How to Fix Your Dune Buggy's Brake Pedal

Our old dune buggy is a lot of fun to drive. People stare and say "nice ride, man", and it makes you feel like a celebrity, well kinda. So the only bad part about driving the dune buggy is that the pin holding on the brake pedal doesn't like to stay in. So while you're driving and go to step on the brakes, the pedal just falls on the floor and you have no more brakes. That is not fun, and results in pulling the emergency brake to stop yourself.

The way the brake pedal is connected is this: there is a rod coming out of the firewall with a hole on the end. The brake pedal has a slot on the bottom with a similar hole in it. The rod comes out of the wall and fits in the slot on the brake pedal. Then there is a hardened steel pin that goes through the hole to connect them. The problem is that the pin doesn't like to stay, and is easily wiggled out, leaving you with an unattached brake pedal.

Step 1: Remove the Gas Pedal

On the dune buggy, there is a non-standard gas pedal. I just unscrewed it on one side so that I could unhook the throttle hook from the back and lower the pedal down.

Step 2: Drill a Hole

Drill a hole through the rod and into the steel pin. It is a relatively small hole. I decided on the size based on the size of the pin that I am going to put in the hole. There was no way I could get a cotter pin in there, so I basically just had to pound a screw in.

Step 3: Pound in the Pin

I found a pretty good quality screw that was the right size. Then I ground down the end a little bit so that it was tapered and could fit in the hole better. It was a good tight fit and required me to pound it all the way in with a hammer, so I know it won't easily come out.

Step 4: Rest Assured

Put the gas pedal back on, and rest assured that your brake pedal will not fall off again.

Now we can cruise in style, but not in fear of losing our brakes. Next up, how to make the dune buggy run well (it doesn't idle...)