Accelerator Pedal questions

[petelempert]

I'm rebuilding the accelerator linkage on my 63. SInce I put new floor pans in the pedal feel has not been smooth. I have a few questions:

1. The roller than touches the pedal on my car is oval shaped...leading me to think it's worn. I'm assuming it should be round and contact the pedal in the center of the pedal. Is this right? Any idea wear to get another roller? What is the best way to get the old one off?

2. I'm going to replace the actual pedal with one from OPGI. Mine is badly dried out and starting to crack around the point where the ball pins attach. Has anybody bought one of these? Any input on these?

3. I pulled an old set of ball pins off a junkyard 64. There is also a small plate that the pins fit through and then threaded into the floor. My car no longer has the threaded receivers in the floor. I'll have to rig it so the two ball pin bolts go right through my new floor pans and use nuts to secure them. In the chassis manual it indicates that the mounting plate is not used in the Riviera. The manual plate looks longer and different than the one I pulled. I assume that the plate I pulled off a 64 should fit on my 63. Only now I can't remember exactly how the one I've got came off. It's got only two holes (for the pins) and it's got rounded edges on one end and square corners on the other. Seems like the rounded corners go on the bottom. Is that right or is it the other way around? It's a little confusing.

Any advice? PRL

[gungeey]

hi Pete, yes the plastic bearing should be round, I know at my local home depot/ace hardware there are assortments of cabinet hardware..maybe you could find a reasonable replacement there?? Or else take mini grinder/dremel and make it round again??

Next thing, and maybe this'll refresh your memory: The plate I BELIEVE is on the outside of the firewall, the balljoints screw onto studs pressed on the plate that are inserted through the toeboard, if no one can verify this I'll look at one of my cars when home. Steve

[RivNut]

For all sorts of rollers, bearings, clips, fasteners, screws, etc., check with Mr. G's

Mr. G's Enterprises - Home Page

Ed

Edited March 30, 2010 by RivNut (see edit history)

[petelempert]

I'll try Mr. G's for the roller. If not, I agree that I could probably rig one using a hardware store roller. Not sure how it to get the old one off. It looks like there is some type of set pin holding it...but can't tell if it's threaded or not. Anybody know how to get the pin out? Regarding the plate and ballpin arrangement, I recall the plate being inside the car and the ballpins run thru the plate, then through the floorboard, then into threaded nuts that were permanently affixed to the floorboard. The pedal was sort of cupped in the plate...and I think the rounded edged are on top. I guess the carpet and underlayment covers the plate but the ballpins extend thru the carpet. My memory is foggy and who knows if the car I got it off even had the factory set up. The big issue i can see is making sure the pedal doesn't get too high off the floorboard because it really affects the action of the pedal and related linkage. Anybody who can tell me how to get the roller off and what their ballpin/plate arrangement looks like? Thx PRL

[TexRiv_63]

Pete,

I may have a photo of my 63 floor pan that shows the pedal ball arrangement, I will check. The balls do come up through two holes in the carpet, if you are replacing your carpet you will have to add the holes. Be careful, its easy to put them in the wrong place.

[TexRiv_63]

Pete,

Here is a pic of the floor pan on my 63 showing the two ball pins. There is no plate on the inside but there could have been a reinforcement plate under the car, not sure. Good luck.

[petelempert]

Don-Thanks...that was exactly what I needed to see. The plate must go outside the cabin. This weekend I'm going to use a roller bearing from a shower door (same exact size) to replace the pedal roller, then I'll put the pins in as shown in your photo. Then it's time to hit the gas and see what happens. Thanks again. PRL

[petelempert]

So I ended up using a nylon roller bearing from the local hardware store. It was originally intended for a shower door...but with some mild customization it works pretty well. The pedal replacement from OPGI fits well too, but looks a little different from stock...shape is a little different and lacks the chrome surround of the original. I put the mounting pins inside the cabin with the small plate outside the car. It works fine, but still seems a little odd to me. Overall, the fix made the pedal action much smoother. That said, I still have a mild "on/off' feeling when i give it gas. I think it's a carb linkage issue too. Also, I'm driving with bare floorboards and without any carpet or insulation, I think I am pushing the pedal from an angle that contributes to the problem. My foot is literally too low on the pedal. If I put my foot up higher, the "on/off" is less. I'm going to try it with a piece of mat and some carpet. We'll see. PRL

[CTX-SLPR]

Please show pictures of the OPGI and the stock pedal side by side if you would. I'm sure others are considering this piece and want to know how it compares to stock.

Thanks,