Hand throttle write up

First off like any mod on this site I'm not responsible if you mess up, screw up your truck, or get injured. This is a guide to a diy project, use your head and enjoy.

So I made a hand throttle a while back and a few people have be asking about it so I figured time to share it so everyone can enjoy. This is on my 4 cylinder 5 speed Manual 4x4 but applies to all second gens. The reason I did it if for technical situations when wheeling that require 3 feet with a manual. It also has many more uses.

The trouble is second gens are drive by wire so it's not as simple as running a cable to the throttle body or carb like the older trucks have done for years. So I came up with this to help. It's not as smooth and precise as going directly to the throttle body/carb but it still gets the job done.

Uses-
situations that require 3 feet.

Bumping up engine rpm for winching/jump starting another vehicle/onboard welder such as a mobiweld.

Saying look what I have.

And I don't recommend this in anyway shape or form but in theory it can be a poor man cruise control. Hypothetically. Again use at your own risk.

Supplies

Sunrace Bike cable shifter and plastic cable guide
Nylon spacer
Brake noodle
Scrap of metal(aluminum stainless what Evs)
Self tapping screw
#8x1/2 sheet metal screw
2 small washers

First make a trip to your local bike shop and grab a cable shifter. Many will work but I grabbed this styles from sunrace.


Next make/ find a spacer to fill the gap to hold the shifter to... The shifter. These are made for handlebars that are larger diameter then our shifters (I have an after market shift knob. This step may be different with a stock knob. Idk I never tried)

Next pull out your cup holders. Just pull a little they pop right out. Make a small incision and feel the cable into the shifter boot. Reach in threw the cup holder opening under the shifter and direct it down towards the driver floor area. Pull back the carpet/flooring and pull the cable out. Into the floor area. Now take your peice of aluminum/steel and make a bracket to hold your brake noodle. Basically and L with a hole that the brake noodle will fit SNUGGLY into and a hole for a screw

Find a spot on the floor to mount this under the carpet. I just kinda eyeballed this part but make sure it doesn't interfere with the motion of the pedals. Use the self tapper to screw the bracket to the floor.


Now take your plastic cable guide and feed it onto the cable. This is the part that make the cable feel like a solid peice. Without this the movement of the shifter will make the cable feel loose or tight depending what gear your in. This part is very important. Feed this through until you fill the gap between the bike shifter and the brake noodle. Make sure it's fully seated in both and mark the correct length. It's best to leave it a little long. Also it must be one peice or it will not work correctly. Pull it back off the cable and cut it. It should have came with ends so install those now. You may have to shave them down if the brake noodle is a different brand than the cable guide

Install that back over the cable and run it up to the bike shifter. Make sure it's seated correctly then feed the cable threw the brake noodle. Insert the other end of the cable guide into the brake noodle. Now drill a 1/8 hole in the plastic of the gas pedal. Put the two washers on the #8 sheet metal screw and start screwing it into the hole. Now pull the cable tight and wrap it around the screw between the washers. Finish tightening the screw to sandwich the cable. Cut the carpet/flooring to fit around the new bracket and out that back in place.

Now you should have a working hand throttle. It may take a little tinkering to get it just right. I find it works best to set the rpm with my foot and just use the hand throttle to hold it there. Like I said it's not as smooth as older throttle body/ carb vehicles but it does work. It's not a replacement for a crawlbox but it does help in technical situations. This paired with a crawl box would be an unbelievable combo. And like I said a little tinkering may be nessecary and spend some time getting used to how it works. Also this was my first write up so I may have left something out so feel free to ask questions.

 

Very interesting and creative application!

The first IH Travelall I wheeled doing cross country survey work had a throttle knob in dash. Right next to the choke for the 3.9L I6. (Not that I'm old or anything).

While I didn't use it a lot, it occasionally came in handy, particularly when winching. The winch was a PTO, so having the throttle hand capable came in handy sometimes.

The next IH was an automatic with an electric winch, so the throttle control wasn't really needed. Nor was the manual choke, as they'd changed to an automatic unit on the V8 in that rig.

 

Lol, I was just thinking about this after dealing with the hills in Seattle this weekend.

 

Not sure driving in traffic is the place to use this......... if the the ebrake is hand operated it can help with the hills though.

 

Man this is clever but don't let it be a reason for you to get into a traffic accident. Seems like something the insurance company would be quick to say is a reason to drop you from the policy.

 

Nice write up op. Thanks.

