UPDATE to my 1939Ford Accelerator Installation

[Ramblin Reck]

My rubber band idea failed so I then attempted to use wire instead. The first attempt with wire worked but then failed because the wire was too stiff but with smaller diameter wire it is working just fine. The accelerator pedal is a metal door hinge covered in plastic. The heat coming thru the floor boards and they literally are boards (plywood) melted most of the cup designed to hold the linkage in place. I drilled a hole next to it (this is the key)and wired the linkage to the pedal and Eureka it works. Knowing full well that this will probably fail going down the road I brainstormed another solution. Basically I took a piece of aluminum and made a "Keyhole" in it like the old skeleton keys fit in a long time ago. This holds the linkage where it should be and a similar size plate on top, holds the whole shebang in place. I know I have all the parts and should go ahead and fix this problem properly. And maybe one day I will. I keep this next fix in my glove compartment ready for when the wire gives up the ghost. Hope this helps somebody struggling with the same problem

 

[19Fordy]

So, the metal plate with the keyhole becomes a permanent part of the gas pedal AFTER INSTALLATION?
Is it not possible to insert the ball end of the lingage shown into the original place it's suppose to fit in the original pedal?

 

[TerryOH]

Why not assemble things as they should be?????

 

[Ramblin Reck]

So, the metal plate with the keyhole becomes a permanent part of the gas pedal AFTER INSTALLATION?
Is it not possible to insert the ball end of the lingage shown into the original place it's suppose to fit in the original pedal?

19 Fordy
Not going to use the metal plate with the "Keyhole" in it on the new accelerator pedal. I showed that for illustration purposes only.

I will only use the metal plate with the keyhole, on the old accelerator pedal, which is still installed in my '39 but being held together today with the linkage by a more flexible piece of small diameter "baling" wire. That system or solution still works. I am saving this solution of the keyhole in the metal plate, for the day my current solution breaks and it may never break.

Of course the "Best Solution" is to fix it properly by installing the new accelerator pedal. Not an easy job connecting that linkage into the the "hole" it is designed to go into. There are no instructions that tell you to first connect the linkage to the pedal by inserting it into the hole, then connect the pedal back to the floor boards, then connect the linkages together as they are designed to go together. In the previous post this group helped me figure that out. I was flying blind as I had no way of knowing that the small link had a very unique way of attaching itself to the next link. However I found several other temporary solutions that are easier to accomplish.

What I was thinking is that this idea may help someone faced with the same problem. The linkage is still "good and the accelerator pedal is still "good". except for the back side of it which has partially disintegrated due to age and heat. However the two parts will not stay connected together. I just dreamed up several solutions and wanted to share them,

 

[Ramblin Reck]

Why not assemble things as they should be?????

Terry OH
That is the best solution but not the easiest one in my book. Not until I bought the new parts, pedal and linkage did I understand the problem. If I never get a "Round 2 It" the next owner will have the correct spare parts which BTW were not expensive.

 

[19Fordy]

To install the OEM gas pedal linkage into a new 40 Ford gas pedal I did the following.
1. Fasten replacement gas pedal to the floor board as it originally was.
2. Dab some dish soap onto the end of the linkage that goes into the bottom of the gas pedal. Also, dab some dish soap into the hole in the bottom of the gas pedal.
2. Grip the accelerator linkage with a pair if vise grips.
3. Hold the vise grip and the linkage rod against the gas pedal hole and and push on
the gas pedal so that you can "wiggle" and force it into the gas pedal hole.

 

[Ramblin Reck]

To install the OEM gas pedal linkage into a new 40 Ford gas pedal I did the following.
1. Fasten replacement gas pedal to the floor board as it originally was.
2. Dab some dish soap onto the end of the linkage that goes into the bottom of the gas pedal. Also, dab some dish soap into the hole in the bottom of the gas pedal.
2. Grip the accelerator linkage with a pair if vise grips.
3. Hold the vise grip and the linkage rod against the gas pedal hole and and push on
the gas pedal so that you can "wiggle" and force it into the gas pedal hole.

19Fordy
You are exactly right and I believe you gave me this same advice in my previous post on this subject. The next steps may not be as difficult to accomplish as your step 3 above. After 3 is accomplished, with much nashing of teeth and hurling expletives, one must then attach the pedal to the floor board and push the linkage thru the hole in the floor board. It should then be a simple matter of connecting the two linkages together. After having removed the carpet many times to replace the shifter box, I am worn out and opted to do a "MacGyver fix" rather than the correct way as you suggest. But I do thank you immensely for your excellent suggestion especially the use of soap rather than a grease which might live forever in that black hole or help destroy it over the coming years. This post is now much better for future reference because of yours and others comments. Thanks

 

[19Fordy]

Notice that Step 2 preceeds pushing the pedal onto the linkage using vice grips.
When I did mine the pedal was bolted to the floorboard and the rest of the linkage was attached to the carb linkage. and the firewall actuator spring.
With all that connected you then push the gas pedal onto the rod button that fits up through the floorboard and into the gas pedal hole. This is probaly easier to do for folks of small physical stature as the front seat limits working space. Be sure to have you seat adjusted alll the way back.


One other thought, You might want to practice inserting the linkage using vise grips into the pedal while the pedal is out of your car. That will give you additional ideas re: fitment. If you have a thin open end / box end wrench you might be able to first insert the rod into the hole and ten bolt the pedal hinge to the floorboard. However, I have never tried that. You might have to heat and bend the wrench to accomodate space limitations. If needed, grind the wrench to make it thinner.