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MG TD TF 1500 - TF 'Hand-Controls' Thinking caps Anybody?

OK ..here's a new one for you! Any other "left-leggless" MG'ers out there?
I wear an artificial left leg...aside from being great entertainment value for my kids ( they sell tickets to watch dad get in and out of the TF!) this is a real pain in the clutch! Those tiny little pedals are sometimes hard to find..and I tend to ride the clutch a bit. Years ago I had an Austin that a friend of mine had made a hand clutch for me ...I should have kept it ...but I didn't. The apperatise he came up with was as follows: A 2 stroke motorcycle "compression lever" was attached to the gearshift...cable from this went to a Harley "mouse-trap" (these were used when Harley went from the old foot clutch to a hand clutch because nobody had hands strong enough to dis-engage the clutch) then another adjustable cable ran from that to a Honda disc brake handle (this converted it to a hydrolic line) a "T" was inserted in the hydrolic line thus operating the clutch! If I lost you ...email me, I have a crude dwg. of this (in excel format..so you won't need auto-cad to open it). This left (no pun intended) the orginal foot clutch operational as well as new hand clutch! Anybody else out there ever try anthing like this?
Got a better idea? (other than automatic transmission!) I would be a much happier camper if I could operate my TF without wearing the "tundra-hoof" on those warm summer days.
Would love to hear any ideas on this one...nothing on it in any of the manuals I have!
Best Regards,
David
David Sheward

David,
Interesting question! How about a different approach: Use a hand-operated throttle, thus freeing the RIGHT foot & leg to operate clutch or brake (as appropriate), and allowing the LEFT foot to just go along for the ride. Seems to me that a motorcycle twist-grip throttle control (or an ATV-style thumb-lever throttle control) could be mounted on your TF shift lever, so you could both shift, and regulate throttle opening with one hand. It probably would be possible to connect to the regular throttle linkage in such a way that both could be used interchangeably. (Some Morgan trikes have a hand thhrotle which involves twisting a segment of the steering wheel)
[Another thought: You really only NEED to use the clutch to get into first gear; after you're rolling, you can then shift from gear to gear quite nicely without using the clutch at all. You must, however, be gentle but firm in shifting, and ALWAYS match road speed and engine speed as closely as possible. I once drove a friend's MGB 150+ miles with NO functioning clutch linkage at all! ]
Carl Fritz

Are there any people on the list with robotic or industrial servo experience? Should be right up their alleys.

My 1932 Buick had a vacuum operated clutch with a switch to disable the function for hill retardation, but the vacuum bell was much too large for a T series. Either an electric linear motor or a pneumatic system with an engine driven pump might be a better choice.

Sorry, no solution, just ideas.
George B.

David.
Many years ago my uncle drove his Plymouth using a metal cane like affair attached to the clutch pedal because he had an artificial left leg. With the pedal arrangement on a T car it would be a simple enough matter to install a rod through the hole at the top of the pedal shaft in place of the pedal and mount a hand lever. I am in NE Ohio and will be glad to work with you on such an installation.
ttbaum

Years ago this was not much of a problem....I have some hand controls that a friend gave me from an Audi he purchased not long ago. A few years ago I was stopped by a state trouper operating my 79 280z
on I75 near Toledo...he made quite "the federal case" about the fact that I was using a crutch to operate
the clutch for "take-off / landing". Long story short ...cost me a small fortune in court to not have a "restricted" lisence. ( lucky for me the judge was wise enough to realalize you don't need a clutch after 1st gear if you know how to shift and noticed that I had a chauffeurs lisence that had been issued well after my amputation) One of my majior concers, these days, lies with liability in case of a misshap. (i.e 20 years ago not many people would have ever considered suing the local hamburg joint because they served them a hot cup of coffee!) The problem with a left hand operated devise being that with left hand on clutch ...right hand on shifter.....leaves no hand on the wheel. For this reason I am still
kind of leaning toward the "hydrolic line interuption" approach. I also would like to keep the foot operation
intact for my wife. I have "bastardidzed" several cars in the past with different aproaches...but none of them have been a classic. Thanks much for the offer to help though..real nice of you....I lived in Warren
Ohio for many years..get this one together might have to take you for a ride!
David
David Sheward

David - I don't have any great ideas for you. I just wanted to say, keep us informed of your progress on this project. We have some friends that might be able to make use of this kind of a modification.

Good luck - Dave
David DuBois

David DuBois,
Thanks, and will do ...I have been in contact with John Twist up in MI. ....he seems somewhat interested in this one. Hoping to get the TF up there before spring for a good check-up. From an engineering point of view ...what my friend had made for me made a lot of sence. From an operational point of view it still had a "natural" feel to it...and was very safe. It only took 2 fingers on the right hand to operate and being right on the gearshift..well, it just felt "right". It looked good too....told a couple of peole it was for the "nitro" set-up! (this would be even more fun in a TF) Guess I am going to have to find someone with a barn full of old motorcycle parts & such. Still hoping someone can come up with a little more mordern (& cheap!) form of some existing technolgy to accomplish the same results. I have run idea across a couple of companys that do "hand controls"...and have been shown the door. They won't touch it due to liability and legal issues.
David
David Sheward

Some years ago I had a friend that converted the clutch in his to hydraulic. The slave cylinder and master cylinder came from a kit to convert VWs. He used a hand brake on the shift level to operate the master via cable.
Rob

This thread was discussed between 29/01/2001 and 02/02/2001

MG TD TF 1500 index

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