Looking For Brake Pedal Pad Modification Ideas

[strantor]

I think most glue has a tendency to loosen up when there is a shear force at work. ... Perhaps you have tried something like this already.

yes, on a regular basis. at work I have a dozen machines where I do this. I glue rubber pads to a spinning steel wheel; these pads/wheels close together on either side of a large (2000lb) reel of steel wire and then it wheels/pads are connected to a motor which spins the reel (hundreds of rpm). These wheels/pads also brake the reel. So there is a huge amount of sheering force, or maybe I should say lateral rubbing force, and the glue holds. When they fail, it's usually because the rubber ripped. The loctite 380 does a superb job. When I change the pads, I have to use a chisel and mallet to get the pads off, followed by a vigorous wire-wheeling with an angle grinder. If you're going to do this, make sure your pedal is clean and try to scuff up the surface of the rubber if it's super smooth.

 

[Mickster]

Hello,

So i have given the car model information in post #13, does that help?

It does, but the final thing we need to know is:
Is it a manual, or an auto transmission?

In the UK, I'd hazard a rough estimate that probably 90% of vehicles on the road would have a manual transmission.
However, having worked in a country where US-made vehicles were imported to, the 90% ratio would apply to auto transmission equipped vehicles.

Regards.

 

[cr0sh]

It's a 1988 Hyundai Excel, which actually becomes Historic in my state in January of 2013 so im getting an early start.

I don't know whether to laugh or cry at this: Laugh, because it's a Hyundai Excel, or cry, because it makes me feel really old that this car is now a "classic"...

This car was pretty cool looking when it was new.

**broken link removed**

To each their own, I guess...

 

[MrAl]

strantor:
Ok maybe i'll give that glue a shot. Sounds very good really. I have a brand
new pad that would fit if i cut the bottom ridge off, but then it would have to
be glued on. So maybe i'll try that. Now to find that glue...

Mickster:
Oh yes it is a manual 5 speed.
You know what is strange, all the lists i could find only go back to 1990.

cr0sh:
Ha ha, i have been doing both lately because of this thing. I had to rebuild
an emissions valve with some plumbing supplies from Home Depot...not fun.
Dont let anyone tell you it's not a worthwhile car either.
Also, by registering a vehicle as Historic in this state it only requires
inspection every 3 years instead of every 2 years, and renewing the registration
is free. So you start to see the benefits right there.
It's actually quite interesting to do this however. I had many much older cars
(pre 1960 or so) that were more worthy of restoration but made the mistake of getting
rid of them such as a 1961 Cadilac and a Dodge with push button transmission.
I imagine it would be even harder to get parts for them now though.

 

[KeepItSimpleStupid]

Loctote 380: http://www.stanleysupplyservices.com/search.aspx?q=loctite+380&go=

But it seems to be everywhere.

If you have an MSC near you: http://www1.mscdirect.com/content/aboutmsc/allstates.html#New_Jersey You can order and pick up there without a postage charge if your not in a hurry.

 

[MrAl]

Hi again,

Thanks for the link KeepIt. A visit to the local auto parts shop turned up every kind of Loctite but that one. I have to order some, then experiment a little.

Thanks for all the replies to everyone who took the time.

 

[cr0sh]

Ha ha, i have been doing both lately because of this thing. I had to rebuild
an emissions valve with some plumbing supplies from Home Depot...not fun.

I just recently found out something in my state; you might try to see if it applies where you're at (maybe, maybe not - they only recently in 2007 changed the law here in AZ):

If you have a car that you can insure as a "collectible" vehicle (it is a special rider or something on the insurance that "tags" it as a "collectible"; from what I found, the vehicle has to be 30 years old, and there may be other restrictions on how much you can drive it, etc), then here in AZ, you can get an exemption on the emissions testing requirement.

I have an old 1979 full-size Bronco that has a 400M block V8; I bought it used off a guy in 2004, and spent a bunch of money replacing all the needed parts on it to make it pass emissions (the previous owner had removed them all, having had it tagged in Washington State, which didn't have emissions testing at that time). Well, every year I'd have to take my Bronco down to a shop to have it "quick tuned" just to get it to pass emissions, and I maybe only drove the thing 500 miles a year if that (I bought it originally for off-road use - the only time it has seen more miles was one trip in 2004 to Burning Man I took it on). Anyhow, I'm sick of doing that whole "quick tune" thing, so I did some research and found out about the new insurance law. It may end up costing me more on a yearly basis for the insurance if I can get it, but the benefit is that I can remove all of the power-robbing emission controls and do some interesting things with the truck (first thing, though, is to fix a backfire issue I'm having - but that very well may just be a tuning issue; one thing I want to do, which may ultimately cure that, is drop a 4bbl carb and hi-flow intake on it to replace the stock intake and 2bbl carb).

Dont let anyone tell you it's not a worthwhile car either.
Also, by registering a vehicle as Historic in this state it only requires
inspection every 3 years instead of every 2 years, and renewing the registration
is free. So you start to see the benefits right there.

We have something similar to that here as well, but it doesn't cover the emission requirement; if you car is registered historic, and is post-1976 (or is it 1966? I forget) model year, you still need to pass the emissions testing procedure - unless you have that new "collectible vehicle" insurance. Which they (MVD, state emissions testing place) never told me about (nor did my insurance company) the last time I had it done (in 2008); I even noted on the application for the de-insurance certificate that the reason it was being de-insured and un-registered was because it wouldn't pass emissions. One would think somebody could have told me about the new change (heck, even today, I only happened upon it accidentally - the thing is like buried, like they -don't- want you to know about it).

