Re: Dead pedal location fix (archive)

I took a similar approach, but I used pieces of closet bar that I had center drilled with a 1/4" bit. The center drilling is the tricky part if you don't have a drill press. I also left the upper part on. I have had mine in place for months and it is very sturdy.

I have never understood this odd bit of engineering. I don't believe they have ever corrected it. Very strange in a car that is otherwise fantastic.

I agreed with some earlier comments about the two-piece dead pedal location being too deep on the XK8. I replaced the OEM 6 mm bolts with longer ones (90 mm long) and cut some 1.5" diameter sprinkler PCV pipe to match the bolt length. The pipe fits right in place and the bolt goes right through the pipe. You may need some washers if the bolt does't have a flange like the OEM. It fit right in though a bit snug. I hand tightened the bolt, though you could use a ratchet if very light on the touch. I then discarded the upper, smaller part of the two piece dead pedal.

So in effect, I now have a larger, less angled dead pedal about 2.0 to 2.5 inches inches less deep. For me it is definately more comfortable now for both my foot and leg where it contacts the seat. For shorter legs (I'm 5'9"), you might want to leave the smaller upper upper piece in place or increase the bolt length to 100mm or 110 mm. For longer legs, perhaps reduce bolt length to 70 mm or 80 mm.

It seems robust enough with two weeks of daily driving on it, but I wouldn't want to put my full weight on this while entering or exiting the car.

It's not hard to do yourself, but if anyone wants one made for them at a modest cost, it would be a good project for my kids (they helped the first time around). Let me know here or at ibemark@aol.com.

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