Racing Simulator With a Twist... [PART 1 - Introduction, Steering and Pedals]

I built my first racing simulator in 2000 out of timber, the second in 2015. After getting hooked
on Project Binky, a project car series on YouTube last year, I was inspired to start my third build. Now for the twist...

This is a 1995 Mitsubishi FTO. This particular one is the Car of the year model, one of 500 odd made - so quite rare in its own right, which unfortunately was looking a bit sad when I picked it up. The passenger side had been T-boned in the past and the front and rear panels were a bit rough as well. This will be my sim rig...

In order to make the rig, I will basically be interfacing the existing components with a Logitech G27 Racing Wheel, gearstick and pedal set, and controlling it from a computer mounted within the car.

So, before we get to the build steps, ill quickly cover a few goals:

• This project aims for authenticity -- As close to an actual driving experience as possible.
• It aims to have much of the actual car be retained as possible.
• All controls should have the same feel as they do in the unmodified car.
• All efforts will be made to ensure all electrics are operational without the engine.
• One way or another, this will become a motion sim (This will be a real challenge)
• When finished, the car should still look like it could be driven out of the shed (so it needs to be tidy).

So why the FTO?. Well, I have a shed full of spare parts and plenty of experience pulling these apart and putting them back together again. Having said this, the concept behind this project will work with almost any donor vehicle.

I should mention that I wont be covering off repair of the body panels, painting or replacing trim components in this project as they don't really apply to building the simulator itself. Assume those tasks have already been completed prior to step 1. I will, however, be detailing any and all modifications made in reaching the end goal.

One final note: This project will take many steps to complete and there is no way I can do this in one instructable, so I'll be breaking down each component build into separate instructables, and uploading them as I complete them. Presently I'm a good distance through the project but still have much more to do and several major challenges to solve. Oh and you don't need to complete all the steps. Some can be skipped if you don't wish to take it to the degree I have, or added in case you wish to take it further.

Oh and im in Australia, so the steering wheel is on the right. You may need to take this into account depending on where you live.

Alrighty, with the background out of the way, lets get started...

So before we start building anything, we need to remove the things that are in the way. With that said, lets get to it.

Engine Out

Tools and Materials Required:

• Sockets
• Spanners
• Screwdrivers
• A trolley jack
• Possibly an engine crane
• Axle stands.

So this is what happens when you don't take pictures from the start. The second image (labelled 'Picture 2') is an FTO from an earlier project. I've blanked out under the car so you can see what we start with after taking everything out. We will be using most of the cables, but all the hoses can go at this stage. Obviously, with a different donor car, this will look a little different.

I'm not going to cover how to remove the engine as its different for every car. It's basically unscrewing everything with a bit of heavy lifting thrown in for good measure, but there are plenty of good tutorials out there if you need help. For the simulator, here are a few important notes:

• Don't cut any wiring.
• Don't disconnect any brake lines.
• Don't disconnect the air conditioning (unless you don't want it later, it get pretty hot while driving).
• Don't throw away/sell the engine yet. You'll need the throttle body and the clutch slave cylinder.
• Leave the driveshafts in (if a front wheel drive donor vehicle).
• Leave the steering rack intact.

Given we are going to try and move this monstrosity with either hydraulics or actuators later on, weight reduction is going to be very important. Get rid of what you don't need. Here are a few major pieces:

• Complete Exhaust system (with maybe the exception of the exhaust tips for visuals)
• Fuel Tank (note that this can be an explosive risk if handled incorrectly, so be careful when removing this)
• Fuel lines
• Underbody shielding
• Radiator
• Gearbox (usually connected to the engine)
• Front Windscreen (it can be hard to see through and makes temporary cable routing a little more difficult, but it can keep the dust out)
• Battery

Tucking Away the Driveshafts

Tools and Materials Required:

• An angle grinder
• Some round pipe with a diameter slightly larger than the shafts on the end of the driveshafts
• 2 hose clamps
• Circlip pliers.

So if the the donor vehicle is a front wheel drive (as the FTO is), the driveshafts will be sitting on the ground as per "Picture 3'. We can't remove them as the bearings in the wheel hubs will eventually collapse under the weight, so we are going to get them up off the ground and tuck them away neatly.

First, we need to discard the inner CV joints (Constant Velocity Joint, see 'Picture 4') as these are not required. Remove the inner CV boot by unclipping the 2 rings that hold it on (orange metal ring in 'Picture 4'). The boot should then be able to be separated from the casing and the casing be pulled off the universal joint.

Next, we need to remove the CV joint. We can do this by removing the circlip that holds it on the shaft (indicated by the arrow in 'Picture 5').