But, with this insurance rider (and you -don't- have to have it registered "historic" either, unless you want the special historic plates), you can bypass the emissions testing; it seems like the only requirements for a car being a "collectible" is that it is a) 30 years old or older, b) restored to original condition, c) or, alternatively, modified from its original stock condition. There also may be a minor requirement that it is something "shown" publicly (take the car once in a while to a car show, register and park it for people to look at). All items are basically determined by the insurance company; I have the intention of getting my engine work done, then once it is in good drivable condition, I've got some suspension work to have done on it, then some various trail modifications (custom front/rear bumpers, roof rack, fuel/water can carrier, slide/bump bars, skid plates, winch, etc); if I can swing it, I'm going to tell the guy I take it to for these kinds of mods to make the vehicle "functional Mad Max" (he shouldn't have to do much; it's already halfway there, the thing is so ugly). That should be enough mods to make it a public spectacle or something like that...

It's actually quite interesting to do this however. I had many much older cars
(pre 1960 or so) that were more worthy of restoration but made the mistake of getting
rid of them such as a 1961 Cadilac and a Dodge with push button transmission.
I imagine it would be even harder to get parts for them now though.

Well - that would depend on how much money, time and tenacity you have; for instance, you can still find people who make and sell through collector clubs wooden spoke wheels and such stuff; like really old, you-ain't-finding-it-no-place parts. Of course, this kind of restoration work, involving custom made from-the-ground-up parts (typically based on old plans, if available, or in the worst-case, measurements taken off of existing parts from another collector's vehicle, or perhaps even from a museum piece) - well, that takes more money than I'm willing to put into just about anything (the only thing I own that I plan to sink some money into getting restored back to "museum show quality", if I can do it, is my Altair 8800 - the biggest expense will likely involve a custom-made sheet-metal cover as the company that originally made the case, no longer does; I bought the machine from a local electronics junk yard about a year after they had stopped making the case, and got rid of the plans).

 

[strantor]

strantor:
Ok maybe i'll give that glue a shot. Sounds very good really. I have a brand
new pad that would fit if i cut the bottom ridge off, but then it would have to
be glued on. So maybe i'll try that. Now to find that glue...

rough up both surfaces and clean with isopropyl alcohol before gluing.

 

[MrAl]

Hi again,

strantor:
Yes i'll be sure to prepare both surfaces to get a good bond. Hope it works as good as it does for your stuff.

cr0sh:
Oh ok so you have a good idea what i am up against here sometimes. That truck sounds kind of interesting too.
As to the inspection, i should have mentioned that once the car goes 'Historic' in this state the inspection requirements go way down to simply checking the odometer to make sure the vehicle hasnt been driven more than 3000 miles a year. Pretty cool huh? And i have no intention of driving it anything nearly close to that figure, more like 400 miles a year (very low usage here). Plus since we have car shows in this very town i live in it will be cool to take it to shows now and then.

One other big problem i am having is matching the paint. Too dark, too light, never the right color. Maybe i should start a new thread on that? There are a few rust spots that need re doing and id like to match the paint at least close if not perfect.

 

[strantor]

oh yeah, and if you clamp it good while it cures, will be better.. maybe use a c-clamp and a block of wood or metal to push the rubber down.

 

[MrAl]

Hi,

Oh yes i was starting to wonder about that. I wasnt sure because as the clamp is removed the rubber stresses the glue right off. If it works though i'll do it. At this point whatever works is just fine with me

 

[strantor]

no leave the clamp on a good while. maybe an hour. think it's supposed to cure in 10 min, but I leave it clamped for an hour.

 

[MrAl]

Hi,

Yes, i would have no problem with leaving it on overnight. But once removed, the glue is immediately under stress. Probably not a concern but i was thinking about it.

 

[strantor]

Hi,

Yes, i would have no problem with leaving it on overnight. But once removed, the glue is immediately under stress. Probably not a concern but i was thinking about it.

no, not a problem, it can handle the stress.
in fact, not clamping it would be bad because of the gap. see here

Maximum Gap Fill: 0.006"

 

[MrAl]

Hi again,

Oh no i would not do this without at least some clamping. The only concern left now is how hard to clamp it. The correct clamping is supposed to be relative to the intended use, but in this case the intended use means pressure, then release of the pressure, then pressure again, etc. I'll have to settle for some intermediate value for the clamping force.

 

[MrAl]

Hi again,


Little update:

I found a pedal pad from a 1990 model and although it fits very tight it does fit. It seems to be less than 0.1 inches different than the old one, so with a tiny amount of stretching it seems to fit. I'll have to keep an eye on it over the coming weeks to see if it looks like it might rip prematurely.

In any case, i have a small tube of Loctite 380 which now i dont seem to have a purpose for and i was really looking forward to seeing how well this worked with metal to rubber (or whatever those pedal pads are made of if not rubber). Now i need a new idea about what to try this stuff on. The other (clutch) pedal pad looks in good shape and so does the gas pedal pad so no worries there, but then again that means no experiments with the Loctite 380 either

I guess i could always take it off and try to glue some of the old rubber back on, just as a test, or try to glue it to some other piece of steel i have laying around.

Oh and hey, thanks again to all that replied to this thread as any ideas put forth here can always be used eventually even if not right away.

 

[bryan1]

I've just used doubled sided tape before for resticking the rubber on foot pedals and not one has slipped yet. It is pretty good stuff and one note don't ever use it to stick a sign on your car door as when one goes to take it off it will strip and paint with with it..... Been there and done that too.....

 

[MrAl]

Hi,

This is for a brake pedal for stopping a car. Would you use it for that, and if so, what brand is it?

 

[bryan1]

Hi Al off memory it was 3M brand and once it's stuck it won't move or come loose

 

[MrAl]

Hi bryan,

Oh ok that's interesting because i would not have thought that would hold up for long. Do you remember where you got that tape from?