Dead Pedal placement

[boat737]

Where do you all place your dead pedal? Higher? Lower? More forward, or more rearward? Steeper angle? Pictures if you got 'em.

[karlos]

I put mine on the driver's footbox

Best photo I have (below) doesn't show the location all that well. It's parallel to the clutch and brake pedal pads and about 1 inch lower. Came up with that location by temporarily taping it to the footbox wall and then checking how it felt while sitting in the seat. I would have liked it a little lower but found that anything more than an inch or so could potentially let my foot get trapped between the clutch pedal and the dead pedal. Seriously bad. Could go lower if there was more separation between the pedals, but it's tight in there.

[CraigS]

Mine is similar to Carlos but not quite as nice. I kept moving it around w/ some duck tape until I could relax and have my leg almost completely straight.

[JRL16]

I tried to keep it even with the clutch pedal with same angle.

[BEAR-AvHistory]

Mine looks just like the picture except that the dead pedal is set a few inches below the clutch so I can stretch my leg out more.

FWIW the factory dead pedal in my real car is also below the pedals.

[skidd]

Admittedly, I haven't driven mine yet. But.. I placed it just a little closer to the seat than the clutch pedal. Like karlos, I Wanted to ensure there was never a chance of catching my foot on it, or behind it when working the clutch. Its hard to tell exactly how far forward in this pic.

[edwardb]

My picture looks a lot like the one posted by Karlos. Also using the Russ Thompson dead pedal part. I mocked it up with double faced tape and the seat in place looking for the most comfortable position before bolting it down after the carpet was installed. It's not obvious from the picture, but it's slightly lower than the clutch pedal. My foot goes there naturally when off the clutch and is very comfortable. Note some of this would change (maybe...) with the newer FF sheet metal and the additional bump out. My kit was just before that was released, so I don't have that. Could affect the placement, but I really don't know.

[Dave Howard]

Mine is in the "parts not used" pile. I found the use of the dead pedal made it difficult to stretch the left foot out on long drives. At 6'2" I like to be able to extend the left foot past the clutch. Some kind of cruise control will be incorporated into the next build. That will give the right foot some relief also.

[boat737]

Thank you all. I forgot to mention, I have the original MK4 footbox aluminum with the straight side, not the "push-out" newer style.

I was at first thinking the pedal should go farther forward like Kevin's above, perhaps level with the throttle pedal, or even farther forward. My reasoning was that would be a natural spot for highway cruising. After reading the replies so far, it looks like the majority opt for a more rearward spot, nearer the clutch pedal at the top (engaged) of the stroke. That would seem to make more sense for around town driving with more clutch pedal activity, and easier transfer between the dead and clutch pedals. I do see that the production/manufacturer cars (Detroit, Japan, etc.) have the dead pedal forward, some almost to the floorboard.

I guess I'll just have to spend some quality "sit and quiet" time in the seat and vacillate back and forth and over and over on where it would be best. I see a lot of hemming and hawing in my future.

[cgundermann]

Older MK4 footbox and made my own by triangulating it to the round tubes. Clamped in place until I found my own sweet spot. Equal angle as the clutch pedal and close to the same plane - so I could slide easily back and forth. Even at 6-1, I found it nice.

[AC Bill]

Thank you all. I forgot to mention, I have the original MK4 footbox aluminum with the straight side, not the "push-out" newer style.

I guess I'll just have to spend some quality "sit and quiet" time in the seat and vacillate back and forth and over and over on where it would be best. I see a lot of hemming and hawing in my future.

Haha..yes.. good to get it, (or any modification for that matter), figured out beforehand, otherwise a lot of work could just go to waste.

I presume you have seen threads where the foot box side kick out was discussed, or are you looking for advice on doing that as well?

I used a small pedal with pad, mounted higher up, so the toe area of my shoe would have a rest. It was mounted to the left of the frame tube, as my foot seemed to rest comfortably there, with heel touching the floor, toes on the dead pedal. This mounting location, also allowed me to mount the hi/low-beam switch lower on the frame tube, and with easy access. It sits lower than the pedal pad so I'm not stepping on it accidentally, when my foot is at rest..

I did notice my carpeting was taking a beating, from the side of my shoe rubbing on the lower edge of the dead pedal opening. I added a black nylon plastic " slider to prevent that. I also added a similar slider on the inner foot box panel, next to the throttle pedal, to protect the carpet in that area. So, while your sitting in the seat vacillating..you might want to look at these things as well.

[Gilmore]

Wherever your left foot feels comfortable at rest.

[RoadRacer]

Looking in my '33 footwell, I'm jealous that you can even have this conversation

All that space!