Projects Damn my knees, manual transmission is a killer

Thanks, Mimi! I see what you mean now. Have always been told it is important to match piston bore size of master and slave cylinders for hydraulic clutch and was concerned that placing a remote servo assist inline between them might require the same match up. Will give it a go.

To that end, I have ordered a couple VH44 remote servos with brackets suited to the Holden FJ. (Always good to have a spare.) Price and exchange rate are quite reasonable but shipping from 'down under' offsets that a bit. Managed to get mine at 20% off and 60% off shipping on the 2nd servo. Compared to comparable sales of same unit by other Aussie vendors, this was by far the best deal. Many thanks for the heads up......

https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/VH44-Re...:g:KVYAAOSwwz9dX5EQ#shpCntId&autorefresh=true

Best regards,

Harry

 

I read up on hydraulic clutches before I took the leap, 3/4" Wilwood master, 7/8" Speedway push type slave and it works well. Clutch is a 11" Zoom diaphragm for a Chevy C30 application. Super smooth clutch, even with the cam it works well in heavy traffic. It took some doing to get the pedal pivot in the right spot, wound up being in the stock position.

 

Wonder if anyone's ran a hydraulic T-O bearing with a motorcycle type hand clutch on the stick?

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I shift my Turbo 400 like a manual, with this shifter it feels like a stick.. Its a Hurst Autostick I.. It's bolted to the transmission and has gates..

 

I have been using this for years and it's worked wonders. You have to keep taking it... Walgreens offers buy one get one free...

https://www.walgreens.com/store/c/o...-with-5-loxin,-tablets/ID=prod2875884-product

 

When you have someone operate the hydraulic clutch in my car and get under it to watch the external slave cylinder shaft move in and out - you really get an idea of the mechanical advantage at work. The clutch pedal travel is 10 or so inches and the slave cylinder shaft only moves back and forth maybe 3/4 of an inch . But like somebody who has mobility issues has already mentioned previously it’s not the weight or pressure that’s causing pain it’s the motion of moving the leg that causes grief.

 

I got one word for ya "hydraulic"

 

Yeah that's not happening. Be quicker and easier to slip the 460/C6 combo into it

 

Fixed that for you Beaner!

 

Many years ago after receiving 135 stitches in my left leg following s motorcycle accident , I used my crutch to work the clutch in my 65 Impala 327 4-speed , only needed it to start and stop.....

 

Mathematically it seems improbable.
We had a discussion here about that concept along time ago.

 

I talked to the guy that builds the flathead V8 motercycles that they sell at Honest Charlies. He removes half the pressure plate springs to allow hand clutch operation and said it dose not slip. Would make pedal easier to push in car but clutch would slip. I know its not quite the same application.

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I took glucosamine and chondroitin for several years along with turmeric. It did help, but my knees were already worn down to bone on bone before I began so it only helped so much. Finally had to quit taking it a year ago because it plugged me up.

Some years before I retired, I worked at a place that had a well stocked first aid cabinet. Tylenol and other such things never helped me. But they had a pill there for pain that actually did help. I remember the label on the packet said it was a mixture of tylenol, ibuprofin and caffeine.

So when I have pain that doesn't eventually go away or at least become bearable after I stop doing the things that cause it for some time now...... I take one tylenol, one ibuprofin and chase it down with a 20 oz. Red Bull or Mountain Dew for the caffeine. I have a Red Bull or a Mountain Dew because I hate coffee and though I enjoy tea, I take an ACE inhibitor for blood pressure and tea has something in it that negates the effects of ACE inhibitors according to my doctor, so I gave up tea a few years ago.

Anyway...... I have a tylenol, an ibuprofen and a Red Bull maybe 1 or 2 times a week if needed. Depends on what I did, how bad the pain is and how long it lasts. Mostly, I work through the pain and accept that its just a part of getting old. But yes, I took some when I sat down here to type this because the pain in my right shoulder hadn't gotten any better over the past 8 hours and now its hardly noticeable.