Now, work out the distance between the ends of the driveshafts when horizontal (as they were with the engine in place), add 30cm and then cut the pipe with an angle grinder. Next, slide a hose clamp over each driveshaft. Follow this with the pipe by pushing it all the way onto one drive shaft and then lining up the other driveshaft and pulling the pipe over that end. This should have it over the ends of both driveshafts as per the sixth picture. The idea is to have the hose clamps hold the pipe in the middle.

Finally, just tighten up the hose clamps on either side of the pipe to secure it in place. You should end up with something resembling 'Picture 6'.

Before we can fabricate the steering components needed for the simulator, we need to move the steering rack out of the way. The first picture shows the steering rack in its factory position.

Tools and Materials Required:

• Spanners/sockets
• Drip tray.

So the steering column in the car is directly attached to the steering rack via a couple of universal joints (in the location marked in 'Picture 1'). When you turn the steering wheel, this slides the steering rack left/right which results in the car's wheels turning. Thing is, we want the steering wheel to operate the Logitech G27 wheel rather than the steering rack (This will be getting installed later on). If we completely remove the steering rack, however, moving the car will be very problematic as the front wheels will just flop around. So we are going to use a sneaky hack to get it out of the way.

Firstly, remove the power steering lines that are in the way or stop the power steering unit being removed as we don't need these anymore (you can see some of these in 'Picture 1' and 'Picture 3'). Be aware that power steering fluid will probably pour out everywhere when you do this, so have a drip tray waiting to catch it. It's also worth noting that turning the wheel with these disconnected can squirt fluid everywhere.

Ok, now we need to remove the steering column from the steering rack. There is a bolt that attaches the steering column to the steering rack. the picture labelled 'Picture 2' shows the bolt hole you are looking for. This will be located in the engine bay where the steering column comes through the firewall. After removing the bolt, the two should separate.

At this point, the steering rack is still in the way so here is the sneaky hack. Undo the bolts securing the rack, rotate it about 160 degrees so that it faces forward as per the third picture ('Picture 3'), such that it now points towards the front of the car (the spline pointing at the front grille), bolting it back up. This gets it out of the way while maintaining the ability for the steering rack to move the wheels.

As a final note, if at some stage you want to you can extend off that spline and steer the actual car from somewhere in the engine bay or in front of the car if it needs to be moved.

So although we have access to the end of the steering column now, its too close to the firewall to be useful. As a result we will have to extend it.

Tools and Materials Required:

• An angle grinder
• A second steering column
• A hammer
• A bearing (with an inner diameter the size of the spline and an outer diameter the just big enough to fit snug on the inside of the steering column casing)
• Electrical tape (maybe).

If you look at the first picture ('Picture 1'), this is what the steering column looks like out of the car (you don't need to remove yours). At this stage the bit on the right hand side should be poking through the firewall and the end will look like the second picture. This is where the second steering column comes into play.

The left most universal joint in the first picture is pressed onto a spline in the tube (the same tube that has the ignition barrel on it). We need to get rid of this (on the second steering column). So, first, remove the circlip that secures it in place. You should then be able to remove that universal joint with a hammer (separating the universal joints from the rest of the steering column). With that gone, the casing is now too long (it obscures the spline), so use an angle grinder to shorten the casing as per the third picture (labelled 'Picture 3').

Now, push the bearing over the spline and inside the casing (over the rod and into the cut tube). If the spline is wider than the shaft, you may need a little electrical tape to build up the shaft to a suitable level for the bearing. There shouldn't be any movement in the bearing when done (or very little, this isn't make or break).

Now the end of the spline on the 2nd drive shaft should fit into the end of the first drive shaft as per 'Picture 4' (if not, then it may be time to crack out those welding skills). Use the original bolt to tighten them together. In the long run this joint may need to be welded (mine had the tendency to slip if people got too rough when driving), but that should be done once the shaft is bolted to the frame we have yet to build (as once it is welded it will require destructive force to remove).

We are now in a position to build a frame to hold the steering column, but the engine mount can complicate this. As a result it must go.

Tools Required:

• Electric drill + drill bits
• Hammer
• Cold chisel
• Possibly an angle grinder.

Before building a frame to hold the steering components and other assorted bits and pieces (next step), we will need to remove the passengers side engine mount bracket as it is in the way (circled in red in 'Picture 1'). To achieve this, we need to drill out all the spot welds (and there are a few). If you cant get to some of them you may need to cut away sections of the bracket with the angle grinder first. Once all the spot welds have been drilled out, use the hammer and cold chisel to remove the bracket.

In the second picture (labelled 'Picture 2) you can see the drilled out spot welds - the bracket is now gone.

With the passengers side mount removed, its time to start building the frame to mount the new steering components. I'm getting a bit ahead of myself, but you can see the placement of the frame in the first picture above (labelled 'Picture 1' - please excuse the photoshop, but it makes it easier to see what is required). Note that the top of the frame is flush with the top of the chassis rail. In this case, this gives us the right amount of clearance for the steering components we have just built. You can also see where the Logitech steering wheel will be positioned when we tackle that a little bit later.

