Yesterday, after helping to register my son at State Technical Institute in
Memphis(his first year), he was driving us home when he said, "Dad, the pedal
is not moving."  Upon investigation, I found the actuator rod which connects
the pedal to the cam which transmits movement to the cable had broken.
Relying upon the problem solving skills I developed in High School ROTC
(LTC), I bravely set out to affect temporary repairs in order to be able to
drive the van to obtain parts and return home.  Opening the toolbox and
restraining the urge to swear with wild and satisfying abandon, I looked in
as beads of sweat born of desperation and high humidity flooded my eyes.
Suddenly, a flash of inspiration. I'll use an Allen wrench to make a
temporary substitute. Eagerly I removed the spare, removed the affected part
and thrust in the Allen wrench.  Success! A little stiff in action but it was
workable.  I drove to the Auto Zone and searched for an acceptable
substitute.  I found a ball joint used in accelerator linkages.  I drove
home, cut the broken rod at the proper length to screw into the joint,
threaded the rod, screwed the two pieces together, bolted the assembly to the
cam, and bored a slightly larger hole in the floor to accommodate the larger
diameter of the joint. The new ball joint has a much smoother action than the
rod through the hole design of the original. Total cost: $8.50.

Rico Dagastino
Munford, TN