Hey, folks. I am planning a T5 (or TKO600) swap into a '72 Grabber V8 with a C4. My question is: what is the best way to add a third pedal? I read a Car Craft article where they added a third pedal to the existing box, but in my opinion, the end result was kind of chincy looking. An aftermarket pedal set would look really great, but seem to be complicated, as the ones I was looking at seem to incorporate master cylinders, and I'm planning a cable clutch for now. What has worked for you guys? Do you have pictures?
Easiest way it to find a Maverick pedal set. Then if you want hydraulic :http://www.moderndriveline.com/catalog/hydraulic_masters.htm
I would really love to find a factory pedal set, but have found that the V8s' pedal box differs from those of the I6, and I don't know if that might be a red flag. Also, I seem to be having a similar time finding a clutch pedal box (even for the I6) as the FBI is finding Jimmy Hoffa...
After talking to a lot of people who used the hydraulic master/slave or cable system I elected to stay with the factory mechanical linkage because of the draw backs each system inherent. The cable system will stretch or break and also requires you having to clearance the cowl with a hammer to fit the quadrant. The master/slave system has a lazy clutch release making it hard to shift gears fast. If you want hydraulic, then go with the hydraulic throwout bearing. If you go with the mechanical linkage, you can add a 1" spacer between the clutch fork and bellhousing and use the Ford 5-speed bellhousing and block plate.
All maverick clutch pedals are the same, 6 and 8. They are easy to find, there always seems to be one forsale on here, didn't take me long to find one.
I hadn't really considered what method of clutch actuation I was going to use, yet, but thanks for the info! I am leaning toward a hydraulic clutch, because I fully intend to take the thing on long drives when it's done, and here in California, that means traffic, and lots of it. Anyway, I'd love to know what your sources for a clutch/brake pedal box are; right now all I can find is this article I mentioned before, where they add a clutch pedal from a Fox Mustang and end up with something I think is a little wonkey. I like how the Brazillian GTs have the brake and clutch pedal even and level with one another and would love to get my hands on one of those pedal boxes. http://www.carcraft.com/techarticles/ccrp_1206_600_dollar_five_speed_swap/ I am super picky about details, and while I know I'll be the only one who notices, it will really bother me if the pedals look like a hack job. I have considered buying seperate brake and clutch pedals, but that seems like a huge headache. It seems like a lot of thought going into this one stupid detail, but I'm building my dream car, and I have an image in my head I'd like it to live up to. Sorry in advance if I end up being annoyingly OCD.
Sweet! (Sorry, Dave; you replied while I was writing my novel.) How can I find parts for sale on the forum? I'm so completely new, I'm not used to the site's UI yet.
Thanks! I e-mailed the guy. I'm not sure how a CL transaction will work via e-mail and UPS, but hey, if he only wants $50 for it, worst case scenerio, I'm out $50 and got an expensive education on donkeyholes on the internet!
Just to add to this, his choice of bellhousing will depend on what transmission he'll end up using. The T5 will need a T5 bell or a Toploader bell with a 1" adapter. A TKO will need the same (Toploader bell + spacer) or an SROD bell (later labeled as the Cobra bell) I'm going to soon swap out my C4 for the Toploader I have decorating my shop rafters and am going to go with a hydro setup. I have a McCleod T/O bearing left over from the Toploader being formerly in my 89 Ranger, that M/C kit is more'n likely how I'll connect it to the Toploader.
After a bit more research, I really like the G-Force T5. I think I'll go with a hydraulic clutch just for ease of operation in traffic, even though it won't be quite as quick as the mechanical linkage.
im working on a clutch pedal hydraulic master cylinder kit. i have one in a car now and its working beautifully. i just need to do the final kit parts list and costs. here are a few pics.
Bryan's work is great. He did my conversion a couple months back and i have had no problems! couldn't have asked for anything better!
I don't know where you got the idea that a hydro setup was slow. I ran the McCleod setup (T/O bearing) with the stock Ford Ranger M/C for ten years with a Toploader 4 speed, it was never slow in release nor engagement. I could speed shift it everybit as fast I could with the mech linkage that was in my 67 Big block Stang. Maybe the external units are ? The McCleod unit wasn't by any means. It came with it's own set of drawbacks (that I fixed on my own) but it was never slow.
Another member was saying that the hydraulic setup was a little "lazy," I think was the term he used, which I didn't really mind. If it's not, then so much the better! By the way, I dig that conversion a lot more than the one they ended up with in that article I linked earlier. You do the conversions for folks, or am I misunderstanding? How do the pads look? I would like mine (clutch and brake) to match in size and shape, and be on the same horizontal plane when you look down at them.