The Sides of the Frame

Tools and Materials Required:

• 2m 40 x 40mm Steel Angle
• Drill + drill bits, nuts and bolts (will vary, purchase as required).

The second picture (labelled 'Picture 2') highlights the bits we are going to attach in this step.

Now, look along the side of the chassis rail. If there are existing bolt holes, it would be a good idea to use them as it provides more strength than the alternative (tek screws, welding). Grab the steel angle and cut a piece for the chassis rail on each side of the engine bay. It should be the longest you can make it without getting in the way of anything still in place. Drill holes in the angle to match any bolt holes and attach to the car. If there aren't enough existing threaded holes, you may need to use tek screws or some thoughtful welding to do the job. Remember that the top of the angle should be at the same level as the top of the chassis rail.

The Rear 2 Crossmembers

So now the sides of the frame are in place, we need to fabricate some crossmembers for the steering column to attach to.

Tools and Materials Required:

• 1m 40 x 40 RHS (Rectangular Hollow Section)
• 1m 25 x 25 RHS Steel
• Welder
• 2 clamps

Please note that the location of these crossmembers are important. We need one crossmember to hold the back of the steering column and another to hold the front. We will need a third cross member for the Logitech wheel, but we will cover that in a later step.

Now I found that the best angle for the steering column was not parallel to the chassis rails (see 'picture 4'). This is because the original column location is angled, and thus the mounts need to be adjusted to imitate this. By angling it toward the passengers side of the car, it provides smoother movement of the universal joints and gives us more clearance for the Logitech wheel that will be fitted to the end of our extended steering column. Try testing out the different arrangements and angles for the smoothest travel though, as space isn't a huge issue. Oh, and if you are left hand drive, you will be angling it the opposite direction.

The crossmember closest to the firewall should be about 10cm away and parallel to the firewall (this is important for future components that will be added to the frame). Unfortunately, this means it ends up further back than the sides of the frame (see 'Picture 5'). As there are no bolt holes, I've used tek screws and a custom bracket to mount it. The crossmember itself uses the 25 x 25 RHS and its length is the exact distance between the chassis rails.

The second cross member holds the front of the steering column (labelled 'Front' in 'Picture 3'). Again, this is parallel to the firewall and needs to sit at least 5cm from end of the steering column extension casing (as pictured in 'Picture 4'). This extra space will allow us to adjust the angle of the steering column a little if required in the next step. Note than this crossmember is a bit beefier than the rear and uses the 40 x 40 RHS. The RHS should be cut so it butts up against the sides of the frame we fabricated in the previous step (see 'Picture 6' and 'Picture 7'). This can now be clamped in place and welded.

And now we are finally in a position to start attaching the steering column in the frame

Tools and Materials Required:

• 2 clamps
• 2 brackets for the steering column.
• Angle grinder (optional)

Test fit the 2 brackets that hold the steering column on to the frame. I'm using brackets off the original car for this, but any sort of bracket that holds the column securely in place will do the job. Check out the first picture (labelled 'Picture 1') to see how I've done it. Once you have test fitted the brackets, clamp them in place but be careful not to drill yet. Clamping will hold the steering column in place for the next step, but still allows us to shift the steering column one way or the other depending on need.

At this point, you should jump in the car and turn the wheel. If you feel any jolts as you turn, you may need to adjust the angle of the column slightly and re-clamp the brackets. The wheel motion should be as smooth as when you would normally drive a car.

You may notice that I've cut sections out of the top of the crossmembers (see 'Picture 2'). This allows me to use shorter bolts to attach the brackets, gives me easy access to the nuts and it also means that in future, I can lay a sheet of aluminium on top of the frame without bolts/nuts getting in the way. If you like the sound of this, you can grind slots in the crossmembers like I have.

The steering components required to complete the simulator include the original steering wheel and the Logitech steering wheel. The Logitech wheel itself (not the base) is unnecessarily bulky and will not be required. As a result we are going to strip down both wheels to what is absolutely necessary to save space and reduce complexity.

Tools and Materials Required:

• Logitech G27 steering wheel
• 2nd OEM steering wheel
• Angle grinder.

In my case I'm replacing the in-car stock steering wheel with an Mitsubishi EVO 10 wheel so I can implement buttons and tip shifters in the future (the original car had no steering wheel buttons). This means that I will have a spare wheel to turn into the bracket that will interface the Logitech and steering column. You will need something to create this bracket as well.

At this point we have our steering column fitted to the frame and now, we need to attach the Logitech steering wheel. What we are aiming for is to end up with a connection similar to that shown in the first picture (labelled 'Picture 1'. Note there is more on this in the next step).

