Adjustable Pedals Install - Classic Trucks Magazine

Adjustable Pedals Install - Pedal Your Enthusiasm

With the vast array of pedal assemblies in the aftermarket world, I stumbled upon a cool set of pedals that were basic looking in nature but packed a big punch as far as adjustability. You may say that your stock pedals don’t need the adjustability and you stop just fine.

1202clt 01 O +adjustable Pedals Install+gas Brake

My response to that would be, “How does your leg and foot feel after a long drive or sitting in rush hour traffic?” When I first started building my ’59 Apache my goals were simple, build a nice driver that can go anywhere at any time. Well, as most of our readers, my projects change in-between build phases—so has my long-term project. The new goal is very similar to the old goal but now I have thrown a few curves into the mix, literally curves, that’s right I want to build a truck that can handle a Goodguys autocross course but still retain the drivability and street ability that the original version 1.0 truck had. Not to mention, I don’t want to put 30-inch spinners on the truck, I don’t think that is what CLASSIC TRUCKS magazine is about. I think Grant Peterson, former Associate Editor, was onto something by pushing the performance end of classic trucks. Isn’t that what the original hot rodders did? A street driven truck that can drive fast in a strait line and carve the canyons with a Corvette? Is that possible?

So why would I install aftermarket pedals on my truck? For several reasons and here is why: My personal truck came with a four on the floor and the stock pedals just felt uncomfortable, especially since the truck was a daily driver.

1202clt 02 O +adjustable Pedals Install+planning I ordered a set of Tilton Engineering firewall mounted pedals (PN TIL-72-601) from Summit Racing. The pedals arrived at Deuces Wild Hotrods and Customs Inc. of Fillmore, CA, where owner John Meadows and I installed them on my ’59 Chevy Apache. First, a paper template was needed to make sure the pedals were mounted in the correct location. Since I previously installed a 3-inch recessed firewall, I had some mounting issues to work out, but if you have a stock firewall than most of my mounting dilemmas are avoided.

Next, the clutch was all manual, meaning that when I pushed the clutch pedal it would pivot to another arm that would hit the clutch fork and push the throwout bearing until the clutch was disengaged. As the clutch parts wore out the pedal would get feedback and transfer to my foot, not to mention the effort to press in the clutch. Talk about a left leg work out …

My third thought was that what if the truck came with an automatic transmission and you wanted to shift gears like a mad man. Changing the pedals to an aftermarket style pedal assembly will give the option of putting that five- or six-speed transmission in if desired.

1202clt 03 O +adjustable Pedals Install+screws These little things come in handy when marking/transferring more than one hole to a paper template. Simply screw them into the threaded hole so that the pointy side is slightly above the surface.

And finally, my fourth thought was about brake options and the ability to adjust the pedals mechanically to suit the truck’s needs, especially when considering options such as Wilwood Engineering’s Superlite 6R big brakes or other big brake combos. The bonus is that they make the stock or upgraded smaller disc brakes feel good because of the modern pedal placement. CT