Advice needed on long-distance rebuild

[Guest 1946rust]

This is sort of a reintroduction, because I've been off the site for about a year and my car (D24) is in another state. I finally have some cash to work with, so I'd like to start chasing down some basic parts that I know I'll need. The brakes need to be completely redone, so I ordered a catalog from Kanter. Is there anything else I should look for? I already have a spare master cylinder.

The motor has fresh plugs, wires, points and oil from the previous owner. I haven't tried to start it yet, so it's possible that it's a complete lemon. If so, what's a reputable place near central NC to take it to for a rebuild? I'd like to take it up to George Asche if I can get it road worthy, but otherwise I don't think I have the means to move it that far.

Speaking of road worthy, the body is a complete pile of rust. I'll need to completely redo the floor and touch up a few other areas. I'm not worried about it though, because I'm a decent welder. What I'm worried about are the foot controls. They are severely rusted and busted. What's the best way to fix this, given that I'll probably be fabbing the floor pans myself? What problems/parts should I look for with the pedals and linkages?

[Young Ed]

Usually the floor around and under the pedals brakes and the pedals themselves are fine. The clutch and brake are thick pedals that are attached to each side of the MC. The brake pedal has pivots on the floor that can be replaced with common hardware store screws. The gas pedal on my 51 pushed through the floor when I tried to drive it but the pedal itself still worked

[Joe Flanagan]

The parts you mention--pedals and linkages--are pretty thick pieces of metal. They must be pretty far gone if they're no longer usable. As it happens, I'm right in the middle of restoring mine. They were in pretty bad shape but I sandblasted all the parts and they look like new. I had to get new pedals--just the round pieces that you put your foot on--and they were available from Roberts. The pedal arms themselves (or shafts--the parts that go through the floor) are really thick. But if yours are too far gone I think you can also get those at Roberts. The bushing for the brake pedal is difficult to come by. I'm still looking. It has small holes in it for grease distribution and I've had a really hard time finding one like it that is the right dimension. What I did was disconnect the clutch linkage out of the car in one piece, laid it out on the floor, and drew a detailed diagram of how it all goes together. I took pictures as well. Then I disassembled it and started the cleanup process.

The bore in my brake MC was so pitted it had to be resleeved. You say you have a replacement so you should be fine.

I don't know if the D24 is similar to my P18 but I have a removable panel under the driver's side. It's got a pretty peculiar shape and these are almost always rusted out. A couple of companies make them. I think RCars is one. I wouldn't try to make one myself, but that's me.

Here's a picture of the pieces of my clutch pedal linkage all cleaned up:

[Ed Griffin]

The bushing for the brake pedal is difficult to come by. I'm still looking. It has small holes in it for grease distribution and I've had a really hard time finding one like it that is the right dimension.

Joe, if and when you ever do find the correct preforated brake pedal bushings would you please post the source or even purchase some extras? I have everything that you pictured cleaned and painted but has been on the shelf for a few years now because of those bushings. Chewed mine up trying to get the rod back in and asked in the past where to get some and never got a reply.

Where have you looked so far for something like these? What size are they? Thanks , Ed

[Joe Flanagan]

Ed,

I'll definitely let you know as soon as I find it. It's a 3/4 inch inside diameter and the outside diameter is something like 13/16. That is the problematic dimension. It's tough to find something that's right on and can be pressed in. The entire bushing is 1 9/16" long I believe. I can double check this evening and post it. I called a bunch of machine shops in my area and no one has that size. At least not with grooves or holes on the inside surface. Oilite bushings are supposed to be impregnated with oil and don't have to be lubricated and someone on the forum is using one in his brake pedal bushing but it's something I haven't investigated yet. I took the pedal to a local machine shop and asked if they could do it. They said they could. When I went to pick it up they presented me with a bill for $220. I asked what was going on and they first said they had to spend two hours on it at $88 an hour. Then they said they didn't have the bushing and had to drive out of state to find the right one. I took a close look at the bushing and discovered they had mangled one end of it badly--and they expected me to pay them over $200 for that. I just took the pedal and left. So the search continues. I think I can find a machine shop that will press a regular bushing in there, ie one with no holes for grease. Don't know if that is legit but if memory serves me right, my kingpin bushings didn't have any holes on the inner surface either. I'll let you know when/if I find the right thing. To be honest, I haven't really exhausted the Internet sources, so there's hope. I did discover that my local Lowe's had a surprising array of brass bushings in their hardware dept. They didn't have my size in stock, but then again, a lot of the bins were cleaned out. Just a thought. You might get lucky.

[Young Ed]

I would think a competent machine shop could put a bushing in there and then ream the inside out to the proper ID. Thats what they do with kingpins.

[Jim Yergin]

Joe,

Do you have a part number for the bushing? I am often surprised what you can find in a PartsVoice search with the manufacturer's part number.

Jim Yergin

[Joe Flanagan]

Jim,

Not as far as I know. The part number may be in the manual but I'd have to look tonight.

The same place that screwed my brake pedal bushing line reamed my kingpin bushings and they came out beautifully.

[Ed Griffin]

Joe,

Do you have a part number for the bushing? I am often surprised what you can find in a PartsVoice search with the manufacturer's part number.

Jim Yergin

Joe & Jim, this is from Partsvoice:

38538634 -48 Ply Dge Chry Des, bushing brake pedal

38538634 -48 Ply Dge Chry Des spacer

The number in bold is the part number for the bushing. The number comes out of a original 1946 Dodge passenger car parts list and the 46 to 48 copied parts book which basically tells you the same thing Partsvoice does. Partsvoice works great for finding out what an item is if you have the number. Very seldom does it not produce a part with a number you type in if it's Mopar. Handy as can be.

