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This is a big issue for me - when I first drove my new to me Pantera, I literally had to roll my right foot over to use the gas pedal without also engaging the brake pedal. Sure, my feet are a little wide, but not freakishly so, and the wider soles on the sneakers these days doesn’t help.

I searched here and found a few other posts that shared the same issue, but not as many as I would have thought - so I decided to investigate the problem fully before getting out my grinder and cutting off a portion of the brake pedal.

First, here is the drivers footwell when I acquired the car:

Footwell are at first

With my right foot fully against the side panel my foot makes contact with the brake pedal.  So I pulled off that panel, removed the ancient jute pad in that area, and also repositioned the carpet at the bottom to ensure it wasn’t keeping that panel from fully snugging against the tunnel. Here’s what I got:

Revised panel fit

so I bought myself about .5” - every little bit helps, but this is still a problem. I might sink a screw up higher than the other one back in there to pull the panel even further in. But even still, this area remains too tight.  

here’s the entire pedal assembly looking up - the steering shaft is so close to the clutch pedal lever it actually makes slight contact - is this the stock location for this pedal assembly, or is it a bit jinky? All thoughts welcomed, of course. The grinder is out and the brake pedal is about to get a trim . . .

D-side footwell looking up

Last edited by CTJackster
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Yes, I've definitely had to choose my footwear wisely before driving my car (vintage Nike Cortez appear to be the best option short of buying special driving shoes).

I've seen a couple posts from owners who have rounded off the bottom right corner of the brake pedal, but surprised this isn't a larger topic. I guess I'm just intolerant of this quirk.

And yes, the gas pedal assembly stands out to my eyes too

Last edited by CTJackster

You just need more foot space and you can shim the entire pedal panel out 1-1/2" to 2".  I'm 6'2" and have it shimmed out 1-1/2" and that for me changed the awkward leg angles.



If you look in the forward trunk, you will see that it is a cast aluminum panel and is bolted to the sheet steel body.

If you unbolt it, you will see that you can move it forward. When the cars were still being sold new by Ford, there was a service bulletin issued that suggested for taller drivers, the panel be relocated forward with a maximum shimming of 1-3/4" forward.



You can get fancy and use plate aluminum as your shim but I initially made a pattern out of plywood to experiment with the total amount to shim the panel and found that the plywood was more then adequate to leave in there permanently.

It also gives you the flexibility to stack different thicknesses to find what is best for you. I wound up with two layers of 3/4" plywood glued together and left it at that. 1-1/2" total.



You probably could go as much as 2" but what happens is that the clutch and brake pedals when fully depressed get very close to the floor, so you need to be careful of not bottoming out those pedals.

What is interesting is that once the shims are finished sanded and carpeted, they are hardly noticeable at all and you really don't need to do anything at all in the passenger cabin drivers foot well. It's like it's an invisible modification.

Spacing the pedals forward helps in the angle your right foot contorts itself or more correctly reduces the contortions.



You can play with the attachment of the accelerator pedal also since it is mounted to a pressed in 10 mm shaft and held on by a c-clip.

In order to help with the strange foot angle, I clipped off the lower right hand side of the brake pedal on a 45° angle, about a 3/4" x 3/4" amount, and it helps tremendously. That keeps you from catching the edge of your shoe on the brake pedal.

You definitely can't operate the pedals wearing construction boots.

Even when I buy sneakers now, how the sole is attached to the shell is a detail I look for. Molded with no projecting flange, like a good pair of leather dress shoes would have is really part of the formula to avoid.



BE CAREFUL with the original "gas" pedal. The original is "twisted" from the factory new and that twist helps the angle your foot  must take. The current replacement pedals are not twisted and generally nearly useless unless you have your foot surgically removed and drive with just a stump.

Those pedals are cast aluminum and you can't heat them and bend them like the originals were.



If you have ever noticed pedal details on some of the '60s era F1 race cars, clipping the corners of the pedals was a common modification done for specific drivers with bigger feet.

This isn't "alien technology" at all. These are just details that most never notice unless it can apply to an issue that they have.



Really tight driver foot space is something that "Americans" aren't used to dealing with. The English cars like the XKE's are even tighter down their so they deal with it better since they expect it I think?



