Clutch pedal interference question

[JohnK]

Sorry for the cross-post. I put this in my build thread but I'm pretty stumped so I thought I'd post it as a separate question. I've been working on the Wilwood pedal box today, and I've run into a bit of a surprise that I'd love some input on. The clutch pedal appears to be hitting the 3/4" tube and not able to extend fully to the back of the footbox. I'd read about this issue in many older build threads but was under the impression that this issue had been resolved on the newer frames, so I'm a bit surprised to run into this. I don't see how I can adjust anything (or have installed anything incorrectly to have caused this), so I'm a bit confused at the moment. The clutch pedal, when fully depressed to the point that it's hitting the 3/4" frame member, is still ~9/16" away from the footbox back. Is that "close enough" or do I need to do something here to resolve this issue?

Thanks,
John

The footbox sheetmetal is tight to the thick plate behind it:
https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=107558&d=1558217347

Both support brackets are in position properly, per the instructions:
https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=107557&d=1558217336


Here you can see where the pedal is hitting the 3/4" tube:
https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=107556&d=1558217323


Here you can see how far the pedal is from the footbox wall:
https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=107555&d=1558217313

[Itchief]

John

I have an older mkiv and I had to use a large c-clamp to egg the 3/4 tube so that the clutch pedal would clear the tube

I think that it would be better for the pedal to go all the way down without hitting the 3/4 tube because it is going to stop the pedal travel every time you use the clutch and may cause damage to the clutch pedal mechanism

Rick

[Ducky2009]

I read that older chassis' had such an issue that the pedal (or frame) needed a major notch to achieve full travel. Not sure why your's has interference.

I have MK4 Build #9035 Delivered 2/17/17 and didn't have this problem. (Was told the chassis was modified late 2016 to resolve this issue).

[Murd]

I have 9026 and I believe it would hit the frame before it got to the footbox front, like yours, but I still had to build a pedal stop as the clutch didn’t have that much travel.
What clutch setup are you using? Looking at your pics I’m assuming hydraulic. I have Fortes’s hydraulic setup.

Either way I wouldn’t worry, I think the pedal will have more than enough travel to release the clutch before it hits the frame, and you’ll probably want to make some kind of pedal stop so you don’t over extend the slave cylinder, not sure on cable systems, if they need a stop or not?

[CDXXVII]

I think you have more than enough pedal travel as is. I am 6' tall and I can not push my pedal all the way to the foot box while seat belted in.

I have the older Mk4 and with the pedal notch I still can not get as far back as yours.

[Papa]

You definitely don't need the clutch pedal to go all the way to the foot box wall. I actually had to adjust my pedal back to align with the brake pedal and still have plenty of travel.

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=84645&d=1524425468

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=84652&d=1524441725

[CraigS]

It is fine as is.

[JohnK]

OK, well... not that I don't trust all of you but being the OCD sort that I am I couldn't leave this unaddressed. I also figured that I'd much rather deal with it now than later when I've got panels and whatnot in the way. The interference didn't look *too* bad, so I decided that clearancing the pedal was the easiest way to deal with the issue. It turns out that I didn't have to remove as much material as I'd feared... just a little haircut on the webbing on the one side with the angle grinder and a carbide bit, and now the pedal goes all the way to the back wall with no issue. I'll throw some POR15 on there next time I have the can open, and call it good enough. The comments on not wanting the pedal go that far back and installing a pedal stop are all appreciated and I will definitely plan to install a pedal stop. I just didn't want the 3/4" tube to be the pedal stop.

Thanks,
John

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=107635&d=1558313842

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=107634&d=1558313833

[GoDadGo]

MK-4 #8515 Had The Same Issue So Our Solutions Are The Same!

[boat737]

If you're doing a clutch pedal stop, here's my clutch pedal stop/throttle pedal stop assembly. The carriage bolt for the throttle rests on the pedal arm, but the carriage bolt for the clutch rests on the back side of the actual pedal.

[JohnK]

Nice! Thank you.