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Tue Oct 06, 2015 5:00 pm

Does anyone know how the hookup from pedal to cable is supposed to go? Everything I see on the Web seems to involve newer Beetles or Super Beetles. Mine is a '65 and the accelerator pedal was separately bolted to the floorboard.

Tue Oct 06, 2015 5:04 pm

I just got done installing one in a 66. There is a long S shaped rod that goes into the hole in the back on the pedal that is secured by a spring. The other end of the S goes through the lever on the pedal assy and sticks out some. The cable hooks over that.

Check this - 3rd post down http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=554578&highlight=accelerator+pedal

Tue Oct 06, 2015 5:19 pm

andk5591 wrote: I just got done installing one in a 66. There is a long S shaped rod that goes into the hole in the back on the pedal that is secured by a spring. The other end of the S goes through the lever on the pedal assy and sticks out some. The cable hooks over that.

Check this - 3rd post down http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=554578&highlight=accelerator+pedal

Thanks. It's a start. I will post some pics soon; mine seems a bit different. For some reason, the brake pedal is getting in the way, even if the gas pedal is very close to the middle tunnel.

Wed Oct 07, 2015 4:05 am

The angle of the bracket can cock the pedal toward the brake. But its possible the bracket is bent or your holes got elongated or are in the wrog place.

Posting a pic of what you are dealing with would be helpful.

Wed Oct 07, 2015 2:54 pm

Here are some pics of the area. My questions are:

1. is the cable connected in the right way to the lever?

2. does the pedal side of the lever get fully tightened, i.e. clamped to the pedal, or is there freedom to pivot? If it pivots, is there a diagram as to how?

3. where exactly are the holes drilled for the bracket? I drilled at the spots where it was when I got the car, but this is obviously incorrect. Not sure where it goes, but it has to be to the right. However, there is not a lot of room to the right of the brake pedal.

??

Wed Oct 07, 2015 5:23 pm

The post I hade referred you to has the dimenions from the firewall. Your S rod looks home made to me, but I may be wrong. It also shows how the cable connects. Still not sure how you can be having interference with the brake pedal.

Wed Oct 07, 2015 6:15 pm

Hhttps://www.wolfsburgwest.com/wolfsburg_new/chassis/bug_chassis.cfm?type=1i.

Does this Wolfburg West pic help?
Bill

Thu Oct 08, 2015 5:24 am

Maybe this ... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zWKzkAYr70s

Thu Oct 08, 2015 6:52 am

rockerarm wrote: Hhttps://www.wolfsburgwest.com/wolfsburg_new/chassis/bug_chassis.cfm?type=1i.

Does this Wolfburg West pic help?
Bill

Thanks Bill but I was not able to get the link, just a blank page, even with copy-paste.

Thu Oct 08, 2015 10:11 am

motiheal wrote: rockerarm wrote: Hhttps://www.wolfsburgwest.com/wolfsburg_new/chassis/bug_chassis.cfm?type=1i.

Does this Wolfburg West pic help?
Bill

Thanks Bill but I was not able to get the link, just a blank page, even with copy-paste.

https://www.wolfsburgwest.com/wolfsburg_new/chassis/bug_chassis.cfm?type=1

Thu Oct 08, 2015 12:35 pm

Just so happen to be installing a new cable and the pedal linkage in my '63 today. Here's what the stock set-up looks like:

Thu Oct 08, 2015 12:45 pm

I spent some time cleaning and deburring every piece of the pedal hardware, then using thin shims to keep it from getting askew during pedal travel. One or two this washers, then light oil made a world of difference. The "pinches" on the Z-rod are not very precise and the added play had allowed it to bind and wear out.

Thu Oct 08, 2015 3:24 pm

The latest pics helped a lot. I think I can tell now where to drill the pedal base holes (it was not welded to the floorboard, and I cannot weld). What I am still not getting is the Z bar workings. First of all, mine did not have a spring. Second, it's threaded on both ends. Most important, even if I buy the Wolfsburg West repair for this, I am not understanding how the system works. It seems that when the pedal is pressed, the Z bar can move and the cable will not, because both ends of the Z bar are free to rotate?