Try a 289 Cobra on for size foot room wise. Not only do you need to wear molded sneakers BUT the glue on them needs to be heat proof.

The first time I drove a 289 Cobra, the glue on my sneakers melted and the shoes came apart as a result. There is no heat protection in the foot box and the exhaust manifolds are right up against them.

Last edited by panteradoug

One thing you should check if there are additional spaces on the right side of the gas pedal shaft … I just put in one thin flat washer and put all the other ones on the left side that moves the gas pedal further to the right. I also made a new kick panel Out of aluminum because the original kick panel was Swiss cheese with a huge speaker hole, Made the recess for the special nut I got and put thread and a stud (it would be too hard to find the threads in the tunnel without having the stud)) in the tunnel right across from the gas pedal.. this way, I could adjust how far it pulls the panel away from the gas Pedal.

look at the space between the brake pedal and the gas pedal.. Maybe the billet gas pedal has a different shape too??

also put your carpet over the kick panel in the very front..

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Last edited by LeMans850i

That logo accelerator pedal is not billet aluminum. It is cast.

When I tried to heat it and twist it like the original, it just snapped and the grain in the casting was clearly visible.



The original console foot panel is molded plastic. It is the minimal thickness one could be. If you pad it, you deduct foot space.

That extra 3/16-1/4" you loose with padding and nice leather is critical there.



The picture of the plain pedal above is the original. You can also play with the length of the accelerator cable. That will raise or lower the position of the pedal at rest.



I spent so much time upside down under the dash that I eventually went to a quick release steering wheel. At least with that, now I don't need to dial 911 for help to get back out?

I'm not a little guy. I'm the size of an NFL linebacker. At least I learned to remove my helmet and shoulder pads before I work under the dash NOW. My cleats I'm attached sentimentally to but now they are just rubber, not metal.

Last edited by panteradoug

To me, the original gas pedal did not feel… Correct?… Just not right.

When I sit in the car, my legs are apart. . The right leg is against the center console and my leg goes straight forward … And the pad on the gas pedal is in an angle… My foot is not in an angle. It goes straight down. Just didn’t feel right for me… That’s why I changed the gas pedal…  that my kick panel was destroyed originally, and I had to make a new one was almost like a… Bonus… i  had to address the issue and made more room down there as side effect. I didn’t Want to use all those little screws on the bottom… That stud is holding the panel in place very firmly and I can take the panel out within one minute.

on the other side, I made a panel out of fiberglass because I put the battery shut off in that kick panel and there is also a second fuse box underneath… Same thing one minute,  it’s out

thread:

https://pantera.infopop.cc/top...ge-it-after-50-years

@LeMans850i posted:

To me, the original gas pedal did not feel… Correct?… Just not right.

When I sit in the car, my legs are apart. . The right leg is against the center console and my leg goes straight forward … And the pad on the gas pedal is in an angle… My foot is not in an angle. It goes straight down. Just didn’t feel right for me… That’s why I changed the gas pedal…  that my kick panel was destroyed originally, and I had to make a new one was almost like a… Bonus… i  had to address the issue and made more room down there as side effect. I didn’t Want to use all those little screws on the bottom… That stud is holding the panel in place very firmly and I can take the panel out within one minute.

on the other side, I made a panel out of fiberglass because I put the battery shut off in that kick panel and there is also a second fuse box underneath… Same thing one minute,  it’s out

thread:

https://pantera.infopop.cc/top...ge-it-after-50-years

Spacing the entire foot panel forward helps in reducing the leg angle. It is not as complicated as it sounds.

Last edited by panteradoug
@panteradoug posted:

Spacing the entire foot panel forward helps in reducing the leg angle. It is not as complicated as it sounds.