Firstly, strip all the plastic off the original steering wheel, leaving a metal frame (see 'Picture 2'). The spline in the middle of the wheel slides perfectly onto the end of the steering column extension. But we don't need the outside of the wheel as that takes up too much space. So attack it with an angle grinder and remove the spokes including the circular bits welded to the centre of the wheel. You should end up with something resembling the metal bit in the third picture (labelled 'Picture 3').

Now we have to do the same thing to the wheel on the Logitech unit (I know this is hard, but its worth it and we'll be using the buttons later). It should look like 'Picture 4' when finished.

So we need a custom spacer to connect the extended steering column to the Logitech steering wheel. This step involves creating and attaching the spacer to the wheel.

Creating the Custom Spacer

Tools and Materials Required:

• Logitech G27 steering wheel
• Fibreglass reinforced putty
• Masking tape

We will be using fibreglass reinforced putty (bog) to create the custom spacer as it is durable and easy to mould.

First, cover the centre cap of the Logitech wheel with masking tape to stop the putty from sticking to it, and create a masking tape rim around the outside of what is left of the G27 wheel (about 5mm thick, to make sure there is plenty of room to drill the holes). Make sure you press the masking tape into the allen key screw holes in the Logitech G27 centre cap so there is a slight depression where the holes are. This will help later when we need to orientate the spacer and mark where to drill holes.

Mix up the putty and fill to the top of the masking tape rim you just created and then let it set. You'll need to have the wheel itself horizontal for this, otherwise the putty will run out before it sets or will set with uneven thickness.

Once it has set (allow 24 hours), sand the top surface down until its flat and of even thickness. You should end up with something resembling the item in the first and second picture minus the holes (labelled 'Picture 1' and Picture 2').

Drilling Holes in the Spacer

Tools and Materials Required:

• Logitech G27 steering wheel
• Allen keys
• Electric drill + drill bits

Now we are ready to drill some holes in the spacer (see 'Picture 3'). We will use the centre cap from the Logitech Wheel as a template for the holes.

First, take off the centre cap off of the Logitech wheel. This involves removing the 6 allen key screws holding it in place. Now, fit the spacer you created above in place on the centre cap. You should be able to orient it using the screw hole indentations created by pushing the masking tape into the holes before moulding.

Next, turn it upside down and use the centre cap as a template to drill out the 6 screw holes (as per 'Picture 3', sort of like using one of those shape stencils to draw perfect circles). Use a drill bit the same size as the holes in the centre cap.

Finally, put the centre cap back on the Logitech Wheel. Only put back 3 of the allen key screws when you do this (as per 'Picture 4'). With the wheel centred, the ones you should put back are at 12:00, 4:00 and 8:00 (every second one).

Drilling the holes in the OEM Wheel Centre

Tools and Materials Required:

• OEM steering wheel
• Electric drill + drill bits
• 3 longer screws to replace 3 of the allen key screws in the centre of the Logitech wheel

To finish this off we now need to drill 3 holes in the car's OEM wheel centre (see 'Picture 5'). This will allow us to attach this to the Logitech Wheel. We are going to need to use the spacer as a template for this.

First, using a pencil, draw a line between opposite holes in the spacer (on the side away from the Logitech centre cap (as per 'Picture 6'). Make sure the centre point where the 3 lines intersect is clearly marked.

Now for the tricky bit. You need to position the spacer so that the hole in the OEM wheel centre lines up with the intersection of the three lines (to make sure that the wheel is centred. You will also need to rotate the spacer so the 3 holes to be drilled line up with the 3 lobes on the car's wheel centre (see 'Picture 5'). I took my time with this as it will determine whether the Logitech wheel is stable once everything is put together and the wheel is turned.

Once centred, drill 3 holes in the metal wheel through the 3 holes in the spacer (we are trying to get it to look like 'Picture 7'). You should be able to now use the 3 longer screws to attach the metal wheel centre to the Logitech wheel. You should now have something resembling 'Picture 7'. If you then push this onto the steering column, you should have something resembling the 'Picture 8' and 'Picture 9'.

We are now finally in the position to complete the frame that holds the steering components for the simulator.

Tools and Materials Required:

• 1m 25 x 25 RHS Steel
• 50mm x 50mm Metal angle
• 50 x 25 RHS
• Welder
• 2 clamps
• Electric drill + drill bits
• Socket set
• Angle grinder
• 4 large clamps
• 4 bolts and 4 nuts for the steering column (preferably M6-M8)
• 2 bolts + nuts for the stabilizing frame

Adding the Front Crossmember

So, the final crossmember (the one that holds the Logitech unit in place) has to be perpendicular to the steering column and also has to meet the frame on each side (so a different angle to the other 2 crossmembers - see 'Picture 1'). This is why we haven't drilled holes for the steering column brackets yet. This process involves trial and error and you should take your time to get the positioning of everything correct before securing it in place.

