Roadster pickup progress

This weekend, along with firing the engine, I cut the hole in the floor above the under-floor master cylinder. This was no small chore, as the floor is made from 3/16" plate. Thank heavens for metal cutting saber saws and air powered cut off discs. The peice that was cut out was saved, I then took a scrap of 1/4" plate and cut out a "frame" that would fit against the underside of the floor, extending about 1/2" beyond the cut out on all sides, and extending into the cut out hole about 3/16" all around. I left a 3/4" x 45 degree web in each of the 4 corners of the frame. I then drilled 3/8" diameter holes thru the floor in 6 places around the perimeter of the cut out area, and after clamping the frame in place I plug welded it with my mig welder thru the 6 holes, and ground the top surface of the welds flush with the floor. Then I set the cut out peice back into place, and drilled thru the 4 corners of the cut out peice and thru the webs left in the corners of the frame underneath. I lifted the "cut out peice" out, took it over to the drill press and countersunk each of the 4 holes for a 1/4" flat head cap screw. I tapped the 4 holes in the inside corners of the frame 1/4-20 unc. It worked perfect---now I have a flush fit bolted cover over the master cylinder access hole.----I then took the remains of my 1/4" scrap plate and burned out a 3 1/2" circle. I finish ground the edges on my vertical belt sander, and drilled a countersunk hole thru the center for a 1/2" flat head cap screw x 1 1/4" long. I dropped the bolt into place, welded all around, ground everything flush, and Voila---instant brake pedal.----them suckers cost $50 to buy from a parts supplier. I will paint it black along with the brake pedal arm, and get a peice of one of those industrial grade stick-on anti slip pads to cover the "face". (that stuff is like #100 grit emery cloth, with a self adhesive backing, and is almost indistructable.)

Nice. Sounds cool. I'd love to see it. If you have any pics you should posta them. It sounds like it came out very nice. Also sounds like you got some work done on it this weekend, got 'er fired. Almost ready to roll, huh? Congrats man, sounds real nice.

urotu----I probably have close to 100 posts with pictures documenting this buildup. Click on "profile" at the bottom of my post---this will take you to another window, where a blue colored line says"search all posts by this user "---click on it and browse thru.

Well Brian is certainly a hard working innovator! I just thought I would mention that I bought the round rubber pedal like the '46-'48 Ford with the concentric "bullseye" pattern from Speedway for $15 out of nostalgia for my high school '47 Ford. It is supposed to have a 1/4" NPT thread but whatever thread the TCI brake pedal arm has it is not NPT so I had to retap the brake pedal hole for the pedal. For now it is a very tight fit, but we will see what happens when I use it for a hard stop. Maybe I will have to drill out the hole and try to get a nut on the back.

Don Shillady
Retired Scientist/teen rodder

This is a picture of the access panel and brake pedal.