1978 Targa Pedal Box Improvement

[snbush67]

During the last week I’ve been tuning my car with Ian’s (ICARP) supervision and tutoring, Ian pointed out that the factory foot rest was very close to the clutch pedal. So Ian and I modified my 1978 Targa pedal box. The modification allows for more room in the foot on the clutch pedal to move unencumbered.

I was a bit nervous at first because I thought that the foot rest area was structural. But after removing it we realized that it was soft metal that was just taking up space for reasons unknown.

In this picture you can see the worn paint where decades of rubbing have been happening:


Another angle:


Initial exploration and discovery cuts:


Continuing cutting and cleaning up the edges:


Surgery complete:


Skin refreshed with some black primer:


Better than new:


Foot placement is much better and no more rubbing, and the car idles much smoother (that’s an inside joke).

[snbush67]

Ian has also given my car a name, so Stella it is. Picture was taken at Fourtilfour in Scottsdale.

[Nditiz1]

Cool mod, I wonder why that hollow piece is there.

[ARad]

Maybe that's the main reason for the factory put the "bulge" on the left side is to prevent your foot from slipping to the left side empty space while depressing the clutch accidentally. In other words, to keep your foot stay & secured on the clutch pedal.
But good idea to clear it up for more clearance space if large guy's foot gets in the way.

[jac1976]

Not certain, but I believe those “bulges” are there to lend rigidity due to the lack of roof. Back in the day some preferred the handling of the Targa to the coupe on the track, some even converting Targa bodies to coupe for the best of both worlds. I’m sure others with more knowledge will chime in.

[pmax]

Wrong sub-forum.

[Ed911S]

Its also wrong to undo engineering

[snbush67]

Originally Posted by Ed911S

Its also wrong to undo engineering

Oh crap, my bad! Let me run back out to the garage and weld it back in because Ed on the internet say’s it’s wrong.

Do you think JB weld will hold it Ok?

[Larmo63]

Lol.

[pmax]

[snbush67]

Originally Posted by pmax

Wrong sub-forum.

Dang it. How do I contact a moderator to move this thread to the 911 tech sub forum?

[Z-man]

Reaching out to Black993 to move thread to 911 tech forum.

[RSTarga]

Don't ever try and drive a Lotus Elan!

[icarp]

Originally Posted by RSTarga

Don't ever try and drive a Lotus Elan!

Icarp here, Lotus Elan , now thats another car I know well. All kinds of mods and never lost a vintage race . Drove it to the track , then drove it home . No trailers for me .
20,000 miles in 3 years , a ton of fun.

No need to worry about the spot welded dead pedal being removed .
The circle on the wheel well, is the best to place to put your left foot . The Idea of a dead pedal so close to the clutch is just counter intuitive . It interferes with the left foot for efficient clutch operation . As far as reinforcement, then why not have one on the passengers side? The thought of this being an integral part of strength for the chassis is missed placed thought.

Ask yourself how many other parts on these street cars have been modified to improve the cars ? I have been building and modifying cars for racing for 47 years , which I'll bet is more than most of you reading this post . So please don't you worry about the integrity of this car on the road . Yes I have made lots of mistakes , but the important thing is that I learn from my mistakes . This is not one of my mistakes .

This car of Shane's has become a spectacular car to drive .

[kach22i]

Originally Posted by icarp

No need to worry about he spot welded dead pedal being removed .

The circle on the wheel well, is the best to place to put your left foot .

No wires in there either, good to know.

I have small feet, but found this thread interesting.

[Tinkerer]

Great information for anyone with big feet like me. Maybe a future project

[snbush67]

Originally Posted by kach22i

No wires in there either, good to know.

I have small feet, but found this thread interesting.

Recommended mod Kach, go for it, my feet are 10.5’s but I still wore a hole in the carpet. Never even realized it until Ian pointed it out to me. Then I noticed the rubbing every shift, which is multiplied now that I am double clutching.

[snbush67]

Originally Posted by Z-man

Reaching out to Black993 to move thread to 911 tech forum.

Thanks for the move Z!

[icarp]

IIRC this dead pedal is not on all targas. This is only the second time I have seen it .
I will look into it further .
Ian

[snbush67]

Originally Posted by icarp

IIRC this dead pedal is not on all targas. This is only the second time I have seen it .
I will look into it further .
Ian

Maybe Porsche “undid” their own engineering on later models.