MTFCA Forum

Hi all,
My new 27 Tudor has only the floor boards up to the pedal cutouts. When I placed them on the frame, I noticed that the pedals are very far forward. Previous owner probably threw out the upper floorboards since they were being contacted by the pedals.
My question: Are the pedals bent forward due to years of use? What can be done to return them back to original? Or... are the band linings worn down so much that the adjusting can't be done any further? I'm new to the adjusting of bands. I do notice that the brake pedal has NO movement when I step on it. Thanks for any suggestions,
John

The brake pedal should move several inches when you push on it. Very likely you have worn bands and worn pedal cams and the band release springs may be weak, broken, or missing. The locked brake pedal may indicate problems within the transmission. Does the brake lever behave normally? Does the car roll freely with the brake lever in the straight up position? Is the engine in running order? Pictures are helpful.

Sounds like its time for a transmission cover overhaul. The pedal cams and springs are the first thing to replace. Make sure you have the correct washers for the pedal and springs. Over the years people would lose the correct washers that have the notch on them to hold the adjustment in place. The parts are available from the vendors.
And it could be the pedals got bent forward from pushing on them. It doesn’t take much of a bend to throw off the pedal adjustment. After years of use it can happen.

The transmission bands also might need to be replaced too.
Once those things have been checked the correct adjustments can be made.

I agree with Steve. Check everything for proper adjustment and wear. Replace and adjust all parts correctly, then if the pedals are still bent, forward, they probably need to be bent back. The club publishes a booklet "Transmission". It has illustrated do it yourself instructions on how to do this. I would also recommend the books, "Engine" and "Electrical system". Because if you need to remove the entire engine you will remove the engine and magneto along with it and might as well check and repair them while it is out to avoid pulling it again soon. When everything is properly adjusted, all bands should be fully engaged when the pedal is about one inch above the floorboard and there should be some slack in all 3 pedals as you push them down before the bands begin to clamp down. The idea is to have the drums turn freely in neutral or high gear and only be restricted when the brake is on , or the low is fully engaged or when reverse is fully engaged. The bands should not drag when the pedals are back and they should be fully contracted when about an inch to one and one half inch above the floor. If you can't reach those specifications, you need to fix the worn cam or notch reline the bands, or bend the pedals. One very common problem when the low notch and band are worn is that in order to get the band completely when it is above the floorboard, it has to be so tight it drags in neutral. That is a disaster waiting to happen. Many times it leads to cracked or disintegrated drums. If the drums are a bluish color it means they have been running hot and could crack at any time. See my picture of what can happen when a drum collapses. When that happened, the transmission locked up and the car could not even be pushed or towed. I had to jack up one rear wheel with a floor jack to roll it onto a trailer.
Norm

Good question John. It is not unusual for the low and brake pedals to be bent from use.


Andy

Hi all,
Thanks for the suggestions. Here is a pic of the tranny. I haven't taken anything apart. Does anything look suspicious, like drums are NG or linings are worn out completely (I suspect)? The car drives and stops. I don't know what to do first. I only got the T to move under its own power last week. Thanks,
John

At a minimum, time for new bands.

While the hog's head is off, very likely will find that the pedal supports could use repairing or replacing as well as "tweeking" the pedals as necessary to bring them into alignment where they belong (after pedal supports are replaced). Along with replacing the supports, you may need to build up the pedal ramps to minimize lost motion...noting that neutral pedal DOES have a short travel forward without sideways movement, to disengage high clutch prior to band engagement.

From what I can see in your picture, it appears to be ready to reline the bands, especially the low band. I can only see a bit of the brake and low drum, and they look OK, what I can see. Hard to check anything else from just looking at a picture.
Norm