Pedal Assemblies?

[NetKev92]

Is there any good place buy a pedal assembly for these cars? I'm sure I can draw one up and build it, but I don't feel the drive to reinvent the mundane if there's something affordable out there already.

On a related tangent, where do you get your master cylinders from?

[Mexellent]

Well... Pedal assemblies may seem mundane, but they are QUITE important. They are the link between the driver and the engine and the brakes.

If you decide to make your own pedal assembly, here are some things you should implement:

*Adjustability for drivers of various heights
*A place for a throttle return spring
*(ADJUSTABLE)Stops for both positions of your throttle pedal.
*a throttle pedal with LOTS of travel (mostly driver preference)
*a spot for your brake over-travel switch
*make sure that your pedals dont hang out of the frame when the pedals are in the position for the tallest driver.
*a spot to mount your master cylinders
*a spot to mount your bias bar should you choose to go with a bias bar
*make sure your bias bar doesnt hit anything while the pedal travels.

Thats all I can think of at the moment, although im sure theres more. You need to get working on that ASAP because Im sure youre going to run into very many problems (like we did).

Weve used girling master cylinders in the past.

http://www.racing-stuff.com/master_cylinders.htm

[NetKev92]

That's a very good list of reasons why I'd rather not design my own. I understand that the pedal assembly is a vital part of the car, and that's part of the reason that I'd love to just get an assembly that works well rather than start from scratch. If a good option doesn't present itself though, my car really can't do without them...

[Mark TMV]

Wilwood sells Brake pedal/MC's/Bias bar combo for about $190US - sure takes a lot of headache out of designing the pedal assy.

[Jersey Tom]

I like making our own. Its not all that difficult. You can buy off-the-shelf ones, like I think I saw some team running a Tilton set up last year. But its overkill.

[drivetrainUW-Platt]

I love teams that find ways to buy things for our application...custom parts are cool, but take up lots of design/fabrication time and end up costing a lot of money unless you have access to free material/machines.
If you are planning on buying a pedal assy, make sure to think about component interfaces, and sizing of things like master cylinders to fit your brake disk. Dont just go buy a VW part and then come on the forum and say you have "a vw pedal assy" and ask how to make it work....
finding mass produced parts to fit our application takes a lot of research/trial and error but can be rewarding if you can say mail order a complete system with minimal fabrication involved

[Nick McNaughton]

...and read everything Carroll Smith has written about pedalboxes, pedal pivots, etc. Especially the bit about a rising rate linkage.

[Wes]

Building a pedal assembly is not an easy task. But I think that there are many advantages to building your own. Mainly, that you can make the assembly fit your car. Also, once the pedal assembly is built it can be used again (at least for testing). Or if you were really generous you could hand it down to your baja team!
Here is the one I am building. I would guess that i have around 15 hours in this little bugger. A lot of it was spent welding. Note the rising rate linkage in the brake pedal.
Pedal Ass (http://pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/uwpformula/detail?.dir=/2377&.dnm=f3b4.jpg&.src=ph)

[fsae_alum]

Originally posted by NetKev92:
Is there any good place buy a pedal assembly for these cars? I'm sure I can draw one up and build it, but I don't feel the drive to reinvent the mundane if there's something affordable out there already.

On a related tangent, where do you get your master cylinders from?

Ought to try looking at the pedals they use in Karting. They even make these ingenious eccentric adapters that you put on the pedal that allows for adjustment for short drivers.

The pedals typically don't give very good driver feedback, but they are off the shelf and easy to install.

[NetKev92]

Thanks. I'll go take a look for those Wilwood and Tilton assemblies. Custom work is what it is. It can get great results and something tailored to your job, but it is extra work. At $200, I may be tempted to just buy an assembly and not worry about the poor quality of my welds. I'll just have to look now that I know where to start.

[Neal Stanley]

If you aren't going to make your pedals, then at least take a look at the Stohr Pedal Assembly. They are the best one out there.
WWW.leestohr.com (http://WWW.leestohr.com)

[Bill Kunst]

Neal-
I love the stohr pedals. Absolutely, positively way better than what most teams come up with. I guess if you take the time to study a pro car like this, you can bring some cool stuff to fsae, but look out for the $100/lb pricing for aero. Excellent products, and ideas.
Bill

[Mexellent]

Those stohr pedals look very heavy. And i called them as well, the assembly is about $1200 according to lee stohr. I think those guys are a little overbuilt for what we need.

[NetKev92]

Wow. That assembly fom Stohr is one impressive collection of machined billet parts. I had a similar impression on weight, but at least those thick parts are aluminum so they probably aren't too miserable. $1200 is a bt steep for me anyway.