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Does anyone have a solution on a Ford based car? The gas pedal is too low and the clutch and brake are too close together. My feet are on top of each other when trying to clutch and brake. Thanks, Jim
Jim, I took mine apart and used a torch to bend them to where i was comfortable about a 1/2 left on the clutch and the same with the gas to the right and moved it up about an inch, Good Luck Dan
Jim, In your photo it appears that your clutch foot ,or possibly the clutch pedal is already rubbing the side panel so spreading the pedals farther apart may not be an option .Somewhere ,I remember seeing a Ford based car with the clutch pedal extended and raised to make it higher and not directly in line with the brake . This would keep your feet from being side by side at the widest point. It looked rather awkward and I’m sure it would take some getting used to but may be worth looking in too.
My BCW uses the Chevette pedal assembly and I ‘ve got to be very careful to press the correct pedal even with my relatively small 9&1/2 shoes. I usually wear a pair of deck shoes with soles that are smaller than my work shoes.
My car also has a flat spot in the hump beside the gas pedal that gives an inch or so extra width in this area.. You could cut out a small section of your hump and replace it with a flat metal or fiberglass plate if you have enough space between the hump and the flywheel housing to allow that modification.
This is a DANGEROUS situation.
I had an unbuilt Ford based kit. Before I decided on “what and how” for a drivetrain, I looked a the pedal area and said…”not my size 13’s!” So, I opted for an automatic transmission. I figured left foot braking/right foot gas pedal…like when I raced go-karts. Mind you, I was using a 3.8L Buick V6, a TH200R4 OD trans and an 8″ Ford posi rear.
I ran into the same pedal clearance problem my Chevette based BCW car that Larry now owns. I was on the gas and brake at the same time a lot while braking…drove barefoot or with mocassin like deck shoes a la Larry’s “fix”.
You can make the brake and clutch pedal “pads” smaller and use no rubber cover on them…or cut them to the shape that will accept VW Beetle clutch and brake pedal pad rubber (cheap and plentiful). The problem is, this really doesn’t make your feet any smaller and the foot box is only so big.
Good luck!
The carpet is worn on the side from the clutch foot rubbing it. You can see in the picture that the clutch is furthur out than the brake. When I begin to brake and then have to clutch, my clutch foot ends up on top of the brake foot and then it has to travel past the brake to disengage the clutch. I have to be real careful to put only the edge of my left foot on the clutch and the edge of my right foor on the brake to avoid this, thus the worn carpet. Has anyone tried using a roller type gas pedal similar to on the real TD’s? I will start looking to see if I can make more room on either side of the foot box.
I am not familiar with the VW pedels, but I will look into that idea.
Thanks, Jim
Jim, I looked at a picture of a FiberFab car with no carpet on the side panel and you may gain an inch or more space on the left side by glueing the carpet directly to the inside of the side panel. I’m guessing that the carpet is fitted to some type of backboard to hold it in place.
The roller pedal for the gas looks like it may have possibilities as well. You could make one out of 3/8 rod ,route it close to the tunnel,then bend it 90 degrees to the left side of the car and fit it with a rubber roller ,thread the end and use an acorn nut on the end.Maybe extend it just past the brake pedal.
These changes may allow you to seperate the clutch and brake enough to solve the shoe problem.
Jim, I have run into a similar problem with my Duchess. My brake and clutch pedal were tight together but pretty much on the same plane. If you look at my gallery photo of the front speaker set up, you’ll see that my pivot point on the gas is higher on the fire wall. That allowed me to put an extension on the gas pedal that allows me to toe the gas and not catch on the brake pedal when I lift off the gas. It was dangerous! It’s still tight but I can now let the right foot press hard on the brake and not worry about catching my foot. Maybe you can move the gas pivot?
Larry’s advice on the carpet sounds like the quickest thing to check and makes sense.
As to how to get that clutch pedal down more in line, post some pics of the linkage if you can.
Ringo40441.8058449074
some old British sports cars had vertically long and horizontally narrow clutch and brake pedals…shaped like your gas pedal.
Thanks everyone for all your suggestions. I think I might be able to adapt them. I will start working on the problem and let you know how it comes out. Might be a while before it gets solved.
Thanks, Jim
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