 

I'd suggest drilling a hole through the shaft portion of the pedal close to the foot pad, then insert the cable through the pedal shaft. Crimp a cable stop on the end of the cable that sticks though the pedal.

This is how we install custom low-speed cruise controls for agriculture application, and this method will reduce the tendency of the cable from binding.

Just an idea

 

Genius

 

@Wheelspinner Do you have any pics of where the cable enters the shifter boot? I'm gathering parts for this mod and am trying to think of a way to not cut the boot, but would like to see yours. Thanks. This is a fantastic idea.

 

Honestly I just took my pocket knife and made a small X cut right next to the chrome plastic ring on the top of the boot

 

This is how I intend to route mine. Thanks for the idea!



I'm half way there!

 

Awesome! Looks good so far

 

I had a ball shift knob, but was getting frustrated trying to find/ make a clean looking spacer, so I just started cutting on the stock knob. I could have made it look cleaner, but it'll do.

 

The creativity and common sense engineering is one of the best things about this place. Just when you think you have seen it all a thread like this comes up!

 

I love driving my buddy's old fj62 on the beach with the "bump" throttle. Take yer foot off and just cruise down the beach.

Nice write up! Might have to do this.

 

It's evolving... I'll have pics next week.

https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/manual-transmission-guys-gas-pedal-spacer-inside.435045/

 

Pretty cool, it's like the third gen crawl control.

Anyone know if it's possible to use a rheostat to control throttle since it's a drive by wire system?

 

Okay...lots of pics coming your way.

I decided to take this mod to the next level. I found this lunatic @Usethe2nd who is selling 3/4" gas pedal spacers made from blocks of aluminum https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/manual-transmission-guys-gas-pedal-spacer-inside.435045/. I had never thought about a gas pedal spacer, but immediately saw the hand throttle potential. I bought his first one - I was motivated, so I didn't let him finish it on the mill. I said "It's my spacer and I want it now"!! (in my best JD Wentworth advertisement voice)

I already had all of the parts purchased from Wheelspinner's list. The friction shifter and cable have been in place for a couple weeks.



Here's the brake noodel


I pulled out the inner sleeve and trimmed the noodle to shorten it so it wouldn't interfere with the gas pedal - it's going to be almost directly behind the pedal. This also gave me the angle I wanted to have a straight pull to the hole I drilled in the pedal.


This black end cap came with the shifter cable and makes the cut noodle look clean.


I used a hacksaw and a 5/16" chainsaw round file to make my groove in which the noodle will be located. You'll see that there is a cut that didn't need to be made. Meh, it's hidden.


I rounded the bottom of the groove to match the curve of the noodle.


Top view


ready for insertion


You'll see that the groove leaves a little of the noodle sticking out. There's a little more depth to the groove than this pic shows, but the end piece that the brake cable goes in still doesn't quite fit all the way in. I did this so that when I mounted the spacer with the gas pedal it would squeeze the bracket - holding it in place.


The 1/8" hole for the cable to pass through. I went all the way out to the end of the pedal to get an easier pull.


Noodle on the cable


Cable housing inserted into end bracket on noodle


There was some cursing involved with getting to this point. I mounted the spacer and pedal loosely and fed the noodle and cable behind it. Figuring out the best way to do it took about 15 minutes of trial and error.


front view


The cable is in.


Sorry for the glare. This is with the pedal mounting bolts tightened.



It looks tight from this angle, but...



...there's plenty of room.



I decided to use a bullet as a stopper. It's pinched on like a split shot fishing weight. I just cut a groove down the side with a hacksaw. This took me 3 tries. I tried a .45 auto 230g first. It should have worked, but I messed up and the cable pulled through a slight bit on my first test. Next I tried a .454 300g bullet, but it cracked when I spread the groove to put the cable in - the bullet was water quenched right after it was cast to make it harder and that caused it to crack instead of bending. Finally I used a .44 magnum 310g bullet that wasn't quenched and I grooved the nose to bend the cable through it. This one seems to be holding. I'll just melt down the failures and they'll become bullets again.




The picture is fuzzy, but you get the idea.


I left a long enough cable end to make repairs if I need to. If not, I'll cut it and crimp it into the grooved end of the bullet. Here's the pedal at rest.


You can see the cable pushes the bullet away from the hole when the pedal is pushed in.



The reason I went through all this extra work compared to the original mod was to get as close to a direct line of pull with the cable as possible. I can smoothly operate the throttle without any use of my foot.

 

I think split shot would have been cheaper! That's a lot of pricey lead!

 

Nah. $0.75 per pound