Replacing clutch pedal bushing.

[Los_Control]

Trying to replace the bushing & a bit unsure of the procedure.  I have 2 books that show a exploded view of the pedal assembly .... no instructions to replace bushing.

 

When I remove the end piece which is the clutch pedal adjustment, appears to be a half moon key in the shaft.

I tried to remove the key with no luck .... I do not see a corresponding slot on the clutch pedal to slide over the key.

Now I'm thinking I need to remove the pedal assembly from the transmission & remove the pedals from that end?

 

Not trying to over think it, I tried with a chisel to remove the key & will not budge .... I do not want to damage the shaft if it is not a removable key.

Probably easier to clean & paint if whole assembly was removed anyways .

 

Any hints on proper way to replace bushing?

[Merle Coggins]

That key should come out. I even took a look in the parts book and it shows it as a separate part. 

[Los_Control]

Thanks Merle, it sure does show it as a separate piece .... I just pulled out my book again and it does not show it.

 

I will continue working on the key then.

Using the chisel I started to cut into the softer metal & it still did not budge.

Maybe if I soak it in oil then apply some heat ..... I have to drive to town to get a bottle of argon gas, will spray it before I leave.

[ggdad1951]

Yah you'll need to pry it out.  Then things will slide off.  I'd think MAP or propane would suffice for heat.

[Los_Control]

Is a awkward spot to get to with a chisel.

I have a angled pry bar with a chisel end. I keep it sharp and makes a good gasket scraper. It was starting to cut the key.

I would think It would have come free at this point .... So I decided to walk away & think about it.

Glad I asked .... I have map gas I can use to heat it with.

[Los_Control]

That little booger was tough. I did heat it up with map gas .... not sure how much that helped.

I took a round flat punch & drove down the right side of the key forcing the left side up.

Then drove down the left side forcing the right side up. .... Rinse & repeat a few times & got it moving kinda good ... still could not pull it out with vise grips.

 

Then I cut myself & got some blood dripping onto it .... came right out.

 

I started mowing lawns when I was 12 years old, I bent a lot of keys & replaced them over the years .... This was the toughest one in my 60 years on earth.

[Rodney_Hamon]

The blood part...I was living through your descriptions and felt it.  Yeah, once the surface is scratched it is complete.  Why is that.  Where do you get a replacement bushing btw ?  

[Los_Control]

Got mine from

https://dcmclassics.com/suspension-parts/304-br-563-brake-clutch-pedal-bushing.html?search_query=clutch+pedal+bushing&results=1

 

The title "replacing clutch pedal bushing" is wrong though.

Is common for the pedal to wear on the shaft & wobble then squeak as it rubs on the toe boards.

I thought the fix is to replace the bushing .... now that I'm in there, the factory did not have a bushing installed.

 

You need to create & install a bushing.

Mine was just a bit loose on the shaft. I took a very thin cutting wheel for a dremel & took a cut out of the length of bushing so it would be smaller/tighter on shaft.

Then I reamed out the pedal very slowly until I could tap the bushing into place. .... Then I cut the length of the bushing flush with the width of pedal.

 

Was pretty simple, not sure if it is the correct way to do the job. I will need to lightly tap the pedal back onto the shaft ... when I slide it into position, I suspect the shaft will have wear & be a little loose. But 100 times better then it was.

 

Waiting for paint to dry before reassemble it.

[Pete]

For years I lived with a wobbly clutch pedal on my '38 Dodge half ton. It was so loose that when depressed it would hit the contacts on the dimmer switch, with caused the fuse in the headlight relay I installed to blow. Temp fix was to put a lot of electrical tape on the dimmer switch.

 

This past year I'm disassembling the truck for the rebuild/restore. Pulled the pedals. The clutch pedal had absolutely no bushing in it. None. It appears a PO removed the bushing and stuck the pedal back in. Yeeesh!

 

Pete

 

[Los_Control]

3 hours ago, Pete said:

The clutch pedal had absolutely no bushing in it. None. It appears a PO removed the bushing and stuck the pedal back in. Yeeesh!

