Another build thread? Yep, my track-style T

[J. Robinson]

With the tube made to fit under the cowl, the next step is to hang the pedals. Yes, I am using swing pedals instead of bringing them up through the floor. I have a few reasons for doing it this way. First, beleive it or not, swing pedals were common in track roadsters! Track roadsters were the forerunners of modern-day sprint cars and many of them were built with cowl-mounted steering and pedals. It kept everything up out of the way of the rather cramped driveline space and also made service / repairs at the track easier. Secondly, I am using the Chevy S-10 hydraulic clutch mechanism and the master cylinder has to be mounted above the slave which is easier to accomplish with swing pedals. Finally, in keeping with traditional hotrod building practices, I am using some commonly available salvage yard parts that I have on hand (that's how we did it in the old days, right?).

Beginning with the complete pedal assembly from the S-10, I determined I needed to remove 2 1/2" from the front of the bracket. After sectioning that bit out, it was "cut and try" until I got something that fit where and how I wanted it. By the time I was done, I had tacked the pedal assembly to the tube, cut it loose, and rewelded it twice. Finally satisfied with the fit, I welded the pedal assembly solidly to the tubing and then trimmed off all the excess bracketry that is no longer necessary.

The last step was to prop the whole thing in the car, climb in, and determine what changes would be needed to make the pedals workable. In order to get the gas pedal in there, both pedals needed to shift to the left. Also, they needed to come up a little further from the floor. All I did was a little heating and bending with a torch; problem solved. The bottom dogleg in the clutch pedal was already there; I added the upper bends. I bent the brake pedal a bit more than the clutch pedal to get it a little closer to the clutch than it was originally. The pedals are a bit tight in there, but similar to an early VW Beetle...

In a "worst case scenario", I might have to borrow Don's ballet slippers to drive it.