I have written a lot on what I really enjoy about my 2005 Mitsubishi Evolution VIII MR as well as recounted the innumerable modifications I’ve performed in order to extract the hidden performance that this fun car has to offer. These items have ranged from suspension springs to cam shafts but it is often some of the little things that can hold a driver back from getting the most out of a car and sometimes these little things can are more than a liability, they can be a danger.
As part of the MR package (MR stands for Mitsubishi Racing, by the way) the factory added a nice set of aluminum pedals that not only gave the driver’s cabin a bit of a race car look, they also provided some very sure grip for the driver’s feet. Who would have thought that brushed aluminum would provide enhanced grip, but it is true. Mitsubishi also offered this pedal set as an option that customers could buy and install themselves or have the dealer do it.
Unfortunately this set did not include a cover for the dead pedal. Not a problem you say. It is just there to rest your left foot when there is nothing productive for it to do. Quite true, but not quite. I soon found that in a track environment or even during some spirited driving on public roads this dead pedal was essential for bracing and obtaining leverage as I steered and worked other pedals.
The dead pedal provided just that kind of assistance except in one critical situation and that was one where my shoes were wet. If it was a rainy day and the bottom of my shoes were the least bit moist the dead pedal became as slippery as if it were painted with butter. Not the nicest situations if I was counting on it for leverage as I cornered through a set of esses. More than once I cursed as my shoe slipped around or even off this bracing point.
I was determined to fix this deficiency. I studied my options. I could always go to the local hardware store and purchase some of that stick-on stair tread stuff. It comes in a couple of different styles. One is like sand paper and the other is kind of a pebble texture.
Then I thought about how nice it would be to create something that would match the MR aluminum pedal set. Would aluminum on the dead pedal actually provide better grip or would it end up being just as slippery as what the car came with?
The MR accelerator pedal had nice holes in the aluminum and that provided a great deal of grip. The same went for the clutch and brake pedal covers.
The trick then was to find a way to design a dead pedal cover in aluminum that wouldn’t look like a hack job. Lucky for me there is a metal fabrication shop within a half hour of where I live that was happy to produce what I wanted.
Being familiar with the process of metal working I knew I could accelerate things greatly by producing a CAD file of some sort that represented the end product. I had a copy of Microsoft Visio and was familiar with using it to create graphic designs. So I removed the dead pedal and used it to guide me as I designed an aluminum cover. I would create a design in Visio and then print it out. Then I would cut it out and try its fit on the dead pedal. After a couple of design readjustments I got the results I was looking for. Then it was a matter of converting the file type to something that the fabricator’s AutoCAD system could use and email it to them. A couple of days later and they called to let me know that it was done and ready for me to try.
Needless to say I was excited. It is one thing to buy a part from a company and quite another to install something that you designed yourself.
After picking up the part I dropped by the hardware store and found some nice stainless steel self-tapping screws with which I would mount the pedal cover and headed home.
This weekend was rainy with wind and leaves succumbing to autumn. This was the perfect time not only to put the cover on, but to test out just how effective it would be.
I took some photos of the before, during and after portions of this project.
First I removed the dead pedal from the car by popping off the cover and using a 10mm socket to remove the nut holding the middle portion of the pedal. Then, with a wide flat blade, I unscrewed the top mount which released the dead pedal from the floor.
I brought the plastic part over to the table and fit the new aluminum cover over it to line it up and get ready to drill some pilot holes for the mounting screws. After the first one was drilled I put in a screw so as to hold the plate in place so that the subsequent holes would be lined up. Then as I drilled each pilot hole I set another screw until the plate was mounted. It looked great.
Then I took the screws out and the plate off so I could mount the dead pedal back in the car. Once the 10mm nut was secured and the top plastic nut was secured I could screw down the aluminum plate.
My shoes were anxiously tapping on the wet leaves waiting for their chance to try out the new addition. Would it do the trick or would it prove to be just as slippery as the original set up?
Success! The cover not only looked like it came as part of the factory set, it provided a secure and reliable surface for my wet shoe. No more nasty surprise as I braced my left foot.
Why had I waited so long to do this?
If anyone else out there wants one, let me know and I’ll have the fabrication company cut some more out.
Posted by jimsgarage 
