- Joined
- Jul 27, 2012
- Messages
- 3,127
- Reaction score
- 491
- Location
- Brisbane - Australia
- My Car
- 1973 Mustang Convertible
Hi to all,
Just wanted to post up my new invention of a footrest for the 123 Mustangs.
INTRODUCTION.
I guess i'm getting old, and want the comforts that modern day cars offer today. Let's face it, back in my twenties, i didn't care about footrests and comfort all that much, but now need and expect to have them when driving around.
Most modern day cars now have footrests in them, and ivé gotten used to driving around with the left leg supported on a rest. So there's two things that have been bugging me when driving around in my '73 Vert and Mach 1. I really miss a footrest for my left leg, and also, the position of the high beam floor switch is annoying, because i find it stuck up into the far left hand corner, and is tricky to locate and use it when needed. I don't find it all that user friendly.
So i got to thinking of a better way to improve these two problems, and am very happy to say, i've come up with a brilliant solution for both. My invention is practical, works very well, looks great, is not expensive to get setup, is DIY friendly, and very strong as well. This setup is a big improvement for me, and i'm happy to pass on the deal to my fellow 123 Mustang Forum members, so they can take advantage of this idea if they want to as well.
PREAMBLE.
At my workplace, i work on a vehicle called the VW Amarok. I believe you folks in America don't get the car imported into your country as yet.(See my reference link below.) These Amaroks i work on, are right hand drive, and for the driver, feature a footrest for the left leg. Looking at the footrest, i noticed that the shape profile seemed to be very similar to the profile floor shape of our 123 Mustangs. I took a gamble, and ordered a 2015 one from VW. The part cost me $65.00 Australian. American folk can order the footrest through your local VW parts dealership. My gamble payed off, as the fit to the floor was very good indeed. I was on my way,and came up with another idea to incorporate the high beam foot switch into the footrest as well. I needed to do this anyway, because the position of the footrest would cover the existing foot switch. By moving the high beam switch to the footrest, it has made using the foot switch much more practical and easier. Using the foot switch now is a breeze.
Installation is not complicated, and i got a very good end result. The floor pan shape is different in the Mach 1, but will still accept the footrest without any dramas. I have not yet tried to install the footrest into my Mach 1. Also, i don't know what the floor pan setup and shape is like on the Grande, but would think my footrest would fit in as well for that model too. Also, i have installed speakers in my front Vert kick panels. My footrest sits about a quarter of an inch off the speaker grilles. If you don't have speakers, mounting and positioning the footrest will work out just as well.
The footrest is manufactured in a dark grey colored plastic textured finish. I think the finished look is pretty good, and therefore, i didn't do anything else to change the look of it. However, if you wanted to, you could glue on and cover the footrest with thin profile black carpet, or paint the plastic rest black if you have a black carpet like me. I think that any paint finish will eventually wear off though, and therefore is not a practical way to go. In my case, i decided to leave the footrest alone as the plastic finish should prove to be hard wearing and practical in the long run. I think the dark grey color looks OK to the rest of the interior. I also used stainless steel bolts to avoid any rusting probs down the track. The foot brake operation is not impeded either by the way. PART NUMBER. VW - 2H0864420A71N
INSTALLATION.
My pictures below should tell most of the story. Once you obtain the plastic VW footrest, get your Dremel tool and trim off the unwanted plastic mounting tabs located under the footrest. They're not needed. Next, mark out and position a circle where the foot switch is to be located, and dremel a hole in the plastic floor. Be neat and accurate here as the hole will be on show. You will need the foot switch itself to work with when setting up the install on the footrest. Remove it from the floor, or buy a new one if you like.
Next, Dremel grind and profile down the plastic reo walls where the foot switch will go to accept the plug.(See my pics) Once done, drill two mounting holes to anchor down the foot switch. Position and bolt up the foot switch. You can add a rubber knob on if you like. I did, and it works and looks good i think. Next add the steel right angle bracket to the under side. (see my pics) The steel should be about 2 ml thick for strength support. These brackets should be available from hardware stores and the like. Through trial and error, grind off a certain length of steel from one end of the bracket, and smooth round shape the corners so the bracket won't damage your carpet. I removed about 1/2 an inch of steel. This bracket acts as a support for the footrest to be firm and rigid when in position. Spray paint the bracket with black paint to finish off with.
You're now ready to install the footrest. The good news is that you won't have to modify the wiring or plug, as there is plenty of length provided in the factory wiring setup. It's plug and play. Just transfer the plug from the old switch to the new one. You can even replace the two bolts that held down the old foot switch to the floor, once you have removed the old switch. Next, finally position where you want the footrest to go, and using black colored, pan head, self tapping phillips head screws, drill and screw two holes to anchor down the footrest. (see my pics). Drill slowly and carefully, as you don't want to destroy the carpet when drilling.(carpet pile wind up) The position of the screws won't interfear with anything under the floor pan. You will see my choice of screw position does not drill through the vinyl floor pad as well. That does not get defaced. In the Mach 1 the factory vinyl floor pad is much bigger. Different screw positioning will be needed in this case to avoid floor pad damage. Two screws is all that is really needed for a firm install.
Once screwed down and in, the footrest is installed and ready to go.
REFERENCES.
PART NUMBER. VW - 2H0864420A71N.
http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/business/aroundregion/story/2015/apr/19/vw-interest-0010us-pickupaccelerates/299131/
Many thanks,
Greg.
