Volvo RWD 444-544 Forum

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photo of swing pedal conversion 444-544

Hello all--I just posted a very poor Polaroid scan onto the "Technical" section of this site's photo gallery, per the recent discussion of 544 brake switches, etc. (can someone advise on inserting images into posts...?).

That blurry mass right below the steering column is a driver-fabricated bracket carrying a wilwood dual-master/balance bar swing pedal, and two master cylinders, one each for front and rear brakes. Except for the bracket, all parts are stock race items, requiring no modifications. Just visible about an inch above the very blurry word "Wilwood" on the pedal shaft is the mechanical brake switch supplied by Ron Kwas, works great on this setup and is easily accessible for adjustment or service.

I fully intend to make more and much better photos of this setup available for those who are interested--most are still in my camera--as well as a writeup of the unit's performance as I fine-tune the whole system. Not yet installed is the remote adjuster, to allow "in cockpit" bias adjustment between from and rear brakes. You'd never know it from this image, but the bracket M/C's and plumbing do not interfere at all with the (tall) driver's knees. Still working out the necessary changes to hot-air hose routing, maybe defrost only. Eventually a nice panel in dark red will wrap the whole business and cut down on the Frankenstein effect.

The brakes are great, 122 discs in front--and just after installation the fresh M/C driving the worn rear brakes promptly popped a wheel cylinder. It was nice not to worry about still being able to stop. In all not worth doing just to mount a mechanical brake switch but that was a fringe benefit for me.

All best, Nathan








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    photo of swing pedal conversion 444-544

    Nathan;

    That's a pretty impressive conversion, and I hope you get it squared away, working well and give us a performance report...but maybe someone can post some slightly more "stock" pix too, so that we can also look into doing a slightly less invasive brake-light-switch upgrade.

    Don't forget...to cover that equipment with a soft covered panel...in the case of a (heaven forbid!) crash, you DON'T want that hard equipment under the dash, and close to your legs, to do damage. Why do you think Saab took the ignition key off the dash and put it between the seats?

    Think Safety, including Crash Safety! Install a knee bolster!

    Cheers








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      photo of swing pedal conversion 444-544

      Ron, padding the cover for this rig is a good suggestion. In the early stages I considered the possible risks of mounting the equipment in the footwell and decided the increased safety/stopping power of the setup (as well as the benefits of keeping the entire hydraulic actuating system inside, away from heat and grit) made the added risk of leg impact acceptable--especially with everything covered smoothly and, better still, padded.

      And all this time I thought Saab moved the ignition switch because not enough McDonald's sesame seeds were falling into it before...








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        photo of swing pedal conversion 444-544

        Not to intercede in the tongue-in-cheeking - but originally Saab removed if from the dash for crash safety reasons - and they moved it to in between the seats so it could lock the car in reverse as a theft-prevention attempt. This was before the much more widely accepted steering wheel interlock came into vogue.

        I've also seen a PV modified by moving the heater to some other location and cutting a hole in the firewall and replacing it with the pedal box out of an 1800 or 122 - getting top swing pedals for both brake and clutch, as well as replacing the mechanical clutch linkage with a cable one (as I recall). I forget whose car that was. Perhaps the one with the rear end from an ES welded in?








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          photo of swing pedal conversion 444-544

          I've done this with the 445 I'm restoring. I mounted a pedal assembly from a 140 into a box I fabridated on the firewall, and moved the heater assembly to the passenger side. I'm using an 1800 MC. Car is not on the road yet so I can't report on how well it works. The amount of fabrication was major, but it accomplishes the goals of replacing the stock MC and pedal assembly which, IMHO are a major maintenance nuisance and expensive to rehab if worn out.








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          photo of swing pedal conversion 444-544

          Snapshot of my 544 with pedalbox out of 140, this project has been bogged down due to shifting house and racing Alfas but I'm about to roar into it again
          Hans









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            photo of swing pedal conversion 444-544

            Hans;

            ...looks pretty good...like it's ready for a clutch cable and the brake light wiring on the switch...but I can just imagine how much more work the car might need...like a pull cable (instead of hydraulic slave cylinder) bell housing, and what else...engine?

            ...obviously that's a lot more than most 544 owners will want to do...is it possible for you to take and post some pix of the OE master cylinder location?

            Prost!








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              photo of swing pedal conversion 444-544

              This is what it looks like on the other side.You are right its a never ending process, I did have it set up for standard 140 brake line to the rear, now I'm building in a bias adjuster so will use only one pipe to rear.
              Hans









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                photo of swing pedal conversion 444-544

                Hans;

                Good progress...dual brake sys is a good upgrade...is that a 122 cross-member?

                Could you also take a pic of the original master cyl location under the floorboards?...I realize you probably removed all of that stuff, but maybe, if you haven't recylced it yet, you could just temporarilly bolt it back in place for a couple of pix.

                Cheers








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                  photo of swing pedal conversion 444-544

                  Hi Ron, its a 140 crossmember and the mounting points for original setup is gone, also I have no parts, you can read the whole saga with lots more photo's here.http://volvoadventures.com/544PVHans.html
                  Regards
                  Hans







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