As I continued up the line from the front brakes, I got to the point where I was going to have to rebuild the brake and clutch pedal assembly in order to attach the master cylinder. I hadn’t taken a close look since I got the assembly back after disassembly. This minor project became something more complicated pretty quick.
Sorting through the pile of parts, this one didn’t look bad. A little surface rust, but no problem for the blasting cabinet. I took it apart and gave it some attention in the media blaster to see what I ended up with. Unfortunately, that clutch pedal that has been hidden under the carpet for 25 years had a surprise.
The housing was cracked, and totally egged out. It would have to be replaced. Though looking at it, its not a serviceable part. What to do.
Fortunately, Mustang Steve has a solution. I did a quick paint job, then shipped them off. They will grind off the old guide and replace it with a new welded guide which will hold a new ball bearing rather than the old metal bushing.
From there, everything went back together pretty easy. The work included the parts to put it back together, including the plastic guides for the bar through the housing, and the retainer pin. To finish the job, I ordered some rubber pedal feet and a new brake light switch with mounting hardware.
I have an adjustable master cylinder arm, so I attached the end to the pedal to see how the brake light switch works. I am pretty sure I have it all put together correctly, but I still don’t understand how the switch works. Maybe once I have the pedal mounted and I can hit the brake, it will make more sense.
All reassembled, it’s ready to hang. The only part left to attach is the little bracket which I believe is the clutch return spring hook. New clutch bumper and pedal covers, good as new. With the bearings, better than new even.
Update 11/15/2019: Since I ended up going with a hydraulic clutch, I did not need the big clutch pedal assist spring. I am sure I put it on after this, but had to take it off eventually. It is an assist spring after the pedal passes the fulcrum, but not required for a hydraulic system since there is not the same mechanical weight behind it.
Additionally, there is a cheaper way to update the pedal assembly with bearings which also works just fine. Scott Drake makes a kit you can install without welding. I ended up using this kit for another pedal assembly rebuild later.
Brad Albrecht's Mustang Restoration Projects 