Firstly, make sure the Logitech wheel is sitting on the end of the steering column. We need to do this to work out where to position the crossmember. Now, place the 25*25 RHS length so that it is perpendicular to the steering column and the leading edge lines up exactly with the front of the Logitech unit as per the 'Picture 2'. If the member meets with the frame on both sides (as per 'Picture 6' and 'Picture 7'), no adjustment is required, however if it doesn't, you will need to adjust the angle of the steering column and check again. Once you have it right, cut the steel to length, clamp in place and then weld the crossmember to the frame.

Finally, drill some holes for the steering column brackets and fix them in place with bolts.

Stabilizing the Logitech Wheel

OK, so now the wheel is in place, we need to stop it flopping around. To do this we will create the bracket shown in 'Picture 3', 'Picture 4' and 'Picture 5'.

Firstly, cut the 25 x 50 RHS to 36.5cm in length and weld the 50 x 50 metal angle to the ends of the RHS (as shown in 'Picture 4' and 'Picture 5'. Make sure each upright is 90 degrees to the RHS section and the right way around before welding (see 'Picture 5').

Next, we need to cut a thin section out of the inside of each of the uprights so that it fits around the Logitech unit. Use an angle grinder to achieve this (see 'Picture 5' for details of where to cut, the exact measurements are not crucial as long as it fits).

Now lock the bracket in place using the steering wheel clamps (the ones used normally to clamp the Logitech wheel to a table). It should be touching the crossmember we fitted in the last step (we are attempting to align the bracket we just built with the crossmember). Clamp the bracket to the crossmember, such that it resembles 'Picture 4'.

So time to test the steering. Sit in the car and turn the wheel. It should feel smooth to turn and should not be clunky. If this is the case, you have succeeded. Drill holes through each bracket and up through the crossmember and bolt them in place (as per 'Picture 2'). If not, then just keep realigning the steering wheel until it's smooth and then attach.

Finally, cut off the excess angle that sits above the frame.

And we are done. The steering is now complete. The real FTO steering wheel operates the Logitech unit via the assembly. The Logitech delivers force feedback through this assembly into the cabin while retaining much of its standard force. As the wheel is bigger it provides a more authentic feel. The steering column weight also helps provide an improved experience. Here is a video showing the completed unit in action:

https://youtu.be/1EX-mUsy_yY

So, have I mentioned that I hate the Logitech pedals. I guess, to be fair, I hate most of these style pedals; they just don't work the right way. I suppose it has to be this way, as pouring brake fluid into your Xbox or PlayStation doesn't exactly sound like a great gaming experience, but they never feel right. And yes, you can turn them upside down, but that still equals wrong. So, it's time to fix that. And given we want the real experience, we will be using the real pedals.

Let's start by looking at how the Logitech pedals work. When you press the pedal, it uses a sort of gear mechanism to turn a 10k ohm potentiometer (pot), so that the Logitech knows where the pedals are (have a look at voltage dividers if you're interested in the electronics). There is a spring inside the red bit that governs how hard you have to press it to make it go down and returns the pedal to its original position once you lift your foot off of it.

Now we have to make these work with the actual car pedals and to retain the feel, we will use as many of the actual components as we can... Let's start with the easy one - the accelerator.

So the first picture (labelled 'Picture 1') shows what the pedal set I've got looks like. When you press the pedal down, it pulls a cable which is directly attached to the throttle body (the piece of the car that lets the air in). The second picture shows the cable clamp (circled on left) and the throttle body (circled on right) in an FTO engine. The cable feeds into a mechanism on the throttle body at the back of the unit. We will be using this unit emulate the accelerator.

The Accelerator Cable Bracket

Tools and Materials Required:

• Sheet metal
• Electric drill + bits
• Nuts and bolts
• Multimeter

So I had a bit of luck - my accelerator pedal does not need any modifications, as the pot used in the throttle body is 10k ohm (just like the one in the Logitech pedal). You can check yours with a multimeter, knowing that most modern cars will use a pot here for engine sensing, however if it doesn't line up, then you may have to explore other options (replacing the pot with another 10k ohm one, or having a look at what I did for the clutch and brake and using something similar). We will be using the existing arrangement, however we do need a bracket as we don't have an engine to attach the cable to anymore. This should be located as close as possible to the original location. Firewall it is then (see 'Picture 3'). This bracket is attached to a couple of existing bolts holes at the top, and the slotted cable bracket has been attached to the underside of my fabricated bracket such that it can still be adjusted to tension the cable.

The Throttle Body

Tools and Materials Required:

• 1 x throttle body with ignition position sensor attached
• Sheet metal for a bracket
• 4 x tek screws
• Electric drill + drill bits
• 30cm aluminium bar.

