more help with pedals.

i am working on my pedals ,and have a question.how far back from the front firewall should the pedals be placed.I am having some issues with not having enough room.i have a streetbeast that has the tube frame so i dont have anything to go off of.

Are you saying you don't have enough room for your feet (left foot hits the kick panel) or are you referring to the actual pedal swing?
~Alan

right,left foot hits the pick panel making it hard to press the cluth.

Do you have a CMC with the front bulkhead depression for the gas tank? If you look under the dash, there is this tremendously big bump down in the bulkhead, which the gas tank sits in, basically. That only provides for a little foot clearance (only a few inches) for the pedals. Not cool, but most of us have to live with it (or go to a different gas tank and rework the bump, which I've never seen done). It's OK for people with smaller to "normal" feet, but for larger people/feet there is certainly an interference problem.

Secondly, there is the operation of the pedals to consider: Opening another hole in the central tunnel AND somehow welding nuts or something on the inside of the tunnel to bolt the pedal cluster to, figuring out the proper length for a (custom only to your car) clutch cable and lengthening the brake pushrod (probably the easiest part of anything so far) to actuate the brake Master Cylinder. Lots there to consider....

I know CMC/fiberfab/street beast's have this problem with the bulkhead interference, I think Vintage does, too, and I'm not sure about Beck or IM (depends on their gas tank placement). INterestingly, the original (steel) speedsters don't have this problem.

We all just live with it, because it could be a MAJOR PITA and, for a lot of us, moving the pedals back (and the seat along with them to give adequate legroom) gives you too little seat travel, as there's just so much cockpit space front-to-back to begin with.

If, on the other hand, you just want to find out how far from the forward Bulkhead VW placed their pedals, then the centerline of the pedal pivot point is 4 inches from the bulkhead, measured to the bare metal.

gn

The Beck has enough room under the dash to rent out as an apartment. I kinda wish it was used for a bigger gas tank.

Your seven gallon tank is probably in tune with your bladder...

Both need service about the same time.

Does the Beck have a seven gallon gas tank? I'm not kidding. I didn't get an owners manual with my Beck and have been told they don't exist. I'd like to know fluid capacities, tire presures, etc.

Nyuk, nyuk, nyuk. You're off by a gallon Gordo, it's 8 - roughly twice the size of my bladder.

Mike, just contact Carey with capacity questions. He's got all the answers and is happy to help. As for tire pressures, there seems to be a lot of opinions on that. I've got 18 in front and 25 in the rear, but plan to raise it to 24 front, 29 rear, and try it out.

Mike, I just got back from a long drive after changing the air pressure, and man, did it make a difference. The car tracks and handles very nicely now. I'm sold on 24F, 29R.

Sorry for the hijack, Blake. Now back to our regularly scheduled thread.

Blake,
I too, have a Street Beast and under the tunnel on mine there is a hole in the metal structure where the pedals mount. I think, you just need to cut the glass corresponding to the hole in the steel running along the inside of the tunnel (on the under side). Mine even has holes for the bolts although I haven't tried to thread in the original VW bolts.

John & Blake,

You are right in suggesting that all that needs to be done is cut the glass where the holes are already done in the steel. The holes are not threaded and I used nyloc nuts.
However, there's a safety issue with the Street Beasts body to pedal clearance as it is minimal at best a size 5 shoe. There's no foot room to the left of the clutch pedal as well as above the pedal pads. The only options I can come up with are to either extend out the left kick panel and reconfigure the fuel tank area or drop the floor. ~Alan

alan,you are right.i ended up cuting out the kick panel and and refiberglassed it.It really helped .Gave me about 3 1/2 inches of extra space.I am also going to cut the tank bump out to give me more room for the gas pedal and brake.I am then going to add spacers to the the hole assimbly to give me a little extra room for the gas pedal on the sides.maybe 1/2 inch ,so my foot can move freely.

Last night I tried fitting the pedal cluster into the Street Beast. While the holes are cut into the metal frame inside the tunnel, it gives a template for cutting the glass. I cut out the glass for the center of the cluster, I'll cut the bolt holes later. BUT, with the clutch arm as part of the cluster, it won't go into the hole. The problem is that the angle of the clutch cable arm combined with the large base you can't juggle the arm into the hole. The metal and the glass are about 1/2 inch apart--meaning that they don't touch one another. This makes the two holes (the glass and the metal frame) about the same as a 3/4 inch long tube and the clutch arm won't reach through the second hole. I suppose I'll have to drive out the rivet that holds the clutch "hook" to the pedal. Then install the assembly into the car without the clutch pedal, and then intstall the clutch arm and pedal into the cluster after it's bolted into place. Since the bottom of the tunnel is open on the Beast, you can install a clutch cable from the bottom and don't have to pull the cluster as one would do on a Beetle.

John,
Will you be at Carlisle ? I'll be glad to go over the entire build process and "adjustments" that I did to make it workable. ~Alan

Alan,
I will be at Carlisle on Thursday evening and spend most of Friday. I must be home for a small car show that our little country church is holding on Saturday, so I'll have to leave Friday afternoon to get back home. I plan to bring my wife's digital camera so I can record as much info as possible.
I have the car now sitting on its own wheels, and just started on the tunnel. After some modifications I got the trans installed. I had to modify the factory mounting positions for the rear assembly in order to get the trans positioned correctly. Now I need to get a buddy to create an extension for the shifter rod in order to clear the factory frame and give the VW connector the space needed.
I'll be glad to buy a beer or two just to pick the brain of experience (maybe three or four). Just when I think I have an issue resolved, I find an unexpected twist from Street Beast.
John W.