When I picked up my car I was given this strange-looking half-lozenge-shaped piece of GRP, and I had no clue what it was or where it went or what it was for. But I knew enlightenment would be coming my way one day so I didn't pursue it at the time. With a brand new shiny body sitting in the sunshine of Long Bennington, an odd-shaped dull piece of GRP was the last thing I was thinking about.
But today is that day. I've done my research and now it's footwell extension fitting day. It, being an additional piece that is necessary for some owners... Me being one of them.
I did some digging, and apparently, the extension is an add-in option to provide additional space by the side of the clutch pedal. However, some people, who are shorter in the leg, do not need this extra feature. So as my inside leg exceeds the minimum requirement, I need one.
Had this been a "Generation Game" task I would have failed miserably as It took me about half an hour to work out where the half-lozenge extension specifically went. I knew the general area but didn't twig straight away because I didn't have my 'eye-in' as to where the pedals were. And I really wasn't happy cutting a big hole in my shiny engine bay without knowing exactly what I was doing and where it was to be. But I did my research, talked to other builders, and nearly wore by tape measure out before I was as comfortable as I could be before reaching for the Dremel.
The Ubiquitous Template
As I wanted the bottom of the footwell to be on the same level as the cockpit floor, I cut out a small piece and lined things up (horizontally) before cutting off the ridge. And when all was cut out the footwell extension sits nicely in line with the floor of the cockpit, and I've filed down the edges to make everything smooth and flowing.
Done deal...
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Note: When I was cutting the hole I noticed that when I reached this [see below] area, the resistance on the drill bit became very strong. So, suspecting something untoward was going on I stopped and did some investigation, primarily with the tape measure. And low-and-behold I found out the hole I needed to cut was not as big as the template suggested. I then continued to cut using the vertical line of the cockpit as my guide and you can see how much didn't need to be cut out. I will fix the damaged edge with some resin.
I also made a GRP 'former' for the footwell extension cover to sit around. This serves to stop any water seeping up and into the carpets...
