Accelertor Pad?

I just took the MGB to get inspected here in NJ. The only thing she failed for is the lack of a no skid pad on her accelerator pedal. She has never had one and when I conducted a search for one, I found one reference to the fact that late model B's did not come with one. Is this accurate?

If so, does anyone have experience with this problem? I could put non-skid adhesive backed strips on the pedal but would rather not.

Is there documentation I could provide to the inspection gods to prove the car never had one?

Any other suggestions are welcomed.

Thanks.

They never had one.

The last thing you want is to have the pedal surface stick to the bottom of your shoe instead of slipping across it.

Jack

I agree. Any thoughts on how to prove that it never had one? I don't know if my state will even accept this as an appropriate answer.

Gather up all of your parts catalogs to show that the part doesnt' exist and take a pic or two of fully restored cars and then tell them that if they can locate one you will be happy to buy it. :-)

Jack

Good idea. Anyone out there have pictures of your late model B's cockpit showing a beautiful metallic gas pedal?

John Moore does but his is monogrammed and you wouldn't want to give the inspector an idea like that. LOL Jack

My B did not come with an accelertor pad either. I think you can put a clutch or brake pad on the accelertor. I believe they are all the same size.

Borrow a copy of Clausager's Original MGB. Take it in and show them pages 44, 46, and 51. These pictures show the pedals on Bs ranging from early Mark I's right up to the final run of rubber bumper cars. And none of them have pads on the throttle pedal.

I believe the very early cars came with one, but I'm not sure when that stopped. No later cars had 'em.

Take a copy of Clausager's book with you!! :D

I believe the accelerator pedal on my '78 and '79 are longer than the brake & clutch pedals - but I'm not sure if that changed over the years...

--just read Jack's post above. Maybe what I'm remembering about the earliest cars is that the pedal pad would fit the accelerator...not that it came on them...----

Mine has a pad. PO must have installed it. It's worn enough that it doesn't have any grip to it though. For that matter, most modern cars I've been in have a rubber pad on the accelerator pedal, not that it's necessarily a good thing.

UPDATE: This from the Moss catalog: 280-790 $1.85 PAD, pedal, rubber

Note: Accelerator pedal pads were not fitted after 1967.
RD to (c)138400, GT to (c)139471, 1962-67

Here's some more ammo

Lots of early (through the mid fifties) Euro cars had rollers on the ends of the accelerator pedals. The reason was that you weren't actually pushing the thing with your leg and calf. Instead, the seating position was such that you were just flexing your ankle and what ever was on the end of the pedal arm had to slide along the length of your shoe sole. A rubber pad in good condition against a dry shoe sole in a B would be pretty uncomfortable. Jack

And I'll supply a certified letter confirming that this photo comes from ONE WELL DONE RESTORATION! Jack

My 75 B has rubber pads on all of the pedals...Gues I am a DPO. :) I installed them several years ago.

I just knew that my mouth would get me in a bad position! Sorry if any offense was taken Ed. Jack

I put pads on all of mine. WAY to slippery without it. Rev-matching I kept slipping off the pedal, especially when my feet were wet from rain. Even worn pads were too slippery.

I certainly say yes to pads on the brake and clutch but don't feel the same way about the accelerator. Jack

Just stick one on there for the inspection then take it back off.

Yes, it would seem to me that as C.G. and Brian said earlier, put one on anyway. It seems to me that it would be easier than trying to convince someone whohas no clue about the lineage of these cars. Then, AFTER the inspection and it passes, you could remove it right in front of them and hand it to them. :)

Thank you all for your responses. My 78's accelerator pedal is in fact longer than the clutch and brake. Earlier models had a squarish accelerator that would accomodate the same pad as the other two.

Thanks for the picture BK, I will use that as partial evidence. I will also try to locate a copy of Clausager's Original MGB. As a last resort, I guess I will go to the junk yard and try to find a suitable "dummy" for the dummies at the inspection station.

I find the accelerator pedal too small to be without a pad. If a pedal that small gets wet, your foot can slip off very easily. I installed a rubber pad and found I prefer it that way. Either is fine though, and the inspector obviously didn't know his MGs! ;)

If a brake or clutch pad won't fit, I don't see why you couldn't do a cheap fix by taking a rubber mat and cutting a piece, then gluing it on for the inspection. Seems kind of stupid, admittedly, but you want to pass, right? Heck, you could probably attach it with a couple of those plastic ties (whatever they're called) if you were worried about the glue.

no offense, Jack...just putting in my $.02 USD... :) Honestly I didn't know if there was supposed to be one or not...I just bought the kit off Ebay

Moss sells rubber pads for the early cars for a couple dollars. I don't know if they fit later cars though.

I learn somehting every day! :-)

Jack

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/MG-MGA-MGB-to-67-PedalPad-3-Piece-Set-New_W0QQitemZ120016197079QQihZ002QQcategoryZ33700QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

and

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/MG-1975-to1980-MGB-pedal-pad-set-S-H-3-00_W0QQitemZ120016197104QQihZ002QQcategoryZ33700QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

The three pads on E Bay are exactly the same as the ones I have on my 66. Personally I prefer to have one on the accelerator. I did find (on our last trip) I got a bit of chewing gum on the sole of my right shoe somewhere and had one hell of a time until I could get the damn stuff off. When we stopped for lunch I found a drug store next to the restaurant and got some Ronson lighter fluid and it worked wonders getting rid of the goop. Pad or no pad, I guess it's all what you get used to.

George Herschell

No pads for me on the pedal. I want it to slide as necessary. Besides that I have to be careful to adjust the pedal as low as possible and still get full range of throttle, cause my legs are so long. A pad would reduce that by a good 1/4". :D

Bster,

See if this helps with NJ DMV.

The later cars, including yours, had no rubber or skid pad of any kind on the accelerator pedal. Your's is "how it left the factory" and as such, is not required to meet any current manufacture standard.

Paul Hanley
Concours Coordinator
North American MGB Register

Take them the page out of the Moss catalog that I quoted above.

Those pads are what I have also. They are either Moss pads or identical to them. I find the rubber slick enough to slid on my shoe but with enough texture to keep my foot in place even when wet.

I suppose it's not only what you're used to, but what kind of shoes you wear!

Shoes? We mountain folk don't get to do the hand-me-down swapping until the snow flies. The oldest and biggest kids always gets the new ones. I saw somebody a year or so ago with socks too. Now that was weird! LOL Jack

I've used emery cloth glued to the pedal, or you could use that self-adhesive stair tread tape.

The TD series had the roller pedal - a very convenient way to use the gas pedal. But, the floors were flat (plywood), and the seat was not very elevated, so it worked well.

Saloons of the period also used the roller and their seats were elevated fairly high. I have roller pedals in two cars and I have found that I actually prefer the flat non roller type. Personal preference obviously!