Brake pedal for a 1964

[Terry64HT]

I've ordered a replacement brake pedal for my 64 from a couple of parts houses, and each time I get one from a 63 Galaxie. The Galaxie had a U-shaped adapter on the back that took a single bolt while the Tbird used an L-shaped bracket with two bolts to the brake arm. None of the parts catalogs have pictures of the back side of the pedal and it's pretty tough to get someone on the phone who has that depth of experience.
Has anyone had a similar problem and found a solution, maybe an adapter from one type of mount to the other?
Thanks
Terry
64HT

 

[sseebart]

Well, never had to get a new brake pedal, but have gotten the folks at Bird Nest on the phone. I've found them generally knowledgeable and helpful--especially if you know exactly what you're looking for.

 

[Terry64HT]

Thanks Steve. I've never used Bird Nest, but have heard lots of good things about them. A couple of the dealers I often go to have been helpful with trying to sort this out. As expected, the replacement pedals are made by one supplier, and they seem to now only provide the Galaxie version. I assume it has to do with volume. The pedals come identified as being for a 64 Tbird, but are incorrect. One dealer checked their inventory, and they were all incorrect. Getting dealers to trot off and open boxes is not the easiest thing to do. I'm going to do an email with an explanation and photos (probably cribbed from a web site) and send it to several dealers. Perhaps someone will check stock and find an older one.
I'll let you know what happens.
In the meantime, I'm still hopeful that someone here has a work around.
Terry
64HT

 

[sseebart]

Bird Nest doesn't advertise it much, but they have a large selection of used parts in various quality. I've bought a few dashboard pieces from them and would suspect that they could get their hands on tons of brake pedals (if they don't already have boxes of them in stock).

Just out of curiosity, what happened to your original? I'm trying to think of ways that part could fail and am coming up blank. (But a little horrified at the idea.)

~Steve

 

[Terry64HT]

It was removed from car during interior work a couple of years ago and was damaged while lying loose. It also had noticeable wear, from the look of both pedals and the carpet when I bought the car, a previous owner must have worn work boots a lot. All suppliers list pedals and I thought this would be an easy fix.
There are no easy fixes with these cars.
I bought a NOS pair of both brake and accelerator at the All-Fords in Carlisle last year for a good price, knowing they were from a Galaxie but assuming they were the same. No problems with the accelerator, but the brake had a completely different mount. I'm sure I can sell the pedal I bought, but I've now run into this reproduction mess.
Terry
64HT

 

[sseebart]

There are no easy fixes with these cars.

Amen, brother!

 

[Yadkin]

If they look the same from the front I'd just fabricate something.

This thread is a little funny to me since I've said many times about my resto-mod that the brake pedal is the only thing that I have not removed/ replaced in my car.

 

[Terry64HT]

I think this thread is about much more than a brake pedal that doesn't fit. I've attached two photos that I cribbed from the internet to show the difference in the back of the pedals. I don't see any way that something can be fabricated to make the single bolt type fit the two bolt pedal arm and keep the pedal in the proper position.
Of greater concern is the attitude of the industry and suppliers. It appears that the manufacturer of the pedals made a decision to only fabricate the single bolt type and label it as useable on cars with two bolt arms (I have no idea which are which over the whole Ford line). From my conversations with a couple of the suppliers, no one knew things had changed, and worse still, didn't seem to care. "Just send it back and we'll credit you......"
I've seen brake shoes labelled for the front of a 64 that were the wrong size, I received a power steering hose that had the wrong thread on one end and paint that is supposed to be a match for original that isn't even close.
As our cars become rarer, suppliers are substituting parts that are not right, but close. Unfortunately, close only counts in hand grenades.
Terry
64HT

 

[Yadkin]

Such is the life of the owner of an antique car that is not a Mustang or Camaro. I estimate that about 1/3 to 1/2 of the parts that I have purchased either don't fit or were complete junk.

Looking at your pictures, are both steel backing plates the same size? If so you could just replace the rubber. If not, you could modify the old bracket once your remove the rubber.

For the old piece, it looks like the rubber is molded on. Remove the stainless steel dress-up plate (just bend the tabs out) then cut the rubber from the steel.

For the new piece, a lot of modern stuff is glued on using thermoset glues. If so 5 to 10 minutes in a 200F degree oven will soften the glue so you can pull the rubber off easily. If it is molded on like the original, heating it up in an oven may make it easier to separate without destroying it.

 

[Terry64HT]

Both old and new have the rubber molded onto the steel backing plate. The new reproduction seems surprisingly well-made. Just not made with the right mounting bracket. I'm pretty sure heat will not loosen the rubber enough to remove it intact, and I am reluctant to attack a new piece that costs a bit more than $50.
I'm willing to entertain hacking away at the back side if I thought it had a good chance of success, but I don't see much hope for a rubber pad removal.
Thanks for the suggestions, I'll keep looking for a solution.
Terry
64HT