I was talking about angle -  Like I’m pushing towards the kick panel.. And not straight towards the “firewall”

I have dropped floor pans … When I sit in my car, it’s almost like sitting in a Winnebago… I have lots of room… The seats are moved towards the center console as well… It’s a great place to be

And I’m 6’2”…

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Last edited by LeMans850i

I had the same problem and always had to drive the Pantera without shoes on. As mentioned herein, a pedal assy. spacer makes a huge difference. I bought mine from SACC but Kirk Evans has them too. I also bent my brake pedal 3/8" to the left. I've seen owners cut the brake pedal pad off, then fab a new one the exact same size but weld it back on, offset 3/8" to the left. Jack Richards wrote an article about this mod in a POCA newsletter, decades ago. These two mods should solve your problem. The final thing I did, because I could, was to remove the throttle cable and its mount from the right side of the pedal. I was then able to center my right foot on the throttle pedal. My EFI system had the option of DBW, so I decided to give it a try. I used a Lokar DBW pedal and welded my aftermarket aluminum gas pedal to it at a more comfortable angle.

@LeMans850i posted:

@panteradoug The gas pedal with the logo is Billet 6061 T6… And it is a grainy material when it breaks….

https://ipsco.org/newsite/prod...8-pantera-gas-pedal/

My DT logo pedal was from Hall maybe 30years ago. My understanding of what billet is, is similar to aluminum plate which I have worked with before. I have never seen "billet" break, only bend.

Mine clearly has a mold seam on the shaft which is what snapped when I tried to twist it.

I have no reason or intent to disparage IPSCO for any reason.



My floor pans are also lowered 2". Because of the added room, I was able to install power seat platforms in. I used the power seat platforms from a Ford Taurus which also has a power lumbar. That matched up with Halls recovered Pantera seats with the added lumbar support.

So my seats are not in the original stock location which may explain some of the variations in angle interpretation by me?



I DO understand that you are talking about the angle of the accelerator pedal but I am saying that the combination of moving the pedals forward aids in correcting the angle and spacing the accelerator to the extreme right all is part of the formula/recipe.

After clipping the corner of the brake pedal, I no longer had any issue with shoes hanging on the pedal. So I didn't need to look further for another solution.



I did think about welding the DT pedal to my existing but don't like the prospect of welding aluminum castings for ultimate dependability issues. I would consider using an IPSCO DT logo accelerator pedal if they offered one twisted in the shape of the original.



I'm just sharing my solutions. I'm not saying anyone else's solutions are wrong by any means. I have already realized that in a Pantera often solutions vary simply because the issues vary from owner to owner because the car is so tight and that we are not all built the same way.



A person can be 6'2" with long legs or short legs or varying combinations that vary the issues for varied solutions.

@panteradoug the pedal I got was definitely carved out of a billet… to get 6061-T6 pliable is doable but the grain dictates what you can do…

regardless… the part that had the wrong angle for me was it was tilted left side down .. The part you step on was not parallel to the firewall, but angled into the corner of tunnel and firewall.. this may been correct for the seat being in the original position, 1.5” + more to the left, manipulating the pedal from an angle…

The gas pedal I have now plus pulling the kick panel to the tunnel with the stud solved my problem… No touching the brake pedal by accident…

I could have gone even further if I extended the Nippel that connects the gas cable or machine some material of the right side of the pivot point off the gas pedal. There is quite some room to move the kick panel to the right…  I probably have another 3/4” from where I am..

I find that the original "twisted" angle of the accelerator pedal is correct for me.

I would prefer to have it duplicated from solid "billet" as the original does have the reputation of breaking easily, but honestly I can't see how that could happen anyway? You work the pedals in the Pantera by toe-tapping them. Not foot stomping on them like in your F150. The DT logo is kind of "Kool" to have as well. Attempting to reshape billet by bending it is not the most desirable approach.



I do know that I remade the "kick panel cover" against the tunnel out of .090" aluminum sheet metal. I believe the original molded plastic one has a molded in spacer on the back side of it. So I agree, that one can gain some space to move the pedal to the right.



I find that mounting the cable on the right side of the pedal works the best along with the original cable retaining bracket spot welded to the tunnel so I left that alone.



No one that I know of has compared variations in construction of early cars to later cars in this regard so I would not automatically presume that the factory made no changes in construction on later cars to gain more room for the feet.

Although my car is a'73, it is an early '73. Sometimes called a '72-1/2, built in September of '72, so it still has some early build features.



From what I know of US market Panteras, the '74 model year had the latest improvements which sometimes included very small, otherwise unnoticeable changes.

In any case, I am attempting to make this discussion helpful to Pantera owners who are less involved technically or less capable of initially recognizing that some issues are correctable and can make the car much more enjoyable to use with small changes.



