I heard back from Van's about my stiff brake pedals. They said the bolts/nuts should be hand tight for both the pedals and master cylinders since the springs on the brake system aren't very strong. I therefore pulled out all of the cotter pins that I installed the other day, loosened all of the bolts/nuts to finger tight and then installed new cotter pins. I then set the rudder/brake pedals in place in the fuselage, mostly so they would be out of the way in my shop/basement.
Brake pedals and master cylinders redone - loosned per Van's
Rudder/Brake pedals and master cylinders installed