pedal spacing

[ericbushby]

OK it`s winter now and time to do those jobs which put the car off the road for a while.
I intend to increase the spacing of the pedals by bending the clutch and brake pedals to the left. this is on a R.H.D. Series 3 Elan.
I know some of you have already done this but I cannot find it in the archives.
At present the arrangement is like this.

I hope you can see by the wear that the clutch pedal only gets pressed on the left hand side and my big feet struggle to press the brake pedal and nothing else.

The measurement from the right hand side wall are :-
Accellerator pedal 2.25"
Brake pedal 5.4"
Clutch pedal 8.5"
I don`t think it needs much adjustment to make a big difference.
Any comments or suggestions will be gratefully received.
Eric in Burnley
1967 S3SE Type 45

[john.p.clegg]

Eric

Looks like you're willing to sacrifice originality for drivebility.....go for it...I did it years ago and it works...no need to apply any heat,just a lump hammer...will post photo in the morning if you wisn.

John

[ericbushby]

John, thankyou,
There may be very few things original about my car( and many others). I think I can do it OK but any help from more experienced owners like yourself would always be appreciated. If i do bend something to help me now, I feel that some one in the future who thinks I am a pillock can soon straighten it again. I did think that heat would be needed but I know a friend of mine in club Lotus NW did it cold and was satisfied with it.
Thankyou for your encouragement
Eric in Burnley

[john.p.clegg]

Eric

as promised..

John

P.S while you have the pedalbox out how about a greasable spindle and top access flap?

[umbyfer]

Hi,

Same problem for me and my big feet. I solved the problem buying a special type of race shoes for karting. I spent a lot of time before finding them but at the end I won the fight against the pedal by Model type OMP and Sparco.

[ericbushby]

I`m getting on with it.

Before

After
The pedals do not look straight in the picture but they are.
The brake pedal has been moved about half an inch to the left and the clutch about one inch.
Ready to start reassembly now but that will take a while as I will change the brake and clutch fluid whilst I have access to that area and of course tend to anything else that turns up.
Eric in Burnley (Whats gone wrong, it`s not cold in the garage)
1967 S3SE Type 45

[john.p.clegg]

Nice one...

John

[Hawksfield]

Eric


Good post Eric I don't think this will upset the purists at all.

Wish I had read this before xmas as I had my pedal box out for replacing the master cylinder rubbers.
I have had the problem with some shoes and the job would have been well worth it

Thanks

[ericbushby]

JH
Thankyou for your comments.
You appear to have a Plus 2. I didn`t expect the same problem occured with those due to having a wider body.
I refitted the pedals and shaft yesterday. There were not so many laughs in that job, fitting the outside bearing to the bracket took ages with two spanners tied with string to to a fixed point so as not to drop them into the bilges and me on my back in the car with lamps and torch.
Fitting the shaft took me nearly 2 hours and there are only eight screws!!
I will continue next time I have earned a garage pass.
Eric in Burnley
1967 S3SE DHC

,

[Hawksfield]

Hi Eric

Yes the +2 is wider but I have experienced problems with certain shoes and work boots but it is not as bad as the Elan.

The pedal setup is different in the Elan from the +2 but both are a challenge to rebuild so I will wait till I am forced to take it out.

[ericbushby]

This modification is now finished and I am pleased with the result.

A short test drive today has assured me it was worthwile. I feel to have more confidence and feel more in control. Operating the accelerator with the side of my shoe (heel and toe) whilst braking seems easier, but this may be due to the extra confidence I feel. It just feels `normal` now and no thought is needed about what my feet are doing.
As I expected I can no longer slide my foot past the clutch pedal down to rest position, it has to be drawn back and under. I am content with this.
I wore my ordinary shoes with no problems. I normally wear size 10 wide shoes and have used a pair of size 11 narrower shoes which I kept in the Elan. They did the job but were not comfortable. They can now go back to the charity shop where I bought them.
The distances from the RHS panel are Accelerator- 2.25", Brake- 6", Clutch--9.5" All Approximate.
John,
I considered your suggestion of grease points but decided against it. There are oil holes along the top of the sleeves, and also I could not face cutting holes in the pedal box. But thank you anyway, I always listen to experience.
It is a pig of a job to do and took me 10 to 12 hours including a few small improvements along the way, but I am now pleased with it.
Eric in Burnley
1967 S3SE DHC (4degrees c with the top down today but I didn`t care, I was happy)

[john.p.clegg]

... and if you're just looking at this , why not consider getting rid of the pedal rubbers and scoring the pedals as I did...it works..

( picture about 9 posts above.)

John

[pauljones]

All,

Why not go for a floor mounted peddle box?

Paul

[ericbushby]

Good morning Paul,
I do not see the point of changing anything,
The only thing wrong with the existing pedals is that they are too close together. Having removed them, it only takes a few minutes with a vice and a hammer to bend them as shown.
Also it is easily reversible.
A friend did it much quicker than me by leaving the R/H bearing block in situ. Putting that back with the correct alignment was the most difficult part of the job for me.
Cheers,
Eric in Burnley

[pauljones]

Eric.

I see your point, quick n easy. I looked at floor mounted boxes and cost was far too much for me. I think a complete system was near ?450. Bet your fix cost a few cups of tea..!!

Nice mod.

Paul