This entry is the last that I had written when I started posting about the story of my Suburban. Looks like I'll have to write some more.
As it stood where I left off, now that I'd set up some basic instruments and had the ability to shift my transmission, it seemed like a good idea to have a working accelerator pedal. I'd pulled the old pedal linkage out from a box of parts and began inspecting it. The original pivot point mounted on the engine bay side of the firewall and attached to an adjustable rod which moved the butterflies on the carb. This wouldn't fly anymore with my new engine setup. My BBC sat much too close to the firewall to seriously contemplate shoving a throttle linkage in between them.
Luckily for me I stumbled upon LFD's gas pedal adapter here on the 67-72chevytrucks forums.
http://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/s...d.php?t=371099
It came as a kit which was meant to allow '67-'70 C/K owners to swap in a '71–'72 throttle pedal. The later trucks came with a pedal and linkage which sat inside the cab and pulled on a cable instead of the early style which had the pedal linkage passing through to the other side of the firewall. Sounded just right to me. I already had the '88 style throttle cable on hand and had been looking for a way to properly use it.
This was what I received a short while after sending my money off through PayPal:
Not pictured is the easy to follow instruction sheet.
Because I didn't have much money to throw around at the time, I hatched a scheme to modify the '70 pedal linkage I already owned to let it function like the '71-'72 linkage.
Step 1: Place linkage in vise, chop both 'arms' off
Steps 2-4: Swap the arms around, reposition them at appropriate angles and butt weld back on. Make sure to compensate for the fact that the adapter plate moves the whole assembly a couple of inches closer to the driver's side of the vehicle. Grind down plastic pivot retainer to clear new arm position. Drill and tap two new holes in steel plate for proper mounting of plastic pivot retainer.
Step 5: Chop end of upper arm off (the one that connects to the throttle cable), rotate 90º, weld back on.
Step 6: Secure, then remove the linkage multiple times to clearance this, bend that, smooth this, etc...
Step 7: Notch, then enlarge stock hole on upper arm to let the end of the throttle cable securely fit
Step 8: Done!
I wouldn't have had to go through all of this trouble if only I'd ponied up the $30 for someone's used '71-'72 pedal assembly, but my way worked even if it did involve quite a bit more labor.
Also, in that last photo the modifications to the firewall necessary to clear that 454 head and valve cover are visibly obvious. This picture was taken after fabricating a new patch piece to cover the section I'd chopped out when my father and I had fit the body back onto the frame.