Ok, its time to attach the throttle body. It should still be attached to the engine that was removed earlier and should be held on by 4 or so bolts. As this engine is no longer a part of the car, the throttle body will need to be attached to the firewall by a bracket.

So the important thing here is the wire in the cable needs to feed straight from the bracket we built above to the mechanism on the throttle body and there should be no play in the cable (see 'Picture 4'). Also, the throttle body needs to be firmly secured. It should not flex on its mount. So with this in mind, attach the cable to the throttle body, pull it until there is no play and work out the best orientation and whether a spacer is required. In my case I decided to rotate the unit 90 degrees so the mechanism was on the top (as per 'Picture 4'). This gave me the smoothest feed and the best holes for securing to the firewall. Having said this, I did need a spacer with this orientation so as to avoid fowling the wire (see 'Picture 5').

Once you have worked out where the throttle body is going to go, the first thing to do is to make a spacer bracket. This should provide enough space between the firewall and the throttle body to allow the cable to operate unimpeded, and be wide enough to bolt the throttle body to. The one in 'Picture 5' is about 5cm deep and has a flange on each side that attaches to the firewall.

Once the bracket is finished, we need to attach the throttle body. Work out which bolt holes on the throttle body can be used to bolt to the spacer. Drill these out and bolt the two together. Next, position the unit so the cable is taut and straight and mark around the bracket on the firewall.

Remove the throttle body from the bracket and tek screw/bolt the bracket in place. Once that is done, undo the tek screws/bolts, attach the throttle body to the bracket and then reattach the bracket to the firewall.

So after doing this, I found that I still has a little flex in the bracket when I pressed the accelerator. This led me to build the aluminium support shown in the 'Picture 6'. This just has a couple of bends in it so that I can get it to the nearest bolt hole.

Right, with that sorted, you should be able to press the accelerator in the car and it should move the mechanism on the throttle body. It should feel just like the real thing (because it is!)

Wiring the Accelerator

Tools and Materials Required:

• Soldering iron
• Solder
• Wire strippers
• Electrical wire (red, orange and black)
• Heat Shrink/ Electrical tape.

So as the the throttle position sensor is a pot with the same value that the Logitech pedal uses, we will be using this instead of the Logitech pedal pot.

The existing Logitech wiring loom will be used for the pedals (which means pulling the Logitech pedal unit apart). I'm not going to cover the disassembly of the Logitech Pedal unit in this instructable as there are plenty of videos and guides out there covering this. There's just a slight hitch however, in its standard form the wiring that will go from the throttle body to the pedals (which will be mounted in the car) to the Logitech wheel is not long enough. The throttle body is too far away from the other pedals. So in order to fix this, we are going to extend the wires.

Disconnect the 3 wires that attach to the acceleratorpot on the Logitech pedal set (I will be reusing the connectors as they fit the connectors in the throttle body pot). Cut these 3 wires and strip the ends of both sides of the cut. Now, get some wires long enough that when added to the wires we just cut, it will reach the throttle body, and strip both ends (if you use the same colours it will make it easier - orange, red, black). Finally, shove on some shrink wrap for both sides and then solder the extension wires in between the cut wires. These can now be pressed straight on to the throttle position sensor on the throttle body as shown in 'Picture 7' (if the connectors aren't the same, try looking around for ones that will fit the pot and use them instead. Your local electronics store will probably have something suitable) .

And that's the accelerator done!

So just like the accelerator, we want the brake to have the same feel as the original. This means we need all the original brake components intact: The brake booster, master cylinder and brake lines with brake fluid still present.

Now, the brake is a little more complicated than the accelerator as we have very little space between the brake booster and the pedal, and as there are no moving parts on the other side of the brake booster, that rules out putting the pedal in the engine bay. Also, no magic sensors that just happen to match this time either, so we are going to use the Logitech pedal and integrate it with the brake pedal..

So as there's no room immediately above the pedal, since that is where the pedal bolts to the metal beam under the dash, and as down low will get in the way when in use, we will have to use the little bit of space on the front up high (circled in red in 'Picture 7' and 'Picture 8'). For reference, the steering wheel sits to the right of the circled area on 'Picture 7'.

Right, with position sorted, lets look at implementation. So, both the Logitech pedal and the car's brake pedal operate when pushed down. If we are going to use the Logitech pedal unit, then the trick will be matching the complete extent of movement in the Logitech pedal with that of the brake pedal.

Attaching the Logitech Pedal to the OEM Brake Frame

Tools and Materials Required:

• Angle grinder
• Electric drill + bits
• Allen keys
• Phillips head screwdriver

OK, so first job, remove the Logitech Brake Pedal from it's housing. This should have been mostly done when grabbing the wiring for the accelerator.

The next job is to remove the red bit with the spring in it as this is counterproductive with what we are building, and that can be done by removing the screws/bolts that hold it together (there are plenty of guides on how to do this). If it helps, the top screw is shown in 'Picture 4'.

