best way is to melt them down and turn them into Toyota gas pedals.

Hey, thumbs,

Great detailed explanation!!! I will add a couple of my own observations just to further the "more than one way......" theory.

I picked up this pedal on e-bay just for the experience of working on it...it was filthy dirty, and completely gunked to the point that I could hardly turn the axle. Based on the amount of old black jelly I found, I concluded that I would have NEVER gotten it clean if I hadn't taken off those caps that everyone was fighting with. (Yes the hammer technique of removing the cap does work very easily.) That little compartment under the cap was completely clogged up with old grease and whatever else. I had to dig it out with a screw driver...no amount of "rinsing" with acetone or anything would have gotten this stuff out. Not to mention the amount of grease and gunk that was in the spring compartment. The cap itself had a layer of old grease caked on so thick that I had to dig it out also. For anyone who may not want to deal with acetone, I found years ago working on old Jukebox mechanisms that WD-40 works just fine for cleaning old grease out of these things. The little red straw is very handy for getting into the tight spots and spraying into the shaft also. Plus you have a head start on lubrication using that as a cleaner. Lots of paper towels are a must.

I guess the point of my reply is that without removing those caps at the top, I would never have gotten it clean. It also made it easier to get the plunger/piston out of the shaft because you can push it down with a screwdriver and also spray WD-40 into the shaft from the top where most of the gunk really is.

Now for the heartbreaking news....after getting the caps off I discovered that one of those little pointed-oval-shaped cams that actually pushes the piston down was broken off. It was completely gone, so it must have happened long ago, and the broken piece removed by the previous owner, but I don't know if the pedal will work correctly with only one spring in operation. Anybody have an idea about that?

If anyone needs one of these pedals for parts, this one is available, and the cleaning work has already been done!

My 1963 Speed King recently started to squeak badly, so after looking at www.vintagedrumguide.com/pedal_39.html I realized where the squeak probably was and that I could probably remedy the problem. I removed the adjusting screws on the bottom of the towers after first spraying them with a little WD40. It took some pulling to get the push rods and springs out of the towers. As has been described here before, the original lube had turned into something reminding me a plaster and the ends that ride on the cam were bone dry. The beater shaft turned easily so I decide to not remove the caps and dig into that area...I can do that later if there's a problem. I cleaned the springs and push rods by soaking them in Goof-Off then scrubbing with a wire brush in hot water. I cleaned out the towers with a strip of Scotch-Bright cut to just fit into the opening and WD40. After cleaning I poured about a tablespoon of 40 weight motor oil into the towers, let it run out of the ball bearing race on the beater shaft assuring that the bearings were lubed. Then I placed the pedal upright on a paper towel to drain over night. More "trash" ran out with the motor oil. I reassembled the pedal using wheel bearing grease on the springs and push rods putting a large "glob" on the end that rides on the cam.

What a difference!! The squeak is gone and the pedal operates much smoother. Very glad I decided to clean it up.

VTM2000 and I refurbished two SKs some months back.

I tired of trying to remove all that gooped up grease off the springs by hand, so I tossed them in a pot with vinegar and boiled them for about ten minutes.

Stunk like hell.... don't get a lungfull, but they turned out clean as a whistle.

I will hit the gas pedal on my Toyota and you can get a good look at my tailgate! Best truck ever made.........Eye Ball

toodles

drumhack KissStorm TrooperKeep on PlSumo Dude

I am cleaning an old Speedking that I picked up yesterday. I have soaked it overnight, and today I thought I would reassemble it. As I have already cleaned one SK before without any problems, I thought this would be a smooth ride too.

However, it turns out that I am having a hard time reinserting the rods and springs. (On the previous pedal I did, this was easy.) So far, I have only tried this without grease (I actually wanted to make sure I was inserting them the right way before I applied any fatty stuff), and I have only managed to fit one rod correctly only one time. I have not been able to fit the other rod at all, and I have not been able to fit the first rod correctly again. This makes me wonder if I am doing something wrong, or if the pedal is in any way broken. One of the shafts had come loose from the piston, and I wonder if this may have damaged the innards of the pedal.

I have not removed the caps, and would rather avoid this.

Surely, the correct way to insert the rods is with the rounded side of the piston top facing outwards, and the flat side inwards?

Correctly fitted, the rod goes so far into the tubing that the spring will sink down and let the tension adjustment screw accept the threads in the tube without any need to push the spring further in, right? On my pedal, the spring comes flush with the underside of the base, but doesn't sink down - except for on one rare occasion that seems impossible to repeat.

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

/Magnus

Orientation is critical. The flat side of the "push-rods" must face the internal cams.

Thanks. That means that the rounded side faces outwards, right? Then I don't understand why I am having such a hard time fitting these rods, in fact, it seems I just cannot do it...

/Magnus

Well, you said you didn't remove the end caps right? So it may be just possible that:

1) The flat on the push rod is snagging on the bearing edge or cam on the way to being fully seated.

2) Without the push rod in it's normal postion, the bearing has moved towards the end cap, blocking the push rod from seating.

3) The push rods may be rotating out of alignment as they are re-inserted, and you said one of the thin rods had come loose, so turning that in an attempt to align the push rod may not actually be rotating it.

You may just have to remove the end caps to get the bearing back in proper postion, if it did move out. It would also make complete cleaning/lubrication and re-assembly much easier. It's usually not a big deal to remove them.

Batterhead, those are wise words. I will remove the caps today and see how things look in there. Many, many thanks.

/Magnus