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MG MG Y Type - Hand Controls

Hi All,
Here's a long shot - does anyone out there have any info on fitting accelerator/brake hand controls to a Y Type ?
As a first step I'm fitting a remote brake servo, then I plan to contact established hand control suppliers here in the UK for their comments.
Before I do, I would greatly appreciate any feedback from anyone with knowledge of hand controls on Y's.
Bill.
W M (Bill) Bennett

Bill
Part of my last contract before I retired was the fitting of disabled kits to new cars
I found it quite interesting but it was becoming more and more of a pain compliance wise as they were on new cars and had to be signed off by the Transport engineer who couldn't understand that not all drivers had the same requirements--Really you have to custom /modify the kits to suit each person's disability but he couldn't see that--
An MGY, being a manual gearbox could be a challenge---
May I ask the level of disability of the proposed driver
willy
William Revit

Willy,
Thanks for your input. Left foot is fine, right foot generally ok but not totally reliable for emergency braking, so the main requirement is a hand operated foot brake. Hence accelerator & clutch not a problem.
My modern car has been fitted with hand controls and is perfect for my needs.
In the UK there is no requirement to have a hand control signed off by an authorised person provided that the device is supplied & fitted by an approved supplier.
Bill.
W M (Bill) Bennett

Bill
They should be able to sort that out ok for you with a lever pivoted from the bottom of the steering column with a pushrod down to the brake pedal arm
Most of the bought systems here are like that and have a sliding tube as a pushrod to the brake and then have a linkage to the throttle for accelerating when you pull back on the same lever-foolproof really as you can't brake and accelerate at the same time-Only trouble with that is your arm gets a bit sore on a longer trip pulling back on the lever all the time unless it's on a modern with cruise control
I prefer the brake lever with a solid pushrod (simpler the better) down to the pedal arm and a motorbike twist throttle connected to the throttle linkage under the bonnet--If you look around the motorbikes and find one to suit, you can find one with L-R indicator(turn signal) switches and horn button all on the RH side which makes a nice useable unit for a hand control
With the brake side of it it's a good idea to select a unit that has a clamp setup for mounting the pushrod to the brake pedal lever, then you can move it up and down the pedal to get the feel you want
Hope I've been of some small help
willy
William Revit

Willy,

Excellent stuff, lots of very useful ideas to consider.

The bought systems you describe are very similar to the system I have on my modern car, and you're spot on when you say that holding the throttle open on a long journey can be hard on the right hand/arm. Your suggestion of the motorcycle twistgrip throttle control as an alternative is a great idea. As a motorcyclist I can see just how it would work, and will be investigating that option with my hand control supplier.

Also, your comment about getting the feel just right is very valid. The standard systems need a bit of fine tuning to suit the user.

Many thanks Willy, your in depth knowledge and advice are much appreciated.

As an aside, this website never ceases to amaze me - no matter how obscure the question there is always a fast and concise answer from a fellow Y Type enthusiast somewhere in the world (Tasmania is a very long way from the UK!)



W M (Bill) Bennett

Bill,

I've sent you an email, I may be able to help with some information and putting you in contact with someone who had an adaption similar to your request for a YB.

Cheers

Richard
R E Knight

Richard,

Thanks for the email, your help is much appreciated and will be invaluable, we'll continue the discussions off line. In case anyone out there is interested I plan to post the results on this BBS.

Cheers, Bill.
W M (Bill) Bennett

This thread was discussed between 22/10/2018 and 24/10/2018

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