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Brake pedal installation

uk_figs

uk_figs

Well Known Member
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Quick question on the installation of the brake pedals (dual brakes), according to the drawing the connection hole to the brake cylinders on the lower flange of the brake pedals is drilled in conjunction with the cylinder to allow the pedals to be aligned due to the fact that the left and right pedal frames are offset.
Trying to do this on the bench is awkward as it is not easy to get and keep everything lined up, what have other builders done in this area?
Thanks
 
Check Dan C's site. He had a good method which I used and it worked great. Took about 30 minutes.

I'll send an excerpt to you; check your Yahoo email address.

Jekyll
 
Last edited:
Wait

No need to drill these now. I waited until final placement in the fuselage after all the hoses were hooked up. It was very easy to line them up this way and drilling them was a piece of cake.
 
I would also argue you should wait. I am. You want to be able to sit in the plane and see where your feet are going to want to be on the pedals. It shouldn't be too tough to drill them at that time. Get the pedals where you want them. Crawl down and mark the pedal horn where it intersects the master cylinder, pull the pedal out and drill the horn, reinstall pedal, you're done.
 
I'll ditto Steve's comments. I drilled mine on the bench so the pedals were straight up. Now sitting in the fuselage, it seems like I'll have a tough time not pressing the pedals when all I want is rudder.
 
Brakes

Thanks for the tips especialy the last post about brake pedal position as I unfortunately have big feet and already have to concentrate to keep my toes off the brakes when landing my Pacer.
How many of you drilled multiple holes to allow the pedals to be adjusted rather than just positioning them where you wanted them?
 
uk_figs said:
Thanks for the tips especialy the last post about brake pedal position as I unfortunately have big feet and already have to concentrate to keep my toes off the brakes when landing my Pacer.
How many of you drilled multiple holes to allow the pedals to be adjusted rather than just positioning them where you wanted them?
Click to expand...

Are you asking about the rudder pedals or the brake pedals? I drilled 3 sets for pedal adjustments, one on each side of my desired lenght. I don't think you could drill extra holes for the brake pedal angle adjustments if that's what you're asking.

Jekyll
 
You can see how I did it here. As other said, if you do it like it says in the plans then it is uncomfortable and you inadvertently put pressure on the brake pedals. I used a file clamped to the pedal with wood working biscuits as shims to keep the pedals aligned and slightly forward not straight up...

http://www.rv7a.com/log-details.aspx?ID=207
 
Two issues

I think it is important to have the brake pedals back slightly from recommended. This reduces the possibility of brake interaction when using the rudder. Really important on the TW models.

For you taller folks with 11 plus sized shoes. My neighbor is building a 7A and sat in mine a few times. He was concerned because the horizontal bar on the pedal was hitting his foot right about the arch. I recommended that he raise the entire rudder pedal assembly.

He contacted Van's and they said there was no reason not to. He ordered another set of the bearing block and raised them 1.5 inches. Looks like it will work great.
 
Drilled to plans, looks great

I drilled my brake pedals to plan and the look great. The left and right foot brake pedals are even with each other. The upper tab for the brake cylinder is at a different location for each side so this works out.
 
I do not want to tilt the pedals too far (or not enough), then what is a good angle to tilt them forward: 3, 6, 10, ... degrees?

What have you done, and are you comfortable with it?

Guy Deraspe
 
Optimum brake angle?

Hi Guys,

Did we come to any consensus on the optimum brake angle for the RV-7 and 9? Given that it's a decade since this post was last amended, I'm hoping that there's a general angle that is now considered the norm.

Cheers,

Tom.
 
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