Draft Pads

[MSeriesRebuild]

I hope your endeavor is successful; this is an item needed by many.

[jim0311]

Pedal pads are on. They split but a little rubber cement and there fine.

[MSeriesRebuild]

Pedal pads are on. They split but a little rubber cement and there fine.

If you are happy with the outcome, that's great. My customers however would not hear to us ruining a new pad by splitting it then gluing back together.

Maybe someone will be fortunate enough to figure it out.

[sturmtyger380]

I tried putting on one draft pad yesterday. Not sure if I have the NOS ones or the new ones. I did the CRC Electromotive cleaner trick. On the Draft Pad, it was like no difference.

I tried pushing it over the pedal and it split. Just for fun I put what I know is an NOS gas pedal rubber pad in the CRC Electromotive cleaner and it did get nice and pliable. So maybe my Draft Pads are new.

At this point I might not use the original style pads but make my own out of thick rubber or maybe just wrap a cut in two old bike innertube around where the pad goes as many times as it takes to replicate the original pad and then put tie wraps on it. Can't look worse than a split pad.

Has anyone solved this?

[MSeriesRebuild]

I'd say you had the repro ones if nothing helped pliability; they simply aren't made from the right material. The NOS ones could be boiled in water to warm them and would go on easy. Not these new ones, personally I can't understand why any honest seller would offer these, if we had stock of the repros they would have been in the trash years ago. Hate to say this, sellers are fully aware they can't be installed without splitting; which tells you all you need to know about buying from some folks I guess.

[m-37Bruce]

I did this a few years ago, first one worked like a charm, the nest 3 ruptured/split down the middle. The one that worked is still there, i'm sure these were NOS, from AB Linn?

[MSeriesRebuild]

I'm sure too. AB was as honest and forth right as they come. If he was made aware that something he was selling didn't or couldn't be made to work as advertised; it went straight to the dumpster. I actually recall a few times hearing him make that statement and saw stuff go in the dumpster. Same thing applies at White Owl Parts. Not many folks left with that kind of integrity these days.

[m-37Bruce]

I'm sure too. AB was as honest and forth right as they come. If he was made aware that something he was selling didn't or couldn't be made to work as advertised; it went straight to the dumpster. I actually recall a few times hearing him make that statement and saw stuff go in the dumpster. Same thing applies at White Owl Parts. Not many folks left with that kind of integrity these days.

You are so right Charles, Sid Beck was cut from the same cloth too.

[MSeriesRebuild]

Yes sir; Sid was another gentleman that was as good as his word.

[Travlr]

Hey all,
I had to order some spring U bolt nuts for my M-37 as I lost the arch in one of my spring assemblies..........figures right before Memorial Day weekend. So I ordered those and two draft pads from John at Midwest. He mentioned on how to put them on and that when I mentioned that I already knew and believe I have a pretty good method of doing them. When I brought up that all I had done was NOS oneswith no problems and there was some thoughts that the reproduction ones are harder to install as a test and that I wanted to make a video on the "How-too" that he said..............I'll send them for free!!!

I will try and do this right as I think I might have enough spare pedal assemblies to demonstrate two, a NOS one and a Reproduction one.

So since he wants to use the video, I guess I need to put a nice shirt on and clean off the work bench
Please lets not put me in for a academy award just yet.

You know maybe I should keep my mouth shut and go into business just installing M-37 draft pads

Did you ever solve the problem? Inquiring minds want to know.

[sturmtyger380]

After trying the repro draft rubber pieces I was able to find some NOS ones. I have been working on the truck and had gotten to the point that yesterday was the day to try to get the rubber draft pads on.

I used the CRC Electromotive cleaner and the first rubber pad was much more pliable but still ripped when going over the pedal. I didn't try the other one as I was disgusted.

I am going to go in a totally different direction and see what I can create using felt as a pad. I have a design in mind. I will add the results here when done.

[MSeriesRebuild]

With felt, you will create a water trap that will hold moisture and will cause rust damage. If you have good NOS draft pads; boil them in water for 10 minutes, move quickly to the truck as water will cool quickly. Remove from boiling water and immediately install it without wasting any precious time. This has always worked for us here. I stress again, the pads must be in good condition. If they have deteriorated due to age, then all bets are off obviously.

[NAM VET]

I tried some years ago to install pedal pads, but gave up, and just be sure I drive in shoes/boots that work. NO "tennis shoes".

By the way, now having my truck under cover in a hanger at the nearby airfield, along with about a dozen others, with all sorts of tools and machinery, my truck sits and starts like a champ. I am out there all the time, with friends, and have set up my own work bench and restored the surplus tool chest. I have just about all my truck tools and parts there now, because my truck is done, and needs nothing. CT put my engine back together and I have NO leaks. Soon another parade to roll out for.

Prime my fuel pump system, a little choke, and hit the starter, and within a few revolutions of my engine, it coughs and hacks and then settles into a nice even idle. I run it to warm up and nove it a bit to lubee the gears and such and rotate the tires at least weekly. Next to some surplus Marine recon motorcycles from the Government Surplus center next to us.

Here, my truck sits all content and safe a few yards from the club where the Doolittle Raiders met to be selected for their historic 1942 mission. We are negotiating for a recovered B25 flown by them in training, which crashed in a nearby big lake for our Doolittle Museum. More about that later.

hal,

[T. Highway]

Nice that you have the building available to you Hal, its always nice to have extra space around the truck to work on it.

Regards,
Bert

[sturmtyger380]

Charles was right as usual about the felt pads holding wetness.

So, last evening I decided to try the one remaining original brake/clutch draft pad I have. (I have some more on the way.)

Heated water to boiling and put the rubber pad in. I actually left it in the boiling water for 15 minutes while I did other things.

The other thing was to try and chase the threads in the floor with a thread chasing tool I have. Well, that made me take one step backwards. I broke off the tool in one of the floor mounted nuts! It must have gotten cockeyed. Well crap!

Tired drilling on it, nope hardened steel. Decided to wait till later.

The last OE draft pad I tried the EC Cleaner route and it ripped. This time I put Vaseline on the clutch pedal edges, grabbed the rubber pad out of the hot water with a pair of needle nose plyers, with gloves on to hold the hot rubber it slipped right over the pedal! No Rips!

Now to get the stupid broken off tool out. Took a grade 8 bolt and welded it to the remainder of the tool sticking out and was lucky I could back it out. Took the correct tap and fixed the issue.