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Bent gas pedal?
http://forums.ctzcc.com/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=7858		 Page 1 of 2
Author:  porkbun [ Fri Sep 27, 2013 3:04 pm ]
Post subject:  Bent gas pedal?
For a few months now ive been driving with only about two inches of space between the back of the pedal and the floor( I think that was one of the problems from the Dying Z thread). My gas pedal is much lower than the clutch and the brake and when I floor it my linkage stops about 45° short of where it should max out (compared to another cars). I have two sets of linkages and they are all the same lengths. I noticed the problem back when I had the throttle cable and holley also so its not my linkage setup. Is my gas pedal bent backwards? I dont remember ever pushing the pedal hard enough to bend the pedal and im not even sure I could bend it if I tried. I also pulled the rubber stopper at the end. Here are the pics:

Image

Image

Image
Author:  jim.arnett [ Fri Sep 27, 2013 3:50 pm ]
Post subject: 
I did a quick visual check on my car and everything looks to be the same relationship as yours - including the angle on the gas pedal. My gas pedal is about 2" above the firewall stop. It is also about 2" below the brake pedal. If you're not getting the travel you think you should have, I'd go back and recheck all the linkage - especially the adjustable rod that connects to the gas pedal. Your best bet will be to find another car in your area for close side-by-side comparisons.
Author:  porkbun [ Fri Sep 27, 2013 5:12 pm ]
Post subject: 
My reference car was Zorros 260Z. Hes got much more gas pedal travel and his linkage turns further which in turn makes his car seem much faster. We have the same linkage bits but his pedal starts way higher and gets the linkage to go down almost as far as the butterflies can open whereas mine stops short. Revs a lot faster by hand than when im in the car
Author:  rob240z [ Fri Sep 27, 2013 5:47 pm ]
Post subject: 
My pedal has more travel than that too. I have about 3 inches from where the stop brackets hit each other.

In the bottom/last picture you posted, it looks like you can adjust the linkage that comes through the firewall. This will gbring your pedal further up. Disconnect the linkage socket from the ball on the pedal. Loosen the locknut about 1/2"(?), thread the socket fitting about 1/2"(?) and then tighten the lock not back up. It will be a little trial and error until you get it just right. This adjustment shouldn't effect the linkage in the engine bay, it is just for pedal travel.
Author:  porkbun [ Sat Sep 28, 2013 12:19 pm ]
Post subject: 
The issue started when I had the throttle cable and continued when I switched over to the linkage. Took the pedal off, but not sure how to proceed from here.
Linkage with no action:
Image
Linkage when gas pedal is fully depressed:
Image
As wide as the butterflies can open (what Zorros setup looked like):
Image

Taking a closer look at the pedal:
Image
And then a look at how the pedals supposed to work:
Image

The top ball point of the linkage is supposed to go through the firewall. The further through it is, the higher the pedal will be. On my car the pedal is not centered and gets caught and wont fit through the hole which is why my pedal is so low. So just recenter it and make sure the ball goes through the firewall right?
Check!
Image
Doh!
Image

Going to actually try screwing it in to see if theres any way to get it to work without bending, cutting into the firewall, or trying another one of these things(does not seem very easy to bend at all...not even sure how something like this happened in the first place):
Image
Author:  Frank T [ Sat Sep 28, 2013 1:10 pm ]
Post subject: 
Yeah, we can see for whatever reason, you're not getting full rotation on your linkage. Bryan Little discovered a small amount of "missing travel" in his linkage about a year ago. As soon as he fixed it, his carbs opened all the way and his car was much quicker and faster. Always helps to be able to open your carb(s) fully when you want to.

Bryan's linkage on the firewall itself was worn, which prohibited full opening of the carbs.

Some racers heat and bend their accelerator rods to place the pedal differently for a good Heel-and-Toe downshifting technique. That doesn't appear to be the case on yours, tho.
Author:  porkbun [ Sat Sep 28, 2013 4:35 pm ]
Post subject: 
Is there another name for the linkage rids so I can try different sizes? Only 4bbl stuff appeared when I searched the usual autoparts stores. Tried "ball joint" and "rod end" also to no avail. Will I be able to find what im looking for in a hardware store?
Author:  Frank T [ Sat Sep 28, 2013 7:03 pm ]
Post subject: 
Try Bellcrank and see if they're listed that way?

Not likely to be found in a common hardware store, but Bryan found an excellent source for SU parts and linkage last year. You can click on his name and read some of his posts from a year ago, where he discussed this subject. I don't recall what time of year he started that discussion.
Author:  Datsun Z Garage [ Sun Sep 29, 2013 8:55 am ]
Post subject:  re:
Did you unscrew the adjustable stopper from the firewall (where the pedal hits) in your first photo? Yours is missing which would explain the gap.

Here's a freebie for everyone. JPS linkage rods are direct replacements for the old plastic ones...solid metal...with retainer clips. Sold in several lengths, the ball socket tips you see sticking out of the ends are not needed and pop out. I've used them for 2 years with no issues.

http://www.piercemanifolds.com/product_p/75500.150.htm
Author:  porkbun [ Sun Sep 29, 2013 9:47 am ]
Post subject: 
The adjustable linkage rod that im using on the gas pedal doesnt have that little stopper. I have one with the stopper that was around the same length before I shortened it. Shortened the linkage on the gas pedal and bent the fire wall back a bit near that hole. Pedal was higher and a lot more sensitive when driving and when I floored it :shock:. Went from about 50% to 75% of full throttle and dont think Ill be needing to switch back to the 4bbl if I can get a shorter linkage to get 100%. Im pretty sure I have two of the ball rod ends somewhere in the garage and im hoping I can get a threaded rod at the hardware store to make my own short linkage.
0-60 runs @75%: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4sUzNYh3gyA
Author:  Kathy & Rick [ Fri Feb 21, 2014 1:06 pm ]
Post subject: 
Hi Y'all,
I just got to looking thru this thread again, and noticed something
I hadn't before. Go back to the very beginning of the thread.

Look at the picture, and see if it doesn't look like the "go pedal"
itself isn't bent. Note the difference in angle between the gas and
the brake-or-clutch pedal, which would suggest that something
is amiss. Also, look right at the place where the pedal joins the
rod; doesn't that look like a real BEND in the pedal at that point?
Now if I remember my geometry correctly (it's been a LONG time),
wouldn't the available length of the throw be reduced by its
having been bent, even a little?

I am a little more advanced in years than most, and I do wear
eyeglasses, so I may be seeing things that aren't there......
Author:  porkbun [ Fri Feb 21, 2014 3:21 pm ]
Post subject: 
Yeah there is a bit of a bend in the pedal, probably from when I was driving around with a bad distributor and I ham footed the pedal trying to get up to speed :roll: . I ended up just screwing the gas pedal back in, sticking my foot under it and just bent it upwards :lol:. It stopped where it wanted to which was a lot closer to the brake pedal than it was before. All that pedal travel and the throttle cable on my holley setup makes for a wonderful feeling gas pedal
Author:  Paul [ Sat Feb 22, 2014 8:45 am ]
Post subject: 
I always thought that the small import cars were a bend to fit. 8)
Author:  Frank T [ Mon Feb 24, 2014 10:02 pm ]
Post subject: 
Sooo, this is 'fixed' now?
Author:  porkbun [ Tue Feb 25, 2014 12:36 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Bent gas pedal?
Yup all it needed was some "persuasion"
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