Pedal Cluster rebuild

[ccandgc]

After 3 days, I gor that da*n pin out....broke a drill bit in and it got really stuck....
Now, I cant get that pedal off! Are they always hard to get off? I torched it, and was able to rotate it, but not able to move it up the shaft...whats the secret?


Thanks!
ChadC

[rickeolis]

I did this on my '69 last week. I too broke a drill bit , then another, then one more... But I figured I would not let it get the best of me, so I found a couple more bits,and just kept with it, and finally I tried to smash the pin out again, using a smaller bolt as my drift punch, and viola! It finally budged. Then I worked it more until it was out. The rest of the job just takes minutes and is very easy.
I chose to sand down each piece and paint them before reassembly, and I'm glad did I did, it works and looks great!
Good luck-

[ccandgc]

thanks, I got the pin out completely, secured the clutch cable arm, and was able to rotate just the pedal, but it seems like its on there tight.
I have a sandblaster which I will use to clean everything up nicely.


ChadC

[yelcab1]

bead plaster works better, but it is your choice. I did not remember having that much trouble with this project, other than getting the clutch return spring back on.

[ccandgc]

I needed to get a new vise, I killed my old one with this project....once I got it clamped in there nicely, the pedal came right off...
How is bead blasting better? Does it cut the rust faster? Clean better? Less dust?
Just wondering, Ive never done any blasting before.


ChadC
71 911S Targa

[yelcab1]

Bead blasting is less destructive on the metal because the media is softer. But if you are just shooting at steel, maybe it is about the same with sand blasting.

[dtw]

Wait'll you actually try to put the pin back in. I just got my assembly back from the machine shop with a freshly engineered pin after I crushed the last fraction of mine during install.

[ccandgc]

ugh....now I have to worry about that too! Just when I thought the worst was over. Well, I guess it is, just have to be really careful. How did you crush it? What were you doing?


ChadC

[warment]

I think I broke a drill bit when I rebuilt mine as well. That German metal is really hard!

Bill

[Kevin Taylor]

YOU WILL NEED A LARGE HAMMER, VICE AND
I FOUND AN EXTRA SET OF HANDS AND EYES IS HELPFUL.
PUT A BLOCK OF WOOD BETWEEN HAMMER AND CLUSTER.

[dtw]

Originally posted by ccandgc
ugh....now I have to worry about that too! Just when I thought the worst was over. Well, I guess it is, just have to be really careful. How did you crush it? What were you doing?
ChadC

I lightly tapped the pin in with a mallet to get it started. Then I inserted the cluster into a vise and started cranking it in with a vise as suggested in the Pelican tech article. This required considerable force- I had to attach a 4' PVC pipe to the vice handle to crank it. I also clipped a curved Vice-grip to the pin's end as I was driving it, as it started to deform in the vice. This worked until I got down to that last 1/4 inch. I had to remove the vice grip then, and then it crushed.

Long story short, I got it back from the machine shop on Saturday morning, it is all set and looks great. They routed out the holes and installed a bolt through them. Upon warning me about repeating the process on my assembly in the future, I simply advised them that I hoped I would be long dead before the assembly required additional rebuilds.

[Breeang]

Hi guys!. Ihave just re-built my pedal cluster as well. There is a neat little tool you can get called a 'Roll pin punch' which is specifically designed for these things. Check with a NAPA store near you, they come in a set of different sizes and look like a regular center punch that you beat with a hammer, but the tip is made to fit in the center of the pin, with shoulders that rest on the outside of the pin for pushing it out (or in)

[Jdub]

A pin punch is a must (also known as a "drift"). Get the three-pin kit from Sears so you have a variety of sizes.

The vise is the way to go. On reassembley, taper the business end of the pin so it does not hang up on something.

If you are unable to rotate the pedal from the shaft, you have bits of metal shavings in there. You will need to douse the area with WD-40 and try to push the particulates out by compressed air or an awful lot of WD-40. Since this is something of an interference fit, you have tight tolerances. GO EASY because you can scratch the heck out of the two surfaces.

John

[Breeang]

For loosening seized or rusted parts I swear by 'PB Blaster' spray.That stuff works like WD 40 on steroids, spray it on and let it soak in, a couple of taps with a hammer (for encouragement) and some judicious wiggling seems to free up just about anything.