Auto to manual brake pedal

  • G-E
    G-E
    Junior Member
    • 6320

    Auto to manual brake pedal

    The brake pedal is illegal to cut in most jurisdictions, but yes it's to clear the clutch pedal
  • Tempast
    Tempast
    Senior Member
    • 133

    #2
    Is it illegal to even shave the edges off to fit that kit? I don't see how structural integrity would be lost, as it would just be less wide.
    1986 300ZX factory Turbo 2+2 5 speed swap. 1985 Toyota MR2. Floor boards gone. Good fabrication practice.
  • Careless
    Careless
    Senior Member
    • 13279

    #3
    Tempast;340364 wrote: Is it illegal to even shave the edges off to fit that kit? I don't see how structural integrity would be lost, as it would just be less wide.
    it doesn't matter whether you see it or not or even if you can prove it doesn't compromise the strength of the pedal. check the highway traffic act for your municipality or state or whatever and it will probably say you can't modify the brake pedal itself.

    you can replace it with another OEM or a DOT approved part, but you can't modify it on a street car.
  • michaelp
    michaelp
    Senior Member
    • 9384

    #4
    I'm not telling you to cut it, but if you did and you live in the US…its unlikely anyone would ever notice or question it if you did a clean cut.
    - VG30DET (HE341) 86 300ZX - 1982 280ZX Turbo - Headered NA 1986 300ZX 2+2 - 2000 Xterra -
  • i r teh noobz
    i r teh noobz
    Senior Member
    • 1046

    #5
    I don't remember the pedal being hard to swap. Zip out a few bolts and away you go.
    5.3 LSx Z31
  • Careless
    Careless
    Senior Member
    • 13279

    #6
    michaelp;340432 wrote: I'm not telling you to cut it, but if you did and you live in the US…its unlikely anyone would ever notice or question it if you did a clean cut.
    while that's true and probably what a lot of people do… if you ever get into an accident and they see your non-stock calipers and stuff (which they will notice if you have nice wheels they can see between the spokes of), they start looking at ALL the brake components to ensure you didn't tamper with them.

    changing them is fine if you disclose them with the insurance company. but modifying them from their engineered specifications is something insurance companies are not too fond of. You get that oneeeee asshole insurance claims adjuster, and it's game over.

    Even if someone hit your car and it's in the back or something or you were t-boned. If they find that shit, they will hound you for it, and have reasonable grounds to drop your insurance. It's not fun. not that complying with insurance regulations is something i'm familiar with, but some people are more cautious than I.
  • Tempast
    Tempast
    Senior Member
    • 133

    #7
    Ill still pull the other pedal, but I think ill try cutting the one in my car first. The car is completely stock and I really couldn't find anything against it in my local regulations (I live in BC, Canada).
    1986 300ZX factory Turbo 2+2 5 speed swap. 1985 Toyota MR2. Floor boards gone. Good fabrication practice.
  • Tempast
    Tempast
    Senior Member
    • 133

    #8
    I couldn't find anything and I read through about 10 pages with keywords like brake, modified brake, brake pedal and a few others. Nothing in any of the federal or provincial laws said anything about it.
    1986 300ZX factory Turbo 2+2 5 speed swap. 1985 Toyota MR2. Floor boards gone. Good fabrication practice.
  • slammedcoupe
    slammedcoupe
    Senior Member
    • 721

    #9
    Tempast;340517 wrote: Ill still pull the other pedal, but I think ill try cutting the one in my car first. The car is completely stock and I really couldn't find anything against it in my local regulations (I live in BC, Canada).
    where in bc are you from?
  • Tempast
    Tempast
    Senior Member
    • 133

    #10
    Victoria
    1986 300ZX factory Turbo 2+2 5 speed swap. 1985 Toyota MR2. Floor boards gone. Good fabrication practice.
  • Careless
    Careless
    Senior Member
    • 13279

    #11
    Tempast;340535 wrote: I couldn't find anything and I read through about 10 pages with keywords like brake, modified brake, brake pedal and a few others. Nothing in any of the federal or provincial laws said anything about it.
    do whatever you like, bud. if you plan on replacing it when you get a proper brake pedal, do it now and just make sure you replace it soon to avoid any possible issue if it's not going to "brake" the bank :-P
  • Oriaden
    Oriaden
    Member
    • 97

    #12
    It was a pain in the butt being upside down for an hour or so, but well worth the effort!!!! Think of the time and effort you'd have to put in to get a clean cut along the pedal…idk, probably easier to just replace it.

    GOOD LUCK!
    "Built by a girl, not bought with daddy's money"
  • Tempast
    Tempast
    Senior Member
    • 133

    #13
    I took the kick in the butt you guys gave me and did the swap. It was a royal pain in the ass being upside down for an hour trying to get the thing in place. I grabbed some string and tied it to the spring arm and pulled it down then tied the other end to the bottom of the pedal. But it's done so I don't have to worry about it any more.
    1986 300ZX factory Turbo 2+2 5 speed swap. 1985 Toyota MR2. Floor boards gone. Good fabrication practice.
  • Tomakze
    Tomakze
    Senior Member
    • 624

    #14
    I swapped mine out in 5 minutes, I just used a zip tie to compress the spring, and then cut it and removed it when I was done. Piece of cake. WAY easier than cutting the pedal, IMO.
    "Understeer is when you hit the wall with the front of the car. Oversteer is when you hit the wall with the rear of the car. Horsepower is how fast you hit the wall. Torque is how far you take the wall with you…"

    -'68 Datsun 1600 Roadster
    Build Thread: http://community.ratsun.net/topic/21…-build-thread/
    -'85 300zx Turbo
    Build Thread:
    http://z31performance.com/showthread…)build-thread!
  • Augustus Maximus
    Augustus Maximus
    Senior Member
    • 1739

    #15
    I got caught up in the internet bullshit and thought it was hard to swap. If you're not flexible pull the seat. It takes like five minutes. Looks better than cutting, grinding etc.
    Cha iro

    enjoy building it yourself.
    if it fails, fuck it.
    at least you gave it a whirl.