Factory Five’s new Coyote accelerator pedal mount for the Roadster

[lgordon]

First the good news: Factory Five’s new Coyote accelerator pedal mount for the Roadster puts the pedal at the same height as the brake and clutch. However getting it mounted was more painful than it should have been so I thought it worth sharing my experience.

The short version of what it takes to get the job done: At least the lower half of the upper ear and the right side of the accelerator pedal have to be trimmed to the shape of the mount. Also use a bolt for the upper accelerator pedal to pedal mount without the shoulder that emulates a washer.

The current instructions, 4/17//19, Revision 2A, for how to prepare the Coyote accelerator pedal for use with the new mount do not work. The illustration on page 9 of the current instructions shows there is very little clearance between the new mount, in green, and the upper steering column, maybe 1/16”. Also the right side of the new mount sits against a 3/4” frame member. Whoever wrote the current instructions doesn’t seem to have actually installed the new mount.

I installed the Coyote accelerator pedal last year using the flat mount that came with my Coyote installation kit. It was an easy install but I didn’t like how low the pedal sat vs the brake and clutch.

When I read a newer version of the Coyote Instructions, Revision Z, it showed a very different mount for the accelerator pedal. It was clear this mount would move the Coyote pedal higher, more in line with the brake and clutch pedals. I called Factory Five and learned the new style mount would be considered an upgrade to my MK4 kit so I ordered one.

I had no problem installing the new accelerator pedal mount as instructed. I first attached the new pedal mount to the frame mount using the lower screw. Then, making sure the upper tab of the pedal mount was firmly against both the front and side of the footbox, I drilled for the upper screw using a 90 degree angle attachment on my drill. Getting the drill in place was a tight fit but not difficult.

The more current versions of the Coyote instructions, Z and 2A, show preparing the pedal the same way it was prepared for the older style flat mount. I could not get the coyote pedal mechanism, trimmed that way, into place although I tried everything I could think of. I struggled for more time than I should have but there was no way it was going to fit! The mounting “ears” on the Coyote pedal had major interference with the steering column! Also the right side of the pedal mechanism, which extended beyond the right side of the mount, interfered with a 3/4 frame tube. It was clear that the Coyote pedal mechanism needed a lot more trimming.

I used a Dremell rotary tool to trim the Coyote pedal’s “ears” so they were flush with of the ears of new accelerator pedal mount. I left a little more of the material at the top of the top ear since it wasn’t interfering with anything. I also used a handheld 1/2” belt sander to remove more material from the right side of the Coyote mechanism so it was flush the new FFR mount. The photo below isn’t perfect since you can see part of the back side of the pedal arm behind the new FFR mount, which makes it look like I didn’t trim the plastic flush with the mount. I did.

Also when I installed the new mount and pedal I ran the bolts through the front with the bolt head against the plastic pedal and the nut against the steel mount. In the attached photo I had the bolts reversed. When completely installed I noticed that the shoulder of the provided bolt was lightly scoring the steering column. That was caused by the steering column being at a significant angle from the pedal mount. When I did the final install, after powder coating, I used a bolt of the same size and thread that does not have the shoulder. That provided enough clearance to avoid contact with the steering column.

That worked! I was able to wiggle the new mount and Coyote pedal mechanism into place and get all of the bolts tightened in place. The accelerator pedal position is now very nicely lined up with the brake and clutch pedals and feels much better. Well worth the effort!

In retrospect:
- It would have been much easier to install the new accelerator pedal mount and Coyote mechanism without the upper steering column in place! It would still be essential to trim at least the lower half of the upper “ear” to be flush with the upper ear on the new mount and to use a bolt without a washer in that ear.
- It would also have made it easier to install the new accelerator mount and pedal before putting the DS footbox top on.
- It probably is not necessary to trim the lower ear of the Coyote accelerator pedal mechanism as much as I did, if at all.

PS For those who worry, there is 1/2” clearance between the pedal pad and footbox side. If I encounter a problem with that I’ll be in for a different pedal pad. There’s always a way to spend more money.