With the bushing being preferated like it is your going to have to use something that can allow the grease to get in. Reason for all the holes.

The Oilite bushing sounds like the way to go if the correct one can not be located. Thats if you know where to get one of the Oilite bushings. All I know is I could sure use either one myself as well.

[grey beard]

Don't know where you gents live, but I took my brake and clurch pedals to my local machine shop and he made and installed a bushing in my brake pedal in a few hours' time.

I taught in vocational schools for years and all the machne classes began high school juniors with making bushings - it's a good way for students to learn to respect tolerances. This is an easy job for any experienced machinist to do - making brass bushings from scratch. They do it all the time for old backhoes and similar equipment. Once the bushing has been turned and pressed into place, the center is just reamed to 3/4-inch inside diameter and the grease zerk hole is drilled. If your machine shops don't want to do this little job for you, I'd suggest that you are dealing with parts replacers and not real machinists.

Another thought I'll pass on from several years of experience in five states - I have found the greatest bushing selections to come from electric motor repaie shps - not the first source most of us would think of for automotive bushings.

The clutch pedal on my B1B had no bushing and the eye was worn far worse than the brake pedal - scrubbed the floor boards when depressed. My machinist cut into the original worn eye and then welded a pair of ears to the circle that he then threaded, making a clamp out of the circle. In this way I am still able to release the pedal from the shaft to adjust clutch free play, and then tighten up the pedal on the clutch cross shaft, which are made to move as one piece originally. Works just fine. Both pedal modifications took the man about four hours and cost me a total of $175 buckz. I'm happy.

[Jim Yergin]

Ed,

I believe Joe's car is a '49 and may use a different bushing.

Jim Yergin

[Joe Flanagan]

My car is a 49. I do know that the inside diameter of the bushing is 3/4". Seems to me they wouldn't have changed it from year to year but I guess you never know.

[Guest 1946rust]

Thanks for the advice guys, that helps me out a lot. The only other thing I'm looking for is someone who knows a good rebuild shop in or near NC.

[Ed Griffin]

My car is a 49. I do know that the inside diameter of the bushing is 3/4". Seems to me they wouldn't have changed it from year to year but I guess you never know.

Since the book stopped at 1948 then it could work various ways. The number may have changed yet the whole assembly may be the same. Reason I say this is because partsvoice did not go any further with that number and it does not stop at 1948 parts numbers in general. Without seeing one though for both years then we dont know.

I just went out and measured both the clutch and brake levers and came up with an OD of 13/16ths which is what I think Joe said the OD was at first. The ID is most likely 3/4 with a 1/16th inch thick bushing. Mine were too chewed to get a good ID but thats what it looked like.

Maybe if someone with a 49 and up parts manual could check what the number was then that would be a new avenue to look with the new number of the bushing.

Greybeard, the problem with "just making a new bushing" is in this case the bushing is preforated, not a solid bushing. If this were the case then finding a bushing would most likely be no problem at all. Since you taught these things then you should be able to tell if it would be ok to make a solid bushing and use it where a preforated bushing is required. What are your thoughts on that? Think a solid bushing with a zerk is all you need even in this application?

1946rust, good luck in your quest to find parts you need. Keep us posted and somewhere down the line you may get someone that has a spare part and no use for it.

[Joe Flanagan]

Ed,

That's the question I have: Would a solid bushing be OK in this application. I do seem to recall that the outside diameter was 13/16. I will check it here soon and post the dimensions. My original is a little bit mangled as well. My kingpin bushings were solid without perforations and there is plenty of action on those surfaces.

[Joe Flanagan]

Ed,

I took a really close measurement tonight and the rod that goes in the bushing is 42/64. The bore for the bushing is 51/64. I'm going to recheck a few of the suppliers and see what I come up with.

[Ed Griffin]

Ed,

I took a really close measurement tonight and the rod that goes in the bushing is 42/64. The bore for the bushing is 51/64. I'm going to recheck a few of the suppliers and see what I come up with.

Joe, did you ever have any luck finding the correct bushing?

[Joe Flanagan]

Ed,

No, I never found it. Rodney and I were driving around the other day and he took me to his machinist. This is the guy who is rebuilding his Studebaker engine. The guy said to leave the pedal, bushing, and shaft with him and he would deal with it. I have confidence in the guy, since he's about 70 years old and he's been doing this stuff all his life.

So you may have to do the same thing. But if you feel adventurous, you might try the trick Jim Yergin did with his drill press. My local Lowe's has brass bushings in stock. Their 3/4" insided diameter bushing is perfect for the pedal shaft. The only problem is the outside diameter is too big to fit through the hole in the pedal arm. So maybe you could abrade it down like Jim did.

Don't know how much I'll wind up paying this machinist but if it saves me a lot more futile looking around it's worth it.

[Ed Griffin]

Thanks Joe, was curious if you found the "preferated" type. May be able to work one in from Lowes. Just wasn't too crazy abt using a "solid" bushing since the original has holes for the grease. Good luck with yours. Sure it will come out right if Rodney's got his main man on it.

[Joe Flanagan]

I asked Rodney's guy about the perforations. I had the original bushing with me and showed it to him. He seemed to think that the grease would be distributed by way of the clearance between the shaft and bushing. As I said, my kingpin bushings had no perforations in them, nor did the replacements I ordered. That is the same shaft-and-bushing construction as the brake pedal. Probably some fancypants engineer had some extra time on his hands one day and decided to throw that in.