Attention Stock/Superstock competitors..

[BRETV]

Building a new car and just put the brake pedal and master cylinder in the car. I double checked it more than a couple times. One thing I worry about making sure that doesn't fail. Sorry to hear about the accident.




Bret Velde
2003 I/SA

[Jeff Stout]

Time for a rule and a SFI brake peddle rod. LoL

[Gary Evans]

Originally Posted by Jeff Stout

Time for a rule and a SFI brake peddle rod. LoL

Bickel makes a brake rod assembly with a snap ring and retaining plate. Well worth the money and effort to install

[CMcAllister]

Originally Posted by Gary Evans

Bickel makes a brake rod assembly with a snap ring and retaining plate. Well worth the money and effort to install

If you are in a hurry, or don't want to spend the money, we've made a similar deal by making a cup type piece the pushrod passes through, pinched under the MC flange, with a washer welded on the pushrod and captured inside the cup. I'll also typically make up a positive stop for the pedal as well.

[Billy Nees]

I made note of this "issue" and posted pictures in my build thread "Under the Index for Under a Grand".

[Dave Gantz]

Let me take this a bit further and ask, how does this become an issue?

Does something get inadvertently overlooked during the build, or a repair?

When these cars were new, pedal pushrods didn't fall out.

I believe the pushrod in some cars is captured in the master cylinder by design. Some have the type that snaps in, as Hacksaw mentioned above. In the latter case, can the driver's foot catch the bottom of the pedal and pull it out?

[Rory McNeil]

Originally Posted by Dave Gantz

Let me take this a bit further and ask, how does this become an issue?

Does something get inadvertently overlooked during the build, or a repair?

When these cars were new, pedal pushrods didn't fall out.

I believe the pushrod in some cars is captured in the master cylinder by design. Some have the type that snaps in, as Hacksaw mentioned above. In the latter case, can the driver's foot catch the bottom of the pedal and pull it out?

When these cars were new, they were not equipped with lightweight, aluminum, Mopar or aftermarket master cylinders, that lack the factory pushrod retention clip, to secure the brake pedal pushrod into the master cylinder piston.

[Gary Evans]

Originally Posted by Dave Gantz

Let me take this a bit further and ask, how does this become an issue?

Does something get inadvertently overlooked during the build, or a repair?

When these cars were new, pedal pushrods didn't fall out.

I believe the pushrod in some cars is captured in the master cylinder by design. Some have the type that snaps in, as Hacksaw mentioned above. In the latter case, can the driver's foot catch the bottom of the pedal and pull it out?

It happens when you use an aftermarket or mopar style master cylinder. A positive retention device such as I mentioned above is a must have Item. There should be no compromise on safety.

[CMcAllister]

Originally Posted by Dave Gantz

Let me take this a bit further and ask, how does this become an issue?

Does something get inadvertently overlooked during the build, or a repair?

When these cars were new, pedal pushrods didn't fall out.

I believe the pushrod in some cars is captured in the master cylinder by design. Some have the type that snaps in, as Hacksaw mentioned above. In the latter case, can the driver's foot catch the bottom of the pedal and pull it out?

The rubber retainers did a reasonable job of keeping the pushrod in the MC piston. It is a one time use item. Once it's jerked out of the piston, it won't work. And they can be hard to find new.

Aftermarket pushrods are not usually made with the groove for the ring either.

Most of the time, the brake light switch, and brackets, are removed on race cars. That acted as a stop for the pedal in OE systems.

A hard leaving car can cause a pedal missing a stop to swing back far enough to pull an unretained pushrod out and let it fall down.

A new to you car, a car you borrow, a car in your shop, need to be looked at.

[jimmyparker]

On most gm cars i found that of course the mopar master cylinder worked the best, I put an adjustable bolt thru the stop light switch bracket with a pad welded to the end that lined up up the brake pedal arm making adjusting the clearance on the rod to m/c a snap.