolting as many floor bolts as I could see, prying up on the top edge of the floor, putting pieces of wood about 2 inches long or so along that edge, which gave me both hands to try and get the rubber boots past the slot in the floor and under it, and after grunting and groaning for who knows how long, I gave up.

Edited May 5, 2022 by harmony

[harmony]

6 minutes ago, harmony said:

You're quite right Sam.  In my case I couldn't get the boots below the floor without either taking the floor up or pulling the clutch/brake assembly out. which is a monster job.  So I chose to mount them on top and then put a plate over them to hold them in place.   So in effect my alteration caused my problem.  

So is there a simple way of getting those boots under the floor?

 

Edited May 5, 2022 by harmony

[Los_Control]

I think what you are looking for in this photo

 

Really is as simple as a horse shoe shaped piece of metal that bolts to the floor. I know my little doodle sucks. I have the part packed away at the moment cant take a photo of it.

It seriously is just a square piece of metal with a U-shaped cut-out & bolted to the toe boards.

Since I can not find mine to give you a photo, maybe others will give you a actual photo of the item. ... Mine was sitting under the seat & had no idea what it was for.

 

[FarmerJon]

I checked in my box o parts and didn't turn it up, but did find this:

Doesn't match any holes on my floor, but may be the cover for the master cylinder fill?

Anyway, good to know that my suspicion was right about around the column. 

 

As far as the pedal seals- my one surviving one is totally trashed, I can't tell whether it was originally'billow up' or 'billow down', I am assuming down, but I want to do them right the first time, because they are not particularly interesting.

Looking at the seals and the small removable plate above them, I assumed the outside rectangle of them sandwiched between it and the floor surrounding them. This would hold them in place and force the pedal arm to slide through the slot in the rubber, which is basically what Harmony describes (plus needing grease)

 

Or do they just install on the outside or the toeboards, and only seal when pedals are not depressed?

 

I get that both will work, which way is correct? I looked through my repair manual and they don't detail floor draft seals or the like.

[harmony]

9 minutes ago, FarmerJon said:

I checked in my box o parts and didn't turn it up, but did find this:

Doesn't match any holes on my floor, but may be the cover for the master cylinder fill?

Anyway, good to know that my suspicion was right about around the column. 

 

As far as the pedal seals- my one surviving one is totally trashed, I can't tell whether it was originally'billow up' or 'billow down', I am assuming down, but I want to do them right the first time, because they are not particularly interesting.

Looking at the seals and the small removable plate above them, I assumed the outside rectangle of them sandwiched between it and the floor surrounding them. This would hold them in place and force the pedal arm to slide through the slot in the rubber, which is basically what Harmony describes (plus needing grease)

 

Or do they just install on the outside or the toeboards, and only seal when pedals are not depressed?

 

I get that both will work, which way is correct? I looked through my repair manual and they don't detail floor draft seals or the like.

Firstly you're right. The plate in your picture is the master cylinder cover plate.  Held on by one machine screw.

Nextly ( is that a word? ) To do it right was not the way I did it.  It works great.  But as I mentioned I couldn't figure out how to get the boot past the floor and through that slot opening.  

The large square end of the boot goes in the up position if you can figure out how to get them under the floorboard.

[harmony]

This is the wrong way,,,,,, but it works.