TR6 power assist for clutch pedal

[tomshobby]

For several years I have had problems with atrophied calf muscles and problems from diabetes. Because of this I have been searching for a solution to make the clutch easier to operate. Even looked into the possibility for an automatic transmission. I have found a way to reduce the clutch pedal force by about 1/2.

Well here it is! A hydraulic booster that uses manifold vacuum just like the brake booster. The difference is that it is activated by plumbing the clutch master to the in fed line of the booster and then the out line to the clutch slave. And it works. I have included some photos of the booster and hydraulic lines.
A few vendors sell them and this is the one I purchased. No particular reason other than I happened to see it while browsing their on-line catalog.
www.bpnorthwest.com/mg/midget/brake-serv...7-inch-1-9-to-1.html

I am not selling kits or rights to use or anything like that. It is simple and straight forward to install by any one with a modest mechanical ability. This is too important to those than would benefit for me or anybody else to profit from it. So this free, and like open source software can be used, developed, and improved by users.
Although I inatalled this on my TR6 I am quite sure it could be applied to any car with a manual transmission and enough room for the remote booster.

From the photos you can see where I will mount the servo. In turn the bottle washer will be moved forward to the area in front of the wheel well. It is not yet mounted simply because until a few minutes ago I was not convinced it would work.

Enjoy,
Tom

 

[TR4nut]

Excellent idea Tom! I had one of those for a TR3 with the intention of adding a brake booster to the single system but decided the brakes were ok so sold the unit. Never thought of using it for the clutch.

 

[tomshobby]

Hi Randy, good to see you are still around. This is the 64 I had. Bought it new. Rolled it one nice summer evening. Went over 3 times. The body shop bought a new body from the factory. This pic is after it was back on the road.

 

[Tybalt]

How timely, just the other day a friend was telling me me that the guy he had sold his TR250 to a while back was thinking about selling it because he was having a hard time operating the clutch. I'll let him know about this thread so he can pass it on to his buyer.

 

[Gliderman8]

At one time there was(is?) an electro/mechanical apparatus called The Duck that I remember seeing. Basically it was a switch mounted on the gearshift that when depressed would push the clutch in.

 

[Deleted member 8987]

At one time there was(is?) an electro/mechanical apparatus called The Duck that I remember seeing. Basically it was a switch mounted on the gearshift that when depressed would push the clutch in.

That almost sounds like the old Volkswagen auto shift. "normal" four speed with a torque converter and a air-operated clutch (I think it had a TC...have to think about that) and if you even touched the shifter, went into disengaged (vacuum).

FIRST time I had to road test one for a repair, got to an intersection, shifted to first, and it would only rev...no movement....no idea....let go the shifter to get ready to get out and it took off.

 

[Gliderman8]

Here it is; I'm not sure it's available anymore.

 

[Tybalt]

That almost sounds like the old Volkswagen auto shift. "normal" four speed with a torque converter and a air-operated clutch (I think it had a TC...have to think about that) and if you even touched the shifter, went into disengaged (vacuum).

FIRST time I had to road test one for a repair, got to an intersection, shifted to first, and it would only rev...no movement....no idea....let go the shifter to get ready to get out and it took off.

Yes, the old VW Automatic Stick Shift and its 911/912 counterpart, the Sportomatic. They had both a torque converter and a pneumatically operated clutch. You could sit there at a stop with the car in gear and hand off the shifter with no problem, then just pull away by taking your foot off the brake to start rolling. You just had to make sure and lift the throttle when it was time to shift, especially at higher revs. There was a very sensitive contact button "switch" at the bottom of the shifter that would activate and disengage the clutch mechanism, if you didn't lift it was easy to overrev the engine as soon as you touched the shifter. I am surprised that there weren't more tweaked engines (especially on 911/912 models) over those that actually occurred. As far as I am concerned, the only redeeming grace of the Automatic Stick Shift (or as we called it Automatic $#!+ Stick or just ASS) was that it was part of what brought the entire model line over to double joint rear axles in lieu of the old swing axle set up.

 

[tomshobby]

What I like about the booster that I have is that it works just like the power brake booster. While it only reduces the pedal force needed by about 1/2 it does not require any switches or other devices and does not change any pressure on the rear thrust washer. It is also easy to install and can just as easily be removed if so desired. And the parts are readily available and the cost is relatively modest.

 

[Sarastro]

Good idea. I have ankle problems (to use the technical medical term, my ankles are trash), and I can see the day coming when clutches are just not something I can use. I have a Toyota MR2 with the sequential manual transmission, and I'm happy with that, but that's not an option in most cases.

 

[Popeye]

Very cool idea / solution, thanks!

 

[Andrew Mace]

As an aside, Standard-Triumph had something called "Standrive" for the Standard 8 and 10 (also named "Triumatic" for the Triumph 10, although I don't know if any Triumph 10s for the US ever were so equipped, and it never made it into any Herald). There also was a button atop the shift lever, and there was no clutch pedal. There also was no torque converter as such; it all worked via "a centrifugal automatic clutch, a servo operated withdrawal cylinder and a control valve unit."

For more information (if you're so inclined): https://www.oldclassiccar.co.uk/standrivetransmission.htm

 

[tomshobby]

Hi Andy, that is quite interesting and causes me to wonder why it was never further developed.