Hey Everyone,
Got a bit of a problem. I purchased a set of kicks from Jim85IROC. They are amazing looking & I couldnt have asked for better quality. My problem is my size 13 shoe and the clutch pedal. There is JUST enough room for my shoe to push the pedal down. I know while driving I will not be able to hit it perfectly every time. I either need to get more clearance down there or sell the kicks w/ the CDT HD62's. (WHICH I REALLY DONT WANT TO DO)
Have any of you guys had a similar problem? If so, how did you make more room. I have played with the idea of bending the brake pedal over to make more room, but thats a pain to do. Any other ideas?

Jim,
I have never worked with fiberglass. Is it possible to modify the kicks to provide more clearance? The CDT's barely stick out the back of them. I am sure that they could be tucked into kick panel area a little more?

Thanks everyone,
Mark B

 

Interesting enough, I have the same speakers in my kick panels that Jim built as well.

Anyway, I usually just put my foot a little farther up the floor instead of streching it all the way out. However, I don't have to deal with a clutch since my car is an automatic.

 

I've got a smaller shoe than you (9.5) and drive a stick as well. I've probably hit the kick by accident two or three times over the past month, which is when I finished my T-56 swap. I never hit the kick driving the car as an auto. Most of those hits were in the first week after the swap. I haven’t touched it lately/have become used to it.

Pedal clearance is once of those things that you have to deal with when it comes to kick panels but there are a few things you can do to make the situation better.

You can angle the speaker(s) less aggressively so the kick doesn't have to stick out as far. This will cut down on how far the kick sticks out but will aim the drivers away from where you want them, which is bad.


(the faded one is the orginal angle & the darker one is the new angle)

The more ideal solution is to make room to recess the speakers into the actual car while maintaining a nice aiming path. Literally recess the speakers into the car. The process is pretty simple: take off the fenders, cut out the kick panel area, weld up a box allowing greater depth in the kick panel area. I’ve only see this done once but it’s an excellent idea.



If done correctly you could just cut a hole in the plastic factory kick and stretch grill cloth over it and have it not stick out at all.

As for your specific case, you could trim the portion of the kick that sticks out if your speakers aren’t taking up all the space but it’s going to defeat the whole idea of buying a kick from Jim in the first place IMO. It’s going to be hard to make it flow/look right and it’s going to be a PITA. You’re going to have to rip the carpet off, cut the section off, glass a new section on, smooth your work out, and carpet the kick again. You’re almost better off selling Jim’s kicks building your own set with the effort it will take you to modify his.

BTW: I’m running a set of Jim’s kicks myself and love em

 

I remember that your speakers weren't really sticking out of the back, so it would be possible to modify the speakers to get you about a half inch of extra room. If you need more than a half inch, a complete redesign would be necessary.

If a half inch would be enough, send me a PM and we can chat. Unfortunately, I just bought a house, so i'm going to be very busy for the next few months, but I'll see if we can't work something out.