JBugs Video Series

1971 VW Super Beetle - Pedal Assembly Installation:

Interior

Video Overview:

Its assembly time for our 1971 Euro Look Beetle. We begin on our chassis and more specifically the pedal assembly. We’ve cleaned up, degreased and painted the original pedal assembly, along with the original hardware and we show how to assembly the pedals and install them in the chassis. Then we’ll run new cables and we use the clutch cable access hole we cut in to make things much easier. Follow along and enjoy!

Pedal assembly rebuild: 0:51
Pedal assembly installation: 4:58


Video Tips:

Tools used in this video:

Flat Blade Screwdriver
Rubber Mallet
Hammer
Punch
3/32" Allen Wrench
Pocket Knife
3/8" Drive Ratchet
3/8" Drive 3" Extension
3/8" Drive 17mm Socket
Needle Nose Pliers
Grinder

-------------------------------------------------------------
Chemicals used:

Grease
Black RTV Silicone

Video Transcript:

Hello! I'm Sam with JBugs.com
Now that most of our 1971 Euro Look Super Beetle has been pulled apart, cleaned, and painted, 
we can finally begin assembling it. 
We'll focus on the chassis in our next few videos, including parts 
that are much easier to install when the body is out of the way.
We've got the original pedal assembly and some aftermarket parts ready to assemble at our bench. 
We begin by setting the brake pedal spring onto the brake pedal base. Then, we slide the hook into place on the post to keep it from flopping around during the installation. We grease the inner diameter of the brake pedal and the outer mount on the pedal assembly base. The brake pedal is slid onto the base and the snap ring is installed to keep it in place.
Next, we'll install the original clutch pedal and a new pedal shaft. 
After making sure the new shaft fits into the pedal, 
it is greased and slid into the pedal assembly. 
The clutch pedal is installed onto the opposite side, 
and we use a rubber mallet to tap the two together until the holes for the cross shaft pin line up.
We check the alignment and notice that with our aftermarket shaft, 
we have a little bit of play back and forth. It isn't too much but we can eliminate it with a shim. 
We tap the shaft out of the pedal 
and find a washer that will fit over the shaft. 
The shaft is reinstalled onto the assembly, 
followed by the washer. 
The clutch pedal is slid into place, 
and hammered in again, with a mallet until the shaft pin can be installed. 
After making sure that the hook end and the pedal are both pointed in the same direction, 
the pin is set in place and then hammered in with a punch until the pin is contacting both sides of the clutch pedal.
Now, we can get to work on the accelerator pedal. 
EMPI recently released a stock replacement billet aluminum throttle pedal 
and we really like the way it looks so we decided to install one and see how well it works. We check the fit with a pivot pin and spring from an accelerator repair kit, to make sure they fit the pedal. 
Then, we test fit the pedal to the assembly. 
With the fitment there confirmed, we pull the pedal off and continue.
The pin on our stock accelerator pedal lever was broken off so we grab a new lever, 
test fit it, and see that the base is too wide. 
So, after lightly grinding off the pressed flashing, on the stamped pedal, 
we install the roller, washer, and circlip, onto the pin to hold the roller in place. 
We apply a light coat of grease to the lever and the lever pin. 
Then, slide the pin into the pedal assembly base, through the lever. 
The EMPI throttle pedal is reinstalled using a punch to help line up the return spring on the pin. 
After setting the bottom leg of the return spring onto the bottom edge of the pedal assembly base.
Next, we'll install some EMPI brake and clutch pedal pads, which are made to compliment the billet throttle pedal. 
The pads are stretched into place over the brake 
and clutch pedal. Then, we notice a bit of an issue with the accelerator pedal. When the lever is all the way back, the guide ramp on the back of the pedal is out of position. 
So, we peel off the rubber pad and try flipping the ramp around, 
and even trimming the ramp before deciding that the pedal operates well without the ramp at all. 
So, we just run without it. 
The look and feel of a pedal offset is poor engineering. 
The double-stick tape, that held the rubber pad in place, is peeled off. 
We apply some black RTV Silicone and set the pad back in place. 
For an extra bit of security, we pull off the brake and clutch pedal pads for a moment 
and lay a bead of RTV down to make sure they stay in place well into the future.
Back at our chassis, we set our freshly painted large bore master cylinder in place, 
and thread the original clean bolts with the spacer slid over them. 
The bolts are tightened down, 
the original pushrod, with the lock nut, is threaded on and inserted, and the pedal clevis is threaded on. 
The pedal assembly is lined up on the chassis, 
and the brake pedal spring hook is pulled off so we can install the pushrod. Then, the hook is looped back into place on the brake pedal. 
The opposite end of the brake pedal spring is looped towards the rear of the chassis, 
and set into the pedal assembly base to hold tension onto the brake pedal.
Then, we thread the pedal assembly bolts into place into the tunnel, 
tighten them down, and finally install the brake pedal pushrod clip. 
The best part of this is, since cut a clutch cable access into our tunnel, 
we don't have to do all this while holding down the clutch pedal. A stock accelerator cable is slid into the tunnel and fed all the way to the back. 
Then, with the help of some needle nose pliers, the dog leg end is installed into the pedal lever. 
Opposite the pedal assembly, we can see into the tunnel where we'll feed the clutch cable. 
It's fed into the tunnel tube.
Then, the cable end is installed over the hook and we can move to the back of the chassis. 
Here, we install the chassis tube boot over the clutch and accelerator cables 
and push it down into the chassis, before sliding the clutch cable Bowden tube and accelerator tube in place, over the cables, and into the boot. We'll take a break here until the next video where we'll get our new transmission and shift rod installed.
Thanks for watching!
Let us know if you have any questions in the comments below. 
Make sure to click the like button, and subscribe if you haven't already, and of course when you need parts for your vintage Volkswagen, head over to JBugs.com