Brake pedal stopper

[Deceus]

I completely re-did my brakes with a Wilwood setup and I've ran into quite a few issues. One of them is that pedal springs back after it's been pressed in and comes way too far back. I'm not using the factory brake switch since I have one on my portioning valve that's working great. I took a picture and it appears the switch is bent pretty bad but even if it were straightened out it doesn't seem to be where it would do any good.

Here's a shot from my brake pedal looking up:

I'm thinking I'll need to straighten that out and get a longer/adjustable pushrod. I just wanted to make sure I'm not missing anything else here since I have no idea what all is supposed to be going on down there minus the pedal itself. Does the switch double as a stopper in the stock setup?

 

[Deceus]

Looks like I'm missing the bushing for the end of the pushrod for one. I took a look at a video from the Ram Man but he only had a setup from B and E bodies in his video but it had a lot of good information. Apparently the switches are quite adjustable but I still have no idea how bad this thing is bent or how it's originally supposed to sit in there.

 

[TrailBeast]

I completely re-did my brakes with a Wilwood setup and I've ran into quite a few issues. One of them is that pedal springs back after it's been pressed in and comes way too far back. I'm not using the factory brake switch since I have one on my portioning valve that's working great. I took a picture and it appears the switch is bent pretty bad but even if it were straightened out it doesn't seem to be where it would do any good.

Here's a shot from my brake pedal looking up:

View attachment 1715097362

I'm thinking I'll need to straighten that out and get a longer/adjustable pushrod. I just wanted to make sure I'm not missing anything else here since I have no idea what all is supposed to be going on down there minus the pedal itself. Does the switch double as a stopper in the stock setup?

The switch is not designed to stop the pedal travel, but just be there when the pedal stops.
One thing to watch out for in case it had not crossed your mind yet is that the piston in the master needs to return enough to release the fluid from the brakes back into the reservoir.
Other than that, you can do pretty much whatever you want as far as pedal travel.

 

[Deceus]

The switch is not designed to stop the pedal travel, but just be there when the pedal stops.
One thing to watch out for in case it had not crossed your mind yet is that the piston in the master needs to return enough to release the fluid from the brakes back into the reservoir.
Other than that, you can do pretty much whatever you want as far as pedal travel.

Yeah there's plenty of room for it to return, the problem is that the pushrod keeps on going well after the master cylinder piston has stopped. It's got a trampoline effect going on that's pretty unsettling. I've already ordered the adjustable rod from Mancini since I could use a bit of higher pedal anyways I'm just not sure how to stop this thing from flying back so far.

So what does stop the pedal from smacking the switch? Does the friction from the bushing prevent it from springing back or is there some sort spring or stopper somewhere else in the assembly?

 

[rich006]

Here's what the manual says.

 

[Deceus]

Got my yoga in for the day and finally got a good pic of what's going under there. The switch bracket is definitely borked pretty bad.

It's not even close to making contact. I'll have to find a way to make this useable or find a replacement. Not interested in making the switch work so I may just straighten it out and thread a bolt through there. Thanks A LOT for that diagram, that's what I was looking but couldn't seem to find.

 

[69_340_GTS]

As you can see, that switch bracket is far too wimpy to be used as a "pedal stop". It's mostly bent right next to where the screw attaches it to the pedal bracket. That is where they bend when you force the pedal "up" too far. If you take the switch off, and flatten that whole thing out it will probably be pretty close to where its supposed to be.

 

[BillGrissom]

It is just thin sheet-metal. Remove it, hammer it flat and adjust it to sense the pedal motion. I must admit your concerns with the switch are making us worry about your whole brake install. Insure the switch turns off solidly (plenty of gap), otherwise your brake lights may stay on and drain the battery. A strong spring in the MC should return the pedal. The MC piston should bottom out against the housing to stop that motion. That should be abrupt. The sponginess sounds like something loose between MC and pedal rod. Your brake rod looks like for a manual brake system. The rod tip should be secured tightly in the MC piston with a rubber bushing. Try pulling up on the pedal. If the rod comes out easily, it isn't secure. Perhaps you got a new rubber bushing but just stuck it in the piston bore instead of sliding it over the tip of the brake rod until it snapped in place. If you had power brakes (usually a flat pedal rod), there are levers and the booster in the path, but all should be tight with no play.

 

[Deceus]

It is just thin sheet-metal. Remove it, hammer it flat and adjust it to sense the pedal motion. I must admit your concerns with the switch are making us worry about your whole brake install. Insure the switch turns off solidly (plenty of gap), otherwise your brake lights may stay on and drain the battery. A strong spring in the MC should return the pedal. The MC piston should bottom out against the housing to stop that motion. That should be abrupt. The sponginess sounds like something loose between MC and pedal rod. Your brake rod looks like for a manual brake system. The rod tip should be secured tightly in the MC piston with a rubber bushing. Try pulling up on the pedal. If the rod comes out easily, it isn't secure. Perhaps you got a new rubber bushing but just stuck it in the piston bore instead of sliding it over the tip of the brake rod until it snapped in place. If you had power brakes (usually a flat pedal rod), there are levers and the booster in the path, but all should be tight with no play.

No need to worry. It was a manual car that I converted to power brakes and then back to manual when I started having problems with the booster. The stock switch isn't hooked up at all so no concerns of draining the battery. I recently replaced the old manual pushrod with a adjustable rod from Mancini that came with a new bushing so I have that now too. I haven't figured out quite what I want to do with the bracket just yet but without something there the pedal is free to move around when under hard acceleration and that's obviously something that needs to be fixed before I put it on the road. The good news is that I was planning on switching out my driver's seat so I should have an easier time getting in there to do whatever I need.

 

[69_340_GTS]

There should be a grommet or o-ring in the groove in the rod that enters the master cylinder piston. They have enough friction to keep the pedal down, if not investigate why. You can put a slightly bigger o-ring in there if necessary. It's nothing special.

 

[Deceus]

There should be a grommet or o-ring in the groove in the rod that enters the master cylinder piston. They have enough friction to keep the pedal down, if not investigate why. You can put a slightly bigger o-ring in there if necessary. It's nothing special.

Yeah I picked one up from Mancini but it didn't seem all that sticky. It's not bouncing around nearly as much but it's still not all that secure. I'm thinking the rubber boot that goes over the opening to the Wilwood master cylinder will help. I just need to figure out how to get it to work with the new pushrod since it's tapered and squishing the boot instead of passing through it. Picture for reference:

Probably just need to cut it down some. Have a leaking fuel sending unit to take care of first though. It's always something lol.

 

[69_340_GTS]

Yeah I picked one up from Mancini but it didn't seem all that sticky. It's not bouncing around nearly as much but it's still not all that secure. I'm thinking the rubber boot that goes over the opening to the Wilwood master cylinder will help. I just need to figure out how to get it to work with the new pushrod since it's tapered and squishing the boot instead of passing through it. Picture for reference:

View attachment 1715099732

Probably just need to cut it down some. Have a leaking fuel sending unit to take care of first though. It's always something lol.

I have the exact same M/C. Found an o-ring that fits perfectly, at least on my pushrod. I had to buy a lot of them in a package. I could throw a couple in an envelope and mail it to you, if you want. PM me with your snail address and I'll mail it out tomorrow, or Sat. at the latest.