Just wanted to post up my new invention of a footrest for the 123 Mustangs.
INTRODUCTION.
I guess i'm getting old, and want the comforts that modern day cars offer today. Let's face it, back in my twenties, i didn't care about footrests and comfort all that much, but now need and expect to have them when driving around.
Most modern day cars now have footrests in them, and ivé gotten used to driving around with the left leg supported on a rest. So there's two things that have been bugging me when driving around in my '73 Vert and Mach 1. I really miss a footrest for my left leg, and also, the position of the high beam floor switch is annoying, because i find it stuck up into the far left hand corner, and is tricky to locate and use it when needed. I don't find it all that user friendly.So i got to thinking of a better way to improve these two problems, and am very happy to say, i've come up with a brilliant solution for both. My invention is practical, works very well, looks great, is not expensive to get setup, is DIY friendly, and very strong as well. This setup is a big improvement for me, and i'm happy to pass on the deal to my fellow 123 Mustang Forum members, so they can take advantage of this idea if they want to as well.
PREAMBLE.
At my workplace, i work on a vehicle called the VW Amarok. I believe you folks in America don't get the car imported into your country as yet.(See my reference link below.) These Amaroks i work on, are right hand drive, and for the driver, feature a footrest for the left leg. Looking at the footrest, i noticed that the shape profile seemed to be very similar to the profile floor shape of our 123 Mustangs. I took a gamble, and ordered a 2015 one from VW. The part cost me $65.00 Australian. American folk can order the footrest through your local VW parts dealership. My gamble payed off, as the fit to the floor was very good indeed. I was on my way,and came up with another idea to incorporate the high beam foot switch into the footrest as well. I needed to do this anyway, because the position of the footrest would cover the existing foot switch. By moving the high beam switch to the footrest, it has made using the foot switch much more practical and easier. Using the foot switch now is a breeze.
Installation is not complicated, and i got a very good end result. The floor pan shape is different in the Mach 1, but will still accept the footrest without any dramas. I have not yet tried to install the footrest into my Mach 1. Also, i don't know what the floor pan setup and shape is like on the Grande, but would think my footrest would fit in as well for that model too. Also, i have installed speakers in my front Vert kick panels. My footrest sits about a quarter of an inch off the speaker grilles. If you don't have speakers, mounting and positioning the footrest will work out just as well.
The footrest is manufactured in a dark grey colored plastic textured finish. I think the finished look is pretty good, and therefore, i didn't do anything else to change the look of it. However, if you wanted to, you could glue on and cover the footrest with thin profile black carpet, or paint the plastic rest black if you have a black carpet like me. I think that any paint finish will eventually wear off though, and therefore is not a practical way to go. In my case, i decided to leave the footrest alone as the plastic finish should prove to be hard wearing and practical in the long run. I think the dark grey color looks OK to the rest of the interior. I also used stainless steel bolts to avoid any rusting probs down the track. The foot brake operation is not impeded either by the way. PART NUMBER. VW - 2H0864420A71N
INSTALLATION.
My pictures below should tell most of the story. Once you obtain the plastic VW footrest, get your Dremel tool and trim off the unwanted plastic mounting tabs located under the footrest. They're not needed. Next, mark out and position a circle where the foot switch is to be located, and dremel a hole in the plastic floor. Be neat and accurate here as the hole will be on show. You will need the foot switch itself to work with when setting up the install on the footrest. Remove it from the floor, or buy a new one if you like.
Next, Dremel grind and profile down the plastic reo walls where the foot switch will go to accept the plug.(See my pics) Once done, drill two mounting holes to anchor down the foot switch. Position and bolt up the foot switch. You can add a rubber knob on if you like. I did, and it works and looks good i think. Next add the steel right angle bracket to the under side. (see my pics) The steel should be about 2 ml thick for strength support. These brackets should be available from hardware stores and the like. Through trial and error, grind off a certain length of steel from one end of the bracket, and smooth round shape the corners so the bracket won't damage your carpet. I removed about 1/2 an inch of steel. This bracket acts as a support for the footrest to be firm and rigid when in position. Spray paint the bracket with black paint to finish off with.
You're now ready to install the footrest. The good news is that you won't have to modify the wiring or plug, as there is plenty of length provided in the factory wiring setup. It's plug and play. Just transfer the plug from the old switch to the new one. You can even replace the two bolts that held down the old foot switch to the floor, once you have removed the old switch. Next, finally position where you want the footrest to go, and using black colored, pan head, self tapping phillips head screws, drill and screw two holes to anchor down the footrest. (see my pics). Drill slowly and carefully, as you don't want to destroy the carpet when drilling.(carpet pile wind up) The position of the screws won't interfear with anything under the floor pan. You will see my choice of screw position does not drill through the vinyl floor pad as well. That does not get defaced. In the Mach 1 the factory vinyl floor pad is much bigger. Different screw positioning will be needed in this case to avoid floor pad damage. Two screws is all that is really needed for a firm install.
Once screwed down and in, the footrest is installed and ready to go.
REFERENCES.
PART NUMBER. VW - 2H0864420A71N.
http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/business/aroundregion/story/2015/apr/19/vw-interest-0010us-pickupaccelerates/299131/
Many thanks,
Greg.
[THUMBS UP SIGN]
