Classic Ford Mustang Pedals - How-To Replace a Clutch and Brake Pedal Assembly

1. After disconnecting the battery, we looked up underneath the dash with a flashlight and determined right away that the whole pedal assembly could be jiggled around. It would have to come out of the car for inspection. Since the heavy bracket that supports the pedals mounts to the firewall at a point above the steering column, the steering column had to be removed first. Under the hood, we disconnected the column from the steering box at the rag joint. Fasteners at the base of the column tube going into the firewall were then removed. The underdash support for the column was undone, and we disconnected the electrical wiring. On some cars, the turn signals and horn have two separate plugs to disconnect before pulling the column. Other cars have a single plug found above the column, directly behind the speedometer.

2. After removing the driver seat to ease underdash access and disconnecting the clutch pushrod at the equalizer bar, we removed the brake-light switch and master-cylinder pushrod at the brake-pedal arm. After removing four bolts at the firewall and two under the dash that retain the pedal-support bracket, we removed the pedal assembly from the car.

3. Here's the pedal assembly on the ground. The offset brake pedal doesn't look quite right, but we also discovered problems in several other areas.

4. This close-up of the pedal assembly shows the badly misaligned pedals. The pin on the brake-pedal arm that joins the master-cylinder pushrod slants off at an odd angle, and metal shavings are evident.

5. Disassembly of the pedals begins by removing the large clip used to retain the pedal cross-shaft. Look closely and you can see the remains of a nylon bushing.

6. Considerable damage is evident on the other side of the pedal assembly. The clutch and brake-pedal cross-shaft has worked its way through a nylon sleeve and the support bushing. As a result, the cross-shaft was operating against the bracket itself, further wearing away with each cycle of operation. Before long there would've been complete failure of the linkage, resulting in no clutch operation. Looking at these parts after nearly four decades of wear, it's easy to understand why the pedals were misaligned and the pedal-effort level was so high.