Thu Oct 08, 2015 3:50 pm

That last picture had the key info; the z bar moves between the pedal and the bar that connects to the end of the cluster. Thus the zbar is trapped and really just a spacer that the cable is attached to.

When I had to replace my floor mount as the og hinge lips rotted out I ground off the rotted end and bolted thru right on top of the original using a bus floor mount as that was all the local shop had. Before I committed to the drill I assembled everything and had some help with someone pushing the pedal while I moved the mount around to where it was smooth motion an d the og location was spot on. You might want to get some measurements beforehand.

Thu Oct 08, 2015 4:21 pm

Thanks again to all; this is getting more clear, but... what is the spring for on the Z bar?

Thu Oct 08, 2015 5:13 pm

Hi. If it is the spring I am thinking of, coil spring, it probably was the same spring used on the engine's thermostat linkage. This was probably the best method to allow the "Z" bar to have some movement with the associated parts.
You know, in lieu of welding/drilling/etc the later pedal cluster can be used on earlier cars. I used a late style (69-72) pedal assy on my 58 bug. The clutch pedal hook is different and easily changed.
Bill

Thu Oct 08, 2015 7:56 pm

motiheal wrote: but... what is the spring for on the Z bar?
That small coil spring (seen clearly in the second photo in my other post) is simply used as a retainer to keep the Z bar attached to the pedal. It takes the place of a retaining ring, cotter pin, or nut to keep the Z bar from coming loose. It also holds the Z bar snugly into the tab on the pedal. The spring is specially shaped on one end to snap into a groove in the Z bar to keep it in place. I would assume this method was used because the spring is easily removed & installed by hand without even having to see it. A retaining ring, or a nut, would require using a tool which is difficult if you can't see what you're doing. Same for trying to put a cotter pin into a hole that you can't see.

motiheal wrote: What I am still not getting is the Z bar workings. First of all, mine did not have a spring. Second, it's threaded on both ends. Most important, even if I buy the Wolfsburg West repair for this, I am not understanding how the system works. It seems that when the pedal is pressed, the Z bar can move and the cable will not, because both ends of the Z bar are free to rotate?
Your Z bar is a homemade substitute for the real deal, using hex nuts to fasten it instead of the spring.
The thing that you're not getting about how it all works is that the Z bar doesn't just hook directly up to the accelerator cable. It first passes thru a lever which is anchored to the main pedal block. This lever is able to pivot back & forth and it guides the movement of the Z bar where it attaches to the cable and prevents it from just flopping around. You can see this in the first photo in my other post.

Fri Oct 09, 2015 3:28 am

Thanks everyone; I think I can do it now. No way would I have taken this project on without TheSamba! Long way to go this winter....

Fri Oct 09, 2015 3:38 am

What it seems like is that you are/were having a little mental block with this. It happens. the one thing that you were missing was the function of the arm that attaches to the pedal assy. This is what ties the motion on the pedal to the cable.

And as far as your homemade Z bar, it'll work - just would consider using a spring to keep some moderate tension between the bracket on the back of your pedal and the nut at the end of your Z bar. You should have a little left to right play there. On the cable end, I have threaded the end and used a nit there on one car once and it worked. But washers and a cotter pin would work as well.

Sometime when you get stuck. a second set of eyes is not a bad thing. I use my wife quite a bit for that. 8)

Sat Oct 10, 2015 8:37 am

I have (hopefully) only one more question as I continue to assemble this unit. What is the approximate pedal travel for the accelerator? I know it is a lot less than the brake or clutch pedal. I am guessing something like 45 or 50 degrees back from vertical? I realize this has something to do with the carb setup (to be worked on later) but I am just looking for a ballpark figure to see if the pull on the cable and tension is correct. Thanks in advance, John