Right, with that done, we need to attach it to the pedal. We are going to attach it where the red square labelled 'A' is in 'Picture 2' with the hinged section of the Logitech pedal closest to the top (see 'Picture 3'). To achieve this, you will need to cut away the raised portion of the pedal bracket that is inside the lower right corner of the red square (so that there's a flat surface to mount it to).

Next, place the Logitech pedal as close to the top of the car's pedal bracket as possible (see 'Picture 3', the pedal has been rotated 90 degrees to the left in this). With that in place we need to work out how much of the Logitech pedal we need to cut away so that the bolt hole just below the red square in 'Picture 2' is able to be used without interfering with any bolts that may need to be screwed into it. When you have worked this out and marked it, use an angle grinder to cut the Logitech pedal so that the bolt hole on the car pedal is exposed with the Logitech pedal attached.

Finally, drill through the 2 screw holes at the top of the Logitech pedal into the car pedals (use the holes that would normally attach it to the Logitech pedal base). Attach the Logitech pedal to the car's pedal bracket using small nuts and bolts. We will be using the brake pedal sensor to secure the bottom of the bracket (shown in third picture). This screws into the bolt hole just below the red square in the second picture.

Constructing the Brake Pedal Lever

Tools and Materials Required:

• Angle grinder
• Electric drill + bits
• 50cm of 25mm x 3mm Aluminium bar
• Aluminium tubing for a spacer (shown in first picture)

OK, now that the Logitech pedal is attached to the car's brake pedal, we need to sync their movement. To achieve this, we need to connect the Logitech pedal to the car's brake pedal via a strip of aluminium. The length at this stage is yet to be determined, but will be less than 25cm.

So, first cut the 50cm aluminium strip into 2 equal lengths. Round the edges of each as per 'Picture 4' and drill a hole in the end of each and then attach the first strip as shown in the first picture. The other end will be hanging free. The next step requires the pedal to be in the car and attached to the brake booster. This is so we can see how much the car's brake pedal moves before reaching the lowest point. Now for the trial and error. You need to work out how far down the car's brake pedal to shift the free end of the aluminium strip before both pedals travel their full distance when you press the car's brake pedal (we are using the bar as a sort of linkage such that the car pedal pulls the Logitech pedal, and depending on where the second hole for the linkage is, see 'Picture 5', the pedals will have a different amount of travel). You may need to cut a slot in the Logitech pedal to accommodate this movement. When you have worked out the correct point, mark the car's brake pedal and the aluminium strip at that point.

Finally, drill a hole through both and stick in a bolt (as per the fifth picture) and trim the strips to suit.

Brake Pedal Lever Enhancement + Electrics

So, when I got to this point, I found that the single aluminium strip rattled and wasn't completely stable. Answer: add another one on the opposite side of the pedal and put a couple of spacers in-between (washers will do - see 'Picture 6'). This is what the 2nd aluminium strip is for. When you finish it, you will end up with a result similar to the picture.

With this much finished, this leaves the electrics. As we are using the Logitech pedal, the electrics will just plug straight up without modification. Feed the cable through a hole in the firewall, route it to the pot and plug it up. Make sure the cables are not in the way of the pedals or other moving components, as it's easy to cut or damage the wire by passing it through the wrong place and having something tug on it.

Brake Pedal Epilogue

So, the brake pedal is essentially done. The only thing missing now is the vacuum that
would normally be provided by the engine for the brake booster to soften the brake. A separate vacuum pump will sort this so long as it can recharge the brake booster in-between pedal presses. Having said this, I'm told actual race cars much more resemble what we have now, so maybe I'll leave it as is, however if I do add something like this, I will make sure to update this intructable. The last two pictures (Picture 7' and 'Picture 8') show the pedal unit installed with the dashboard out. There is about 2mm clearance between the Logitech pedals and the frame of the car, so a very tight fit.

OK, Moving onto the clutch. Ill cut to the chase. We will use the same technique for the clutch as for the brake and mount the Logitech at the top of the car's clutch pedal unit (see 'Picture 2'). I'd like to be able to say the clutch is easier to build than the brake, but that would be a lie. Its much harder for 2 reasons:

• Unlike the brake, where all components outside the firewall are intact and present, the clutch is missing a vital ingredient; the gearbox. Without this, there is nothing to provide the feel normally associated with the clutch. So we will have to make something that replicates that.

• Unlike the brake where the travel is only part-way to the floor, the clutch pedal goes all the way to the floor. This may not seem like an issue until you try and find the point where both pedals travel their full distance. Suffice it to say, the point is under the Logitech pedal (third picture) and this just doesn't work, so we can't use the same mechanism to solve the problem in this case.

Right, so let's sort this out...

