New Life For An 'Old' MK1 Roadster.

[mabbott74]

I said this years ago and I can't believe I'm saying it again, but I had no idea there were still unfinished MK1's out there!

The pedals are very even - nice job. Consider bumping out the left side of the driver's footbox and adding sort of a recessed dead pedal - there is room between the footwell and the body.

Any suggestions for a dead pedal? Also it looks like I'll need to fab up some type of stop for the throttle pedal. Any ideas?

[mabbott74]

Got a chance to work on my seats today. I installed the seat heaters and started the layout for the mounts. I plan to use sliders for the driver's seat and a small riser on the passenger to match the height. A quick question... Are 1/4" rivnuts sufficient to attach the seats to the frame?

Seat 1.jpg

Seat 2.jpg

Seat 3.jpg

[J R Jones]

mabbot74, Pick an OEM brand that you respect and inspect their seat mount engineering.
I predict you will see M8 or 5/16 minimum with through bolts or weld studs, nuts and washers, grade five or eight, which rivnuts are not.
jim

[JohnnyB]

Any suggestions for a dead pedal? Also it looks like I'll need to fab up some type of stop for the throttle pedal. Any ideas?

I tried a couple of dead pedals from production cars but they were all too big and interfered with the clutch pedal. I ended up using a piece of 1 1/2" angle iron covered with non-slip tape. It's not too pretty but it's functional and one of the better additions I’ve made. I installed it after the body was on for a few years so I used some hefty sheet metal screws to attach it to the foot box aluminum. I was concerned about the aluminum being strong enough to support it without additional backing but it has held up well. I use it all the time and it’s still solid after many years.
Not sure about the throttle pedal. I also used one of Russ's pedals but I don't believe it needed a stop.
I did install a stop to keep the brake pedal rod from backing out. Factory Five fixed this at some point but I remember reading about someone with a Mark 1 that caught their toe on the brake pedal and pulled the brake rod out of the master cylinder. That could make for a bad day so if your frame doesn't already have a stop I'd recommend installing one.
deadpedal (1).jpgIMG_0120.jpg

[mabbott74]

That was easy! I upgraded my brakes to SN95 Cobra spec calipers & rotors. I had a local shop make brake hoses for the front. The first set was the wrong size (3/8" instead of 10mm). The second set was the right size but one side leaked. You know what they say, "Fifth times a charm."

Brake Rear.jpg

Brake Front.jpg

Brake Assistant.jpg

Got some help from a friend and my pit crew. Brakes are bled, pedal is firm and no leaks detected. I'd say it was a good shift!

[mrmustang]

I said this years ago and I can't believe I'm saying it again, but I had no idea there were still unfinished MK1's out there!

The pedals are very even - nice job. Consider bumping out the left side of the driver's footbox and adding sort of a recessed dead pedal - there is room between the footwell and the body.

There is an early, sub 1,100 (IE: one of the first 100 sold to the public) MK I kit sitting in a garage in Maywood, NJ, 2nd owner has it, and is slowly working on it as time and funds allow.

Bill S.

PS: yes, I'm still lurking about

[herb427sc]

I said this years ago and I can't believe I'm saying it again, but I had no idea there were still unfinished MK1's out there!

The pedals are very even - nice job. Consider bumping out the left side of the driver's footbox and adding sort of a recessed dead pedal - there is room between the footwell and the body.

I bought mine in 1999 an d it is only about 1/2 done.