VCCA Home Forums TECHNICAL - 1945 AND NEWER 1949-1954 Clutch & Brake pedal pivot

Working on getting my '50 back together. Got the master cylinder bolted in, lines hooked up. Then I put the brake pedal in and then the clutch pedal. Had a tough time getting the lock pin in, finally got it going and tapped it in gently. I screwed the plug in and grease fitting. I put some grease in also. It seems like the pedals are really stiff. Is it normal for them to be stiff at first or am I missing something? The brake pedal spring kind of pulls the pedal back, but not near like I think it should. Any suggestions?
Thanks
Don

The pedal action should not be stiff. Is this with the original master cylinder or with a new one with (too) tight bushings? Is the lock pin slightly cocked and draging on the pedal shafts? I would try "re-alineing" it a little.

Thanks Gene,

Its a new master cylinder. I double checked the part# Wagner MC3434. The bushings seemed ok when I checked it on then bench. The problems starts when I tried to get the lock pin put it. It just wouldn't push in. Then I hooked up the brake rod from master and got the brake pedal in proper position. Then I held up the clutch pedal and the pin went part way in. No matter what I did I couldn't push it in by hand, moving the pedals side to side, up and down. Then it went in a little bit further. It was enough the I could get the plug screwed in and with light pressure with a wrench the pin moved in and the plug seemed to seat. After that things got tight with the pedals. I have the brake return spring hooked up and it doesn't want to pull the brake pedal back up on its own. I did put a grease zerk in before I quit for the night and gave it a few pumps of grease. This morning its maybe a touch better, but I think its still to stiff. The lock pin looked to be the same size on the top and the bottom. The pins on the pedals were really varnished up with old hard grease when I took them apart. I tried using solvent but that wouldn't get it off. I used a light wire wheel on my bench grinder to clean them up and get all the grease off along with the groove cleaned out good. Then I used some steel wool and polished them up real good before assembly. About the only thing I can come up with in my mind is that when I wire brushed the pins off that the groove for the lock pin could have been rolled over just a touch? Not sure though. Dreading that I'm going to have to take everything back apart and get it on the bench to see what I've got going on. Any ideas? I appreciate all the help!
Don

I think a disassembly and inspection is the only way out...sorry to say.

Back with a update.....Crawled under the car and was going to take everything apart I decided to work the pedals back and forth, side to side some. After moving each of them a bunch of times things got better and better. I added a bit more grease and I think things are going to be ok. Pedals are nice and free now. I guess I should have slowed down yesterday and "worked" the new bushings in before I got in a panic. Thanks for all the help here.

"panic" is part of the game, and also the reason so many of us are active on this site. About two years ago I installed a new clutch in the 52, could not adjust it to release, big time panic but before I got to the computer took one more look and found that for some reason the clutch pedal was hanging up on the inner fender panel made it feel like it was bottomed out but it was not.