The accelerator pedal on my 1963 Dart 170 suburban with a 225 has always felt far too firm and "sprung" to me. I would like to make sure I have the correct throttle main return spring on the linkage.

The FSM drawing showing the linkage displays a single spring, but gives no specs at all for it. Searching eBay reveals some auctions that "fit" my car with a two-spring arrangement: one large spring with a smaller spring inside it. I'm unfamiliar with this setup and since the FSM doesn't show it, I'd assume this is just another example of incorrect information on an eBay auction.

Would those in the know please shed some light on what's correct and give me some specs on the spring? I realize I also need to lubricate the linkage at a few points the FSM details. What's a good modern equivalent to their "light lubricant"?

Thanks, in advance.

Mandatory disclaimer: I'm no expert, but...

The original was a single spring (at least it was on my all-original '64).

The original pedal feels "normal," just as hard as you would expect it to be.

Newer cars began using dual concentric springs. I believe that this is because if one breaks, there's still another to pull the throttle closed, since some people don't have the presence of mind to turn off the ignition if the throttle runs away.

So, dual or single spring would be fine, and you want one that's strong enough to completely close the throttle every time (having it stick a crack open is annoying to say the least), but not so hard that it bothers you.

I'd recommend taking off the current spring and bringing it to a good hardware store (not the Lowe Despot), and going through their spring collection to find one that's the right length and feels just a bit weaker.
In the old days, I'd say just stop by the junkyard, but that's harder and harder these days.

You might find someone who has one with a Want ad - they made a lot of them and they didn't tend to break.

- Eric

Car makers shifted to a dual spring throttle return for safety reasons. If one spring failed or fell off, the second spring would still close the throttle.

A well-stocked car parts store should be able to sell you a generic aftermarket dual spring setup with a hook on one end of each spring and a straight unhooked other end that you bend to fit. Pick the tension you like by changing where you put the bend in the unbent side.

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Casually looking for a Clifford hyperpak intake for cheap.

Thanks guys.