Technical Hanging pedals placement

I'm about to embark on hanging the brake and gas pedals in my 31' Tudor and something I've searched the forum for and found nothing is placement of said pedals.

So my question is simple, when mocking up and/or building your hanging pedal assemblies how many inches do you put between the bare metal floor/toe board to the back of the brake and gas pedals ?

Want plenty of room so I don't run out of stroke for the brakes and plenty of room to make sure I can get both 4-bbls wide open without having the pedals stick a mile in the air.

I would think there would be a basic rule of thumb but have found nothing !!

Manual brakes BTW if it matters !!

Thanks gents !!

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I do the math backwards when calculating throw on the pedals for the master cylinder below the floor. I determine how much travel the master cylinder has from static to fully compressed, multiply that distance (usually a bit more than an inch) by the target pedal ratio (about 6 to 7:1) add about a 1/2 to 1" for insulation, carpet, sound deadener etc. on the floor. Vertical placement is based on where they feel comfortable to my foot.

So let's say your master cylinder has an inch of travel, your pedal ratio is 7 to 1...I'd aim for about 7 1/2"-8" off the floor (or in your case, away from the firewall).

 

Delete the toe board, and run the floor all the way to the firewall, with a drop extension.

 

I put the seat in first then fit the steering column to the seat then I put in the brake clutch and gas pedal in last

 

If you going play,over head pedal,remember the pivit point for pedal needs to be forward/ of your foot**> not right above it= So pedal when pushed,moves down some{ not up }. Your foot pivit is your heel were its on floor. The ark of pedal pad,and ark of your foot pad just under your toes ,,need to be as close a match of arks as you can get,and both at same hight off floor at rest. =That way it feels right *****,any other way makes it feel weird.

 

You’re just going to have to mock it all up to really get it right on the money, too many variables as to what pedals your using and etc. as far as a throttle pedal most throttle pedals have clockable arms so you can get the pedal where you want it, have full throw and not hit the firewall.

 

@dana barlow thank you ! I hadn't considered that. Excellent point though and I bet it would be something you would "feel" in use.

@Tim I know some of the aftermarket gas pedals are clockable but didn't know about some of the older OEM style were, Like the old ford spoon pedals. I guess with the way some are built it wouldn't be hard to bend some of them into submission...

@gimpyshotrods I have lessened the angle of the toe board so it shouldn't be a problem (famous last words !)

@anothercarguy thank you! Very informative information!! Things I will definitely check!

Thanks for all your input!!

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I would take some measurements from a stock car with swing pedals and try to duplicate it.

 

Yeah stock ones you can bend or I’ve set a few with a riser so it stands off the firewall another inch.

 

I've always used donor pedal assemblies from factory cars, and never had any floor clearance issues. I have had pedal angle issues when I put seats in for mockup, and discovered pedal angles didn't feel right. I just cut the pedals off, reworked the angle and welded the pedals back on to get them right. I have had brake pedal arms that didn't have the correct ratio when used for manual brake setups, and I just get some flat bar steel, and cut the pedal off, and add in the amount I needed to get the correct ratio.

 

Measure the distance from the floor to the pedals on your daily driver and copy it.

 

That's what I always do.

Modern vehicle manufacturers have put billions into ergonomic designs.

Steal that.

 

I'd cobble up a simple mount and put it under the dash to see how your feet/legs like the location. Something simple so you can get some measurements and then be able to pull it back out of the vehicle.

Then mount it on a bench and see where you need to mount the linkage( to the master cyls or cable set up). Get it so that it works full travel/needed travel distance when pressing the pedal. Then when mounted back in the vehicle...... That should dictate where you need to mount the cyls on the firewall to work with the pedal set up. If you mount the cyls on the firewall first, and work backwards, it may not work out the way you want. (I hope this makes sense the way I wrote it)

 

The flaw in simply measuring pedal to floor placement by manufacturers is seating position. It will probably get you in the ball park, and may even turn out just right for you, but then again how high or low your seat is may affect the result. Nothing works better than sitting in your car and seeing what feels correct to you, and then trying to replicate that with the finished pedal set up.

 

With your heal on the floor, I would think you would want your toes and the ball of your foot on the pedal. So you didn't have to pick up your foot every time you hit the brake

 

I would like to thank everyone that posted.

It gave me idea's, food for thought, and things like the brake pedal angle of travel I hadn't thought about.

So thank you gents, it's greatly appreciated!!

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You are right to low and not enough stroke, to high and your can’t reach pedals. It is to mock it up first. Don’t forget with adjustable rod from the pedal to the m/c there is a lot of hight adjustment. I used a brake pedal from a 90s chevy truck and started the same distance from floor as the truck, it worked fine for me.

 

^^ I'm using a modded Chrysler mini motor home 90° master cylinder set-up so I can mount it under my dash. Using the original gas filler on my model A for the brake fluid fill.

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