@CTjackster. The wear pattern that your picture shows on the brake pedal, is the corner that you cut off, just like that pattern shows.

Last edited by panteradoug

Great discussion on the pedal mods. The pedal box spacers I believe is the best.  I also agree that footwear choice plays a huge role. Even with smaller size 9 feet certain shoes are a no go. Adidas superstar old school tennis style shoes I have found the best. As some others pointed out, even with pedal mods a the new style wider based running style shoe won't work. My Nike, NB, Underarmour sneakers are simply a no go.

@otis posted:

Great discussion on the pedal mods. The pedal box spacers I believe is the best.  I also agree that footwear choice plays a huge role. Even with smaller size 9 feet certain shoes are a no go. Adidas superstar old school tennis style shoes I have found the best. As some others pointed out, even with pedal mods a the new style wider based running style shoe won't work. My Nike, NB, Underarmour sneakers are simply a no go.

As distasteful as it may sound or seem to say, if someone has feet like a giant frog, you are going to have an issue working the pedals in a Pantera no matter what you do.

As a kid (four or five years old), I remember my Dad trying out a Morris PU truck. He could deal with everything except the pedals. Even to me they seemed like a toy pedal car.

I guess I was thinking at the time...ribit, ribit?

Last edited by panteradoug

Well now, I wouldn't say my feet are akin to those of a giant frog, but they are the opposite of skinny and delicate; I'd say they are more like a bear paw (sounds more masculine)

Really good stuff covered here, from enlarging that foot-well area by skinnying up that side panel to tunnel clearance as much as possible (I've done some of that, and I am running the stock 74 thin side panel), shimming out the pedal box with spacers (going to try that), rounding off the bottom right corner of the brake pedal (just did that, looks like a racer boy mod from back in the day), and yes, definitely have to choose my footwear wisely - but my feet are on the wide side, there is a limit to what I can accomplish there (bear paw).

@CTJackster posted:

Well now, I wouldn't say my feet are akin to those of a giant frog, but they are the opposite of skinny and delicate; I'd say they are more like a bear paw (sounds more masculine)

Really good stuff covered here, from enlarging that foot-well area by skinnying up that side panel to tunnel clearance as much as possible (I've done some of that, and I am running the stock 74 thin side panel), shimming out the pedal box with spacers (going to try that), rounding off the bottom right corner of the brake pedal (just did that, looks like a racer boy mod from back in the day), and yes, definitely have to choose my footwear wisely - but my feet are on the wide side, there is a limit to what I can accomplish there (bear paw).

As Eddy Murphy once said in his stand up act, "goony goowho Gus". I thought he was talking to me?

Track shoes without the cleats are good.

On some Panteras, the plastic cover bulges out toward the pedals. Its possible to punch a hole in the right place in the cover and add a long self-threading screw, and carefully tighten it to pull the cover towards the center to the car.

But first you need to determine what's solid back in that bundle of wires et al, before drilling. And you ARE dealing with a 55 year old sheet of plastic of unknown brittle-ness....

With my size 14W feet, in 30 years of owning my Pantera, I have never once attempted driving it with shoes on.   As a previous poster said, I drive it usually with a pair of socks on and years ago after having my foot slip off the gas pedal so many times, I took stick on velcro (loop side) and applied it so that there was some texture.  If you put my right and left shoes together and overlayed them on the gas, brake, and clutch pedals they would extend a couple of inches from the center console to well left of the clutch.  I'd have to cut my feet in half lengthwise to have narrow enough feet to drive with shoes on.  Over the last maybe 7 years or so, I've shrunk in height about 4" from nearly 6'-3" to a tad under 6' so that I finally "grew' into my car by shrinking as I got older.  I have often wished that my feet would follow suit.

Ok freaks of nature, driving around barefoot - back on topic. Here’s my handiwork with the brake pedal. This, together with the additional room I gained by snugging the side panel against the tunnel, and yes wearing shoes without a wide sole, gets me to where I can easily work the gas pedal without snagging the break pedal.

Pedal mod

I’ve got brake and clutch pedal pads on hand, and I’m looking at carving up the brake pedal pad to match my handiwork. I’ll have to glue that diagonal edge down I guess

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