The Clutch Pedal Concept

I have to say, it is hard to to describe the solution to this problem without a
picture first. So, look at the 'Picture 3' now. This is what we are going to build. And because this wont make immediate sense, now check out the video: Clutch Pedal Video

This shows you how it is going to work. So to get the degree of movement we need for the car's clutch pedal we need to slow down the Logitech pedal (as the car's clutch pedal needs to travel much further than the Logitech pedal). So we can do this by collapsing the 2 levers for the first 1/3 of the car's clutch pedal travel, resulting the Logitech pedal barely moving at all. Once we reach about 1/3 of the way there, the amount of travel left is similar in both pedals. This is where the perspex bit comes in. The perspex bit stops the levers collapsing any further, which then causes both pedals to go down at the same rate for the rest of the distance. Oh and it doesn't have to be perspex by the way, it can be metal instead.

So with a solution, we'll forge on...

Attaching the Logitech Pedal to the OEM Clutch Frame

Tools and Materials Required:

• Angle grinder
• Electric drill + bits
• Allen keys
• Phillips head screwdriver.

To start with we are going to attach the Logitech pedal to the car's clutch pedal, and this means following the same process as with the brake pedal:

• Cut the car's clutch pedal housing so the Logitech pedal fits and attach it via the 2 screw holes at the top.
• Cut away enough of the bottom of the Logitech pedal to allow the adjustment screw to still be used and use that to secure the pedal at the bottom.

If you need more detail than this, follow the process for the brake again as it's the same.

Constructing the Clutch Pedal Levers

Tools and Materials Required:

• Angle grinder
• Electric drill + bits
• 80cm 25mm x 3mm aluminium bar
• Aluminium tubing for a spacer (shown in first picture).

So as previously mentioned we are going to solve the pedal extent synchronisation issue with a double lever arrangement instead of a single one like the brake pedal uses. And the process starts the same as for the brake pedal build:

Cut 2 x 150 mm strips and 1 x 140mm strip off the 80cm aluminium bar. Round the edges of each as per 'Picture 5'.

Drill a hole in the rounded end of each and then attach the 2 x 150mm strips to the Logitech pedal as shown in the 'Picture 5'. As before, the other ends will be hanging free. The remaining 140mm strip will be used in a minute, so leave that aside for a moment.

Now, due to the way the car's clutch pedal bends (towards the accelerator - see 'Picture 2'), we need to put both aluminium strips on the same side of the Logitech pedal (see 'Picture 5'). Also, due to the way the levers are going to work in this case, we need to shave the side off the Logitech lower pedal mount so the levers don't hit the bracket. This can be seen clearly in the 'Picture 6'. An angle grinder will make short work of it.

With that done, drill a hole in the car pedal as far down as possible before the pedal bends outward (circled in 'Picture 7'). Attach the 140mm aluminium strip (created earlier) to the pedal with a bolt (as per 'Picture 3').

Finishing the Double Lever the Mechanism

Tools and Materials Required:

• Angle grinder, drill and bits
• 3mm perspex (or an offcut from the aluminium bar)
• bolts.

Next, we need to remove the 3 aluminium strips created in the last step as we need to do a little more work on them. Don't mix them up though, we need to keep the 2 x 150mm strips separate from the 140mm strip.

Now we are going to drill the hole where the aluminium strips intersect. On the 150mm strips, mark a point 115mm from the centre-point of the existing hole. And on the 140mm strip, mark a point 90mm from the centre-point of the existing hole (both still roughly in the middle of the strip). These can now be drilled and the mechanism can be reassembled.

So, the next bit is a little tricky. If you look at the tenth picture, you'll notice the bevel on the upper left hand side of the lower lever. When the pedal is at rest (not depressed), the acrylic bit rests against this bevel (line B in 'Picture 8'). The more you press the pedal, the further the acrylic bit moves away from the bevel until it is resting against the edge of the lever (line A in 'Picture 8'). At that point, it can't move anymore, so locks in place and both pedals start moving. So pressing down on the pedal shifts the acrylic from B to A and when returning to rest, it shifts from A to B. This means that that angle is quite important as it governs when the Logitech pedal starts moving. And the angle required is about 17 degrees as marked in the 'Picture 9'. Equally, the acrylic piece is 17 degrees from perpendicular (as shown). So all that's left to do is to mark and cut the bevel on the 140mm piece of aluminium and add the acrylic to the 150mm pieces of aluminium (it gets sandwiched between the 2 pieces and is held in place by 3 bolts - as pictured).

I have included a couple of line drawings to help (not labelled with numbers). These are to scale, but probably wont be the right size if printed.

And the last step is the electrics. Again, this will just plug straight up without modification. Feed the cable to the clutch potentiometer and plug it up. Make sure the cables are not in the way of the pedals or other moving components.

Right, so this is the pedal sorted. Unfortunately, this currