# Clutch Pedal Modification - '68



## PontiacJim (Dec 29, 2012)

*Clutch Pedal & Rod Parts List*

1 - Grade 5 7/16" x 5" Bolt
2 - INA SCE78 Shell Type Needle Bearing 7/16" ID x 5/8" OD x 1/2" W.
1 - Kit (4 pcs) Clutch/Brake Pedal Shaft Bushings
2 - 1/2"-20 Thread x 1/2" Dia. Hole Right Hand Heim Joint
1 - 3/8" ID x 1/2" OD x 1" L Steel Spacer
1 - Grade 8 3/8"-16 Thread x 2" Flange Bolt
1 - Grade 8 3/8"-16 Flange Lock Nut

*WARNING! *This set-up will require fabrication skills and tools to do the job. I used a high-speed die grinder with cut-off wheel, 1/2"-20 thread die and handle, and welder. Always wear ear & eye protection.

My '68 Lemans has over 176,000 miles on the odometer. In its disassembled state, I wanted to refurbish the clutch & brake pedal assembly. This may apply to other years as well. The diagram is from the Factory Manual that shows the pedal bracket, pedals, pedal shaft bolt/steel & plastic bushings, clutch rod, and the counter shaft with all its parts to operate the clutch.

Pic #1, #2, & #3 is my pedal assembly & clutch rod. You can see in pic #2 how the pedals are attached to the bracket. The pedals themselves each have a pinched tube on them that a steel spacer goes into, a plastic bushing fits on each end, and the long bolt and lock nut runs through the bracket & steel spacers to bolt everything together.

I sandblasted all my parts to get them clean, sprayed a coat of Self Etching Primer, followed by a couple coats of Rustoleum Ultra High Temp Black. Mine got a little bumped & bruised, so they got one last coat of paint when I was done with everything.

Pic #4 shows brake pedal and the location of the brake switch. You can see 2 holes on the brake pedal. The top hole has the pin in it that the non-power master cylinder brake rod attaches to. If you have power brakes, or add power brakes, the master cylinder attachment point is the lower hole. The top hole provides more leverage which is not needed for power brakes and may make your power brakes a little touchy - and the master cylinder rod may be of a different length versus manual brakes which could also make for braking problems.

Pic #5 & #6 show how worn out the clutch pedal rod attachment hole is. The factory diagram shows a bushing used on the end of the rod's attachment point - long gone on my car and the metal-to-metal contact elongated the hole. The attachment pin on the end of the clutch rod that goes into that hole was also badly worn. Just a matter of time before either the clutch pedal attachment hole broke through or the clutch rod end got weak enough to break off. Using an aftermarket pressure plate that requires additional pedal effort will accelerate the wear.

Pic #7 shows how the bracket that the clutch rod attaches to is spot welded to the clutch pedal. I felt it needed a couple additional welds just as a precaution and because I am using an aftermarket clutch set-up that'll need a little more pressure effort to push in.

Pic #8 shows how I repaired the elongated hole that clutch rod attaches to. This would not work if you are using the stock type rod as it will add thickness to the bracket and you won't be able to install the spring clip. If using the factory rod, I would have filled in the elongated hole and then re-drilled the needed size for the clutch rod end pin. With my use of a heim joint replacing the factory rod pin end, I am using a 3/8" bolt that will securely clamp the heim joint to the bracket. I probably could have gotten away without welding on the additional 1/8" piece of flat steel. I used a 1/8" flat piece of steel that was a little over sized in shape, marked with a Sharpie where the attachment hole was to be located on the plate, then drilled my 3/8" hole into the plate. I then bolted the flat plate back onto the bracket and used the Sharpie to mark the edges where I needed to trim the flat plate so as to follow the edged of the bracket. I trimmed as needed with my die grinder, and then welded along the edges.

Ready to re-install my pedals, I only needed to swap out the steel spacer on the Clutch Pedal which was to be replaced with the Shell Needle Bearings. The Brake Pedal will be as factory as it is not being modified - and I don't see any need/benefit to do so. Pic #9 shows the factory set-up at the top, and the new plastic bushings, needle bearings & new bolt at the bottom. The needle bearings will ride on the smooth shank of the new bolt. The steel spacer measures 1 3/4" in length, or 1.75" The width of the 2 needle bearing stacked sid-by-side came up to .992", or almost 1". In order to use the needle bearings and keep them in place at the end of the clutch pedal bushing, I needed to add a spacer between the 2. I needed to cut the factory spacer down from 1.75" to .758". So I measured this out and used a piece of masking tape to create a line to follow when cutting the spacer with my die grinder. It can be seen on the left side factory steel spacer. OF course I cut it too short! LOL. So my suggestion is to cut it longer and then grind the spacer end to fit. I had to make small/narrow spacer to get things right.

Pic # 10 & #11 show the completed pedals and a view of the attachment bolt. I found that the brake pedal was a little sloppy and this may have been due in part that I did not cinch down hard on the lock nut to squeeze the bracket/pedal assembly together. I corrected the slop by adding a 1/16" washer to act as a shim on the end of the brake pedal plastic bushing and ran the long bolt through it. I also trimmed the long bolt end as it was longer than the factory bolt. I used the factory lock nut to secure everything. Seemed to work well, so hopefully no issues in the future.


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## PontiacJim (Dec 29, 2012)

PontiacJim said:


> *Clutch Pedal & Rod Parts List*
> 
> 1 - Grade 5 7/16" x 5" Bolt
> 2 - INA SCE78 Shell Type Needle Bearing 7/16" ID x 5/8" OD x 1/2" W.
> ...


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## PontiacJim (Dec 29, 2012)

PontiacJim said:


> *Clutch Pedal & Rod Parts List*
> 
> 1 - Grade 5 7/16" x 5" Bolt
> 2 - INA SCE78 Shell Type Needle Bearing 7/16" ID x 5/8" OD x 1/2" W.
> ...


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## PontiacJim (Dec 29, 2012)

Here is the factory diagram for 1968.


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## PontiacJim (Dec 29, 2012)

I should also note that I packed the needle bearing shells with high temp grease that I typically use for my wheel bearings. I also put a light coating on all the other parts as well before assembling and bolting it all together.


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