I can not speak for the 1938 model. I too thought there was a bushing installed on my 1949.

I now see there is no bushing &never was .... I would imagine 1938 never had a bushing either.

The pedals are simply a machined fit to ride on the shaft. The brake pedal on the right is wider has more surface contact riding on the shaft.

Also the brake pedal has a grease fitting ... the idea is you grease the brake pedal, the excess dribbles out to the clutch pedal to grease it.

 

I figure the clutch gets 4X the use as  the brakes. The clutch pedal never gets greased properly.

Just natural we never hear brake pedal issues, always the clutch pedal is worn out.

 

Here with my new bushing installed, you can see the clutch pedal is not round ... is warbled out on the edges. While pretty round in the middle yet.

Same time the shaft has wear, where the pedal rides on it. There is no way this is considered a perfect fix for a 100 point restoration vehicle.

I expect to get many years out of it with it properly greased.

I paid less then $20 for the bushing & have enough left over to do the job again, when this bushing is worn out in 20 years.

 

If you have a drill bit close to 1" you can bore out the pedal properly, get a larger bushing .... you still have the worn shaft to deal with.

I see the other options is to take the pedal and shaft to a machine shop & let them deal with it for a few hundred $$

 

This is simply a $10 fix that should last for quite awhile. The next time I simply need to remove the clutch pedal to replace the bushing. Not the whole assembly to remove 75 year old grease.

[Rodney_Hamon]

I may just have to inspect my pedals as there is wear and do exactly what you just did. Thanks for that info!

[Merle Coggins]

I believe there isn't a bushing on the clutch pedal because it isn't designed to move on the shaft except when making an adjustment. The bracket that is keyed to the shaft locks onto the pedal with a couple of adjusting screws. When you step down on the pedal it reacts with the bracket to rotate the shaft with it. The brake pedal, on the other hand, will rotate around the clutch shaft when depressed so it needs a bushing and grease. 

 

Some trucks do have bushings in their clutch pedals, such as on my truck. My truck has Fluid Drive and the clutch setup is different. My pedal rides on a fixed shaft along with the brake pedal. Both pedals have bushings and grease fittings. The clutch pedal then connects to an adjustable connecting rod that in turn connects to the clutch shaft. 

[Pete]

Los & Merle,

You guys are right.There is no bushing on the '38 clutch pedal. The is no exploded diagram in the parts manual, and no such listing there either. The clutch pedal on my truck is incredibly worn -- it looked like there was a missing bushing. Also, since the brake pedal has one I figured the clutch pedal must have have one too.

 

My mechanic is really good at machining bushings. I'll see what he can do with it.

 

Pete

 

[Los_Control]

On 1/13/2023 at 7:45 AM, Merle Coggins said:

I believe there isn't a bushing on the clutch pedal because it isn't designed to move on the shaft except when making an adjustment. The bracket that is keyed to the shaft locks onto the pedal with a couple of adjusting screws. When you step down on the pedal it reacts with the bracket to rotate the shaft with it. The brake pedal, on the other hand, will rotate around the clutch shaft when depressed so it needs a bushing and grease. 

 

You are correct Merle, I did not think it through. The brake pedal rotates on the shaft. While the clutch pedal rotates the shaft.

 

I did check the brake pedal closely, used brake clean & fine sand paper .... The brake pedal does not have a bushing either on my truck.

 

All back together now. The clutch pedal does still have some slight side to side play .... is 100% better then it was. I have test fitted the toe board and good clearance there.

I think the time it took to add the bushing was worth it.

 

While I may have expectations of finding factory bushings installed .... fact is the pedal assembly has worked for over 75 years.

No complaints on quality from me.

[LMBoise]

Sorry to being back an old thread, but a quick question on the key for the clutch pedal. Is it the typical square key or one of those elliptical/half moon types?
 

Thanks  

[Los_Control]

It was a 1/2 moon key is what I have always called them.

Was very stuck in my case. Tapping down on it from one side to the other allowed it to rock back and forth to loosen it.

[LMBoise]

Thanks!