I've been working on the pedal assembly. I'll be moving around working on different areas to make sure that I don't miss anything, or underestimate anything, in pursuit of this $500 plan. I needed to know for sure that the pedals would work with the master cylinders relocated up front. I also decided, while I was in that area, to see if the dual-function throttle pedal idea was going to work; even though I won't have electric power right away.
Yup and yup!
I have a lot of work to do to adjust the height and spacing of the pedals, but I can't really do that until the seats are actually in place and the floorboard is in. In this tight space, driver position means everything for exactly where components are located, as there's almost no such thing as repositioning one's self. Making adjustments is a simple matter of bending and/or cutting and welding the levers. The brake and clutch pedals also have a lot of adjustment in position with the push rods - they're actually at the end of their adjustments, back about an inch too far, in these pics.
I am going to lower the throttle pedal. The stirrup is supposed to be just off the floor. The reason it's so high here is I changed the design. It was supposed to be longer, but when I started working out the design for it I realized that if the pivot point was too high on my foot the motion was unnatural. The original design had the pivot point in the ball of the foot, but we actually pivot at the ankle.
Hold your leg straight out, toes pointed up, and put your heel on a thin edge, then point your toes forward - natural motion. Now, point your toes up and put the arch of your foot on the edge, and point your toes forward, rocking around that edge - unnatural; you have to actually lift the heel off your foot, and you should feel muscles working that didn't the first time. I actually want a tiny bit of resistance, so that summoning the electric drive requires a purposed effort. If the pivot was all the way at the bottom it would be too easy to ride around draining the batteries, with the electric drive working when it shouldn't be - like a highway jaunt, where your muscles tend to get a little fatigued and mind a little lazy.
I worked pretty much blindly, off my new design and instinct, making patterns, cutting, forming, grinding, welding, and grinding, steel, all day yesterday (still have more grinding to do...
). I didn't stop until it was in the car - then I walked away from it. Today, I contorted myself under the fragile foam roof framework, and into position and put my foot in the stirrup.
First impression, it's surprising how natural the stirrup feels. Secondly, the pivot point is perfect.
I had to try to hold the unbolted assembly still but both motions are very natural. The only stress on my body was from being doubled over trying to hold the assembly while working the pedal. I think after a couple hundred miles this will be completely intuitive, and a helluva lot of fun!