Best regards,

Harry

 

Regarding pedal effort versus clamping pressure of clutches...... The diaphragm type pressure plate will usually require less pedal pressure than say a 3-finger Borg & Beck type.

Also...... In the late '70s when I built the Poncho powered '56 Chevy pictured in my avatar...... I ran an 11" McLeod Borg and Beck / Long style pressure plate. Its something McLeod came up with. They took a B&B pressure plate and put Ford Long style fingers in it and the result is a pressure plate with great clamping power but requiring less pedal effort.

For the 292 inline 6 swap in my '57...... I will either run another 11" McLeod B&B / Long clutch...... Or a 12" Chevy diaphragm clutch for a dump truck / bus application. And retrofit a hydraulic clutch master and external slave cylinder setup using Jeep components...... Whilst adding the Aussie Holden FJ remote servo assist between master and slave cylinder. At least that's the plan.

Happy Motoring,

Harry

 

I found this to be true. Additionally, with a hydraulic throw out bearing it becomes very easy. I don't suffer from the movement with my left knee but the lack of movement is problematic. I used a Howe Racing hydraulic throw out bearing, and a Wilwood clutch master cylinder.

Now if I could figure out how to operate the gas pedal for long distances (without cruise control) with out the pain I would be good. Knee replacements (plural) are not for pussies.

 

I wonder if a servo motor or a linear actuator could be used to activate a clutch , pressure and movement of a control switch would require very little effort ....

 

You should watch the two videos I posted in this thread

 

The featured systems are really nice. What I had in mind is less complex , what I was thinking is still having a pedal , but only needing to move it about the same amount as an accelerator pedal , As in your heel wouldn't need to leave the floor , like a pedal rheostat setup controlling an actuator ...........
DOM mentioned pneumatic , hmmmmm

 

Design a mini hydro boost hydraulic set up
Hmmmmm

 

They’ve had throttle by wire for decades
They have been playing with brakes by wire long enough to get them in production.
The videos show the first clutch by wire I’ve seen. All of that requires a computer.

It should be easy enough to do just one function (clutch) electrically without the computer and utilize driver input.

 

Momentary contact switch, some relays, and a heavy push or pull solenoid is all you'd need. VW had it back in the 60's with the autostick Bugs, there was a microswitch in the gear knob that activated a solenoid on the clutch arm. You couldn't ride with your hand on the shift knob, it would push the clutch in.

 

Hopefully your knee feels better and you're physically back to normal.

If you're concerned about pedal effort in relation to clamping force, a dual friction clutch with a large diaphragm is another good option. The Mustang guys are able to reliably hook up 700+ hp with a soft clutch your wife or kids could drive.

 

I get mine, same deal, at BJs, sure Costco is similar. You may not notice it much when you start taking it, but STOP taking it after a while and you will notice the difference.

 

As for things that that I am and fond of saying. I spent a whole year shooting at the wrong people and if I never shifted another another gear in my life I would never miss it. I drove a trailer truck for 20 years until I broke my neck

 

Getting old is not for sissies.

 

Late to the party with this post....

I haven't had a standard trans in my cars for almost 35 years now. Same as everyone else, bad knees and a bad back. It's hard to hold the clutch in traffic and at lights and having to deal with the pain after driving is a major no go for me. Plus, our freeway system in California is not greatest with the over crowding of cars and stop and go traffic just to move two car lengths at a time. That clutch just plain sucks on our freeways.

I hardly ever see a hot rod during the work traffic. The smart guy's wait for the congestion to go away before jumping on the freeway.

For those who can still use a standard trans at our age, "more power to you".

 

Had my left knee replaced a year ago yesterday, had polozone and ozone injections in the right knee this summer, getting old sucks. At least I can now get back to building my sedan.

 

Power assist http://www.onemengineering.com/power-assisted-pedal.html

 

After seeing the last post it hit me. I don't want no wheel chair ramp hand rail assisted rubber mat in case I fall down bull shit. I'm just going to find me a chauffeur. But this Mr. Daisy is ride'n shot gun. Screw the back seat, unless the chauffeur is a real cutie.