Kick Panel Question

Thodge

Thodge

Senior Member
Has anyone experimented with a custom driver’s kick panel to increase foot room in a 30-31? I know there’s not a lot or room to be gained but there is some. I was thinking that if a panel was fabricated that would cover the door pillar and then step in to sit flush against the inside of the cowl panel, that might gain a valuable inch or two. It might be possible to properly place a ledge in the recess that would act as a dead pedal. I just don’t know if there would be enough room to fit a foot beside the clutch pedal without using a narrower pedal. Maybe it’s a silly idea but I’ve always found it very uncomfortable to drive a vehicle that doesn’t have a dead pedal for my left foot.
 
Just imagine an early 1928 car that has the E-brake lever on the left side. This would make what you have seem like a lot of room. Ford used embossed and colored kick panels that were flat for the most part. They didn't have molded plastic yet to work with like the modern era. Not everyone fits in the space that was considered adequate back then. Humans have grown some since then. The average height for a man in 1930 was around 5'8" but averages vary a lot. The average man is 5'9" now but there are plenty who are 6' or more. Ford was looking at women as much as men so they chose dimensions that were a bit on the short side for some of their models.
 
Thodge said:
Has anyone experimented with a custom driver’s kick panel to increase foot room in a 30-31? I know there’s not a lot or room to be gained but there is some. I was thinking that if a panel was fabricated that would cover the door pillar and then step in to sit flush against the inside of the cowl panel, that might gain a valuable inch or two. It might be possible to properly place a ledge in the recess that would act as a dead pedal. I just don’t know if there would be enough room to fit a foot beside the clutch pedal without using a narrower pedal. Maybe it’s a silly idea but I’ve always found it very uncomfortable to drive a vehicle that doesn’t have a dead pedal for my left foot.
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Take a few moments to remove your kick panel and go for a test drive. Not sure you will find enough room there to make fabricating a new panel worthwhile.
 
I have a 28 Phaeton with the left hand parking brake.Nice car,but impossible for me to drive.I get my foot between the lever and the clutch pedal.Plus,getting between the steering wheel and the door jamb has gotten impossible.Not my size,but I can no longer twist like I need to.I have a big pretty ornament sitting in my cellar.
 
BRENT in 10-uh-C said:
Take a few moments to remove your kick panel and go for a test drive. Not sure you will find enough room there to make fabricating a new panel worthwhile.
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Yes, I will be pulling the kick panels anyhow to put some heat and sound insulation in there so I will see if there is room for my left foot between the cowl skin and the clutch pedal. Hopefully there is.

There is a safety concern with driving a car with a tight footwell and big feet as well. The only remotely comfortable way to cruise for longer distances is to put your foot under the clutch pedal which is a potential problem if you needed a quick reaction in a panic situation. I have learned this the hard way. The worst day that I’ve ever had at work involved driving a student driver car in to the spray booth. The linkage for the passenger side brake pedal attached in such a way that somehow my foot got stuck between the brake and throttle pedals and I stuffed it right into the back wall of the booth. I don’t know how many thousands of cars that I have driven in and out of that booth and the one that I had a problem with was a student driver car. Feel free to laugh at the irony. It’s funny now but only because my prepper wasn’t standing in front of the car when it happened. Now I pay close attention to where my Sasquatch feet are at all times.:)
 
As far as I know,and it's only on the 30-31.Mounted on the riders side.On the 28-29 the pocket was in the rear quarter,kind of behind your ear.I think they called them a dispatch pouch???
 
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