Need the help of R3V - Amputee Driving a Clutch

[LJ851]

Are you familiar with "homo" velcro? There is no soft and hard sides, both sides are like hard plastic mini mushrooms .you would have to work to get your foot off that shit!

[Charlie]

E36. Never

They're good cars. Try one.

Think about it. How much feel do you REALLY need to do the clutch. If you have a clutchstop, and I will, than whats the big deal? I can feel the vibrations through that foot believe it or not.

Didn't you just say you've never driven a manual?

Why not just get one of those column mounted hand controls for the throttle and leave the rest of the system stock? These cars are old, I'm sure a system exists to adapt to it. Again, why reinvent the wheel with a rather questionable setup?

-Charlie

[5Toes]

I like the hand-operated clutch idea. Seems like if you got the leverage right (and you would likely need a long shift lever to mount a clutch lever, kinda like a ratchet shifter) it shouldn't be too bad. Otherwise, I think that switching the pedal arrangement is iffy, as I'm sure there will be other cars in the future, and sometimes its really nice for others to be able to drive your car. Velcro would work, although I don't know if it would be strong enough.

Either way, props to you, and go prove your parents wrong!

Velcro would work I think.

Yeah but I can always saw a bit off of the handle/lever.

[5Toes]

I see what you are saying. So volume is what counts in the cyloinder, just like an engine. You can have the stock 19mm bore by (guess here) 50mm stroke MC or get same thing out of a 22mm bore and 20mmish stroke

So Mechanical energy to hydraulic pressure in MC.

Then hydraulic pressure operates SC to move clutch.

So I would keep the stock SC

[gearheadE30]

I like the hand-operated clutch idea. Seems like if you got the leverage right (and you would likely need a long shift lever to mount a clutch lever, kinda like a ratchet shifter) it shouldn't be too bad. Otherwise, I think that switching the pedal arrangement is iffy, as I'm sure there will be other cars in the future, and sometimes its really nice for others to be able to drive your car. Velcro would work, although I don't know if it would be strong enough.

EDIT: as far as feeling the clutch goes, you should be fine with that as you will probably be able to feel the pedal pressure, just with a different part of your body.

Either way, props to you, and go prove your parents wrong!

[LJ851]

When you step on the clutch pedal it moves a piston in the clutch M/C. The fluid under the piston moves down the clutch line as you push the pedal down and hits the back of the slave cyl piston and pushes the slave cyl piston thus pushing the throwout arm and disengaging the clutch. On to the leverage ratio. If you put a bigger piston in the master cyl, the pedal will be harder to push but you wont have to push it as far to disengage the clutch. If you put a smaller piston in the M/C , the pedal will be easier to push but you will have to push it farther to disengage the clutch. Make sense? The opposite is true of the slave cyl.

[5Toes]

Even if you had the clutch at your hand you'd still have to drive with your right leg correct? Or would you just use you left foot to operate the standard pedal setup?

It would be a kart shifter so yes. I would do brake and gas with my left foot and to shift, just grab the shifter pull in the lever select gear and let it back out.

So, you say you have very little control or mobility with your prosthetic on your right leg, and you think you're going to somehow reverse engineer a crossed up clutch/throttle linkage on this car?

How exactly do you plan on finding and modulating the friction point on a car without the basic feeling in the foot?

You really sound like you're trying to reinvent the wheel here. Why not get a lower prosthetic with a little more mobility in the ankle, and just use that to drive the throttle pedal like normal? Let your left foot work the clutch and possibly brake.

Or, find a nice 2500 dollar E36 with an M50 and an automatic. Voila.

-Charlie

E36. Never

Think about it. How much feel do you REALLY need to do the clutch. If you have a clutchstop, and I will, than whats the big deal? I can feel the vibrations through that foot believe it or not.

[HarryPotter]

^ that would be your best bet.

[Charlie]

So, you say you have very little control or mobility with your prosthetic on your right leg, and you think you're going to somehow reverse engineer a crossed up clutch/throttle linkage on this car?

How exactly do you plan on finding and modulating the friction point on a car without the basic feeling in the foot?

You really sound like you're trying to reinvent the wheel here. Why not get a lower prosthetic with a little more mobility in the ankle, and just use that to drive the throttle pedal like normal? Let your left foot work the clutch and possibly brake.

Or, find a nice 2500 dollar E36 with an M50 and an automatic. Voila.

-Charlie

[HarryPotter]

Even if you had the clutch at your hand you'd still have to drive with your right leg correct? Or would you just use you left foot to operate the standard pedal setup?

[IRON-E]

Bravo to you man, what ever direction you take.

[5Toes]

Fluid leverage?

So seriously though, what does the clutch slave do?

And I have pushed a clutch down with my hand. Not too hard. Though last E30 I looked at had something up with the clutch. Gave my leg a work out

[LJ851]

Hydraulics are just like a fluid leverage ratio. Im guessing an E30 clutch may be too stiff to actuate with your hand. try pushing a clutch pedal down with your hand ,and how far the pedal needs to move.

[5Toes]

And there is a slave too? Quick clutch lesson please!

[5Toes]

Some searching says possibly 19mm