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Moving the defender brake pedal


mad_pete

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Is it possible by any means to move the defender brake pedal ? Currently it’s very high and to press it I have to lift my whole leg and currently my hip has a quirk to it that makes that non ideal. For other cars it’s more of a move of my right foot than a lift. Even my Smax that has similar driving position. Is there scope to change pedal and still have brakes work  ? I look at binky and seems anything is possible but is it a bracket or something more complicated. Mines an auto so I have a bit more room. 
 

my bucket seats are coming out as they certainly aren’t helping but just looking at options.  Maybe it’s my time for a freelander 😉 

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35 minutes ago, mad_pete said:

Is it possible by any means to move the defender brake pedal ? Currently it’s very high and to press it I have to lift my whole leg and currently my hip has a quirk to it that makes that non ideal. For other cars it’s more of a move of my right foot than a lift. Even my Smax that has similar driving position. Is there scope to change pedal and still have brakes work  ? I look at binky and seems anything is possible but is it a bracket or something more complicated. Mines an auto so I have a bit more room. 
 

my bucket seats are coming out as they certainly aren’t helping but just looking at options.  Maybe it’s my time for a freelander 😉 

I would say the easiest option would be modify the brake pedal itself either cut and shut or make an extension that fits onto existing pedal and drops down one side and then bent to the level that's comfortable but still sufficient room underneath to allow pedal to function regards Stephen

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The throttle is where my foot is most of the time so that’s important that’s not a lift. I could look at lifting it and then some sort of heel rest but I really want the brake pedal to be more away motion than down. 

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Easiest thing to try first is to loosen the master cylinder pushrod adjusting nuts, then push the pedal down to where you want it and either fabricate a suitable 'pedal stop' to fit in front of the pedal 'leg' under the dash or a suitable length stop bolt on the back of the pedal box to stop the pedal coming up too high. Then adjust the pushrod adjusting nuts to set the correct free play at the master cylinder. Provided you don't lower the pedal height too much, the pedal won't hit the floor when brakes are applied.

Regards, Diff. 

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52 minutes ago, Diff said:

Easiest thing to try first is to loosen the master cylinder pushrod adjusting nuts, then push the pedal down to where you want it and either fabricate a suitable 'pedal stop' to fit in front of the pedal 'leg' under the dash or a suitable length stop bolt on the back of the pedal box to stop the pedal coming up too high. Then adjust the pushrod adjusting nuts to set the correct free play at the master cylinder. Provided you don't lower the pedal height too much, the pedal won't hit the floor when brakes are applied.

Regards, Diff. 

Excellent suggestion regards Stephen

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brake pedal is mounted to the bracket ounting the vacuum servo and master cylinder on the other side of the bulkhead/firewall. It should be possible to make a spacer to shift the whole brake assembly further intot he engine bay. If there is space there on a (i presume) RHD I do not know.

Worth having a good look on the engine bay side of things.

 

T

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On 1/11/2022 at 6:41 PM, Tobias said:

brake pedal is mounted to the bracket ounting the vacuum servo and master cylinder on the other side of the bulkhead/firewall. It should be possible to make a spacer to shift the whole brake assembly further intot he engine bay. If there is space there on a (i presume) RHD I do not know.

Worth having a good look on the engine bay side of things.

 

T

Tobias has a good idea there, you could effectively slide the whole assembly down the bulkhead, which will lower the pedal towards the floor and pushing it farther away, so not altering anything except the big slot in the bulkhead and the six mounting bolts. Have to make sure there is still enough pedal travel though.

Could put a bracing plate at the top of the footwell too if it works.

I find that most larger vehicles have this feature, having to lift you foot off the floor to brake

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Some things to bear in mind...

It's no good just finding a position with a good pedal.

You need to allow the pedal full stroke to facilitate bleeding, and also as the brake master cylinder supplies two circuits you'll have to allow for the increase in pedal travel should one fail, otherwise the pedal may hit the floor before the remaining circuit is fully pressurised.

Any experimenting you do should be done with a couple of bleed nipples cracked off to check you can bottom out the stroke.

I agree it's not in an ideal position and I've considered alternatives, I've just never got any further than that.

 

 

 

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