Doing it with out a clutch pedal

[Tom Sharpe]

I was watching the rally cars on TV and really liked the paddle shifters.  Let’s
DIY.  I had an old VW w/ auto stick shift. It had a relay in the shifter that
disengaged the manual clutch via vacuum. It also had a fluid coupling (torque
converter?).  Slick to use.

I have seen motorcycle shifters, so it is not too difficult to design a ratchet
shifter for a 4/5/6 speed (linkages might be a little space challenged) with a
P/R/N/1/2/3/4/5/6/N pattern. Park is just two gears together or? I’m thinking of
using 3” thick wall axle tube for the moving part.  Machining the grooves will
be a little challenging, but a buddy has a 5-axis mill. The shifter ‘forks’ just
slide along the tube.

Ferrari, Porsche, and others have clutches (and manual shifters) controlled by a
computer. The guys on this list shouldn’t have too much problem designing and
building the control circuits, but what do we use for power??? Anyone pushed
down the clutch of a 1970 LS6 Chevelle? You have to shift into neutral at
stoplights. Anyone power shifted an old Saginaw box? It takes both hands.

How much pressure do we need?  Do we use a:  Power steering pump? Engine oil
pressure? EFI fuel pump? Vacuum? Air pressure?  What do we do when the motor’s
off? Add a pedal? Store pressure? What do the big boys use? You drag racers
should jump on this. Never miss a shift or shift point. Should we use a
slipper/slider clutch? Any thoughts on clutch engagement?

DIY – without a clutch pedal.

Tom


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