Loose metal bushings in the clutch/brake assembly

[robroy]

Hello Folks!

Today I removed the clutch/brake assembly from under the dash, disassembled it, and noticed that the two metal bushings in the assembly were loose; they could be wiggled and rotated a little bit.

Are they supposed to be this way? Or should they fit snugly against the assembly?

Here are some photos of them:





My truck has always had a symptom that may have been caused by these loose metal bushings: when I push on the clutch the brake pedal shifts to the left slightly. It always kind of annoyed me, since in an ideal world the clutch and brake pedals would operate independently of one another.

So, if they are indeed supposed to be snug, what are my options for making this repair? Does anybody ever replace these metal bushings?

Thanks very much for all the outstanding advice!
-Robroy

[FORDification]

I don't think those pot metal bushings are replaceable or are available, but I could be wrong. AFAIK once those bushings are worn, you can either find a replacement bracket with good bushings, or replace the bushings with roller-type bearings. Here's a website which offers a pretty nice conversion:

http://www.mustangsteve.com/clutchbearings.html

[robroy]

Hi Keith! Thanks very much for your great reply.

I read that site and it looks pretty cool! It would definitely be an upgrade to have a ball bearing supported shaft under there, and the price is pretty reasonable.

Keith, is it true that the stock pot metal bushings are supposed to be snugly held in place in the steel assembly?

I'm not sure if the inner surface is excessively worn or not, but the way the bushings wobble around doesn't seem right.

Thanks again Keith!
-Robroy

[Jake11]

The Mustang places sell a kit to replace them with roller bearings. Put one in my 67 Coug.
Might just fit a F series. Look to be the same deal. Jake

[FORDification]

Yes, they're supposed to be snug, with no movement at all. Once they start to move, they're going to wear out fast.

[robroy]

Hi Jake and Keith, thanks! It sounds like I've definitely got to do something before stashing the assembly away under the dash again. I'll post all the details to this thread when I do find a solution.

Thanks again,
-Robroy

[MustangSteve]

Hey, guys... I thought I might chime in on this. My bearing kit will fix the 5/8" pedal shaft better than new with a sealed ballbearing setup. There are ROLLER bearing setups out there, but they utilize the old worn out shaft as the inner bearing surface. My BALLBEARING setup has it's own inner race, so even if the shaft is severely worn, the new bearing will cover the worn place with a new race. I designed it that way so if your shaft is worn out, you still have a high quality repair. Thanks for mentioning my products on this great site. I know Mustangs!!! and am learning about the bumps. I have two of them.

[robroy]

Hey MustangSteve! Thanks for adding to this thread!

I'll be sending my parts to Steve for this upgrade and will post lots of pics when it's all installed!

And thanks to Keith for telling me about this fantastic upgrade.

-Robroy

[robroy]

Parts received with the upgrade in record time! I think the box got there on Thursday and Steve had it all wrapped up on Saturday, and they arrived on my doorstep yesterday--now that's express service. The work looks really beautiful and the bearings feel like a million bucks. I'll post lots of pics as I install the new assembly!

-Robroy

[robroy]

Here are some photos of Steve's outstanding work. I just pulled the parts out of the box and photographed them, so they're not properly put together quite yet, but they look great. They're going to get bead blasted and refinished before installation.





Boy do those ball bearings feel smooth and precise!

-Robroy

[Ranchero50]

That's pretty cool. Same problem on the rancheros, just never thought to put a bearing in. I think I welded some nuts or something around the stock bushing to keep it tight.

Bearing will have to be looked into.

Jamie

[robroy]

Yes it seems to be a great upgrade. Here's the current status on the parts: sandblasted and waiting for paint:



-Robroy

[MustangSteve]

http://www.mustangsteve.com/clutchbearings.html for info. You can either get the parts and instructions kit or send your pedal assembly in for repair.

[robroy]

Put some Rust Bullet on the parts; those welds Steve did sure look nice.





-Robroy

[Fordnatic]

That looks terrific!! Did you get them reinstalled? How do they work?

Also, on a different subj-how do you like the rust bullet? I have been going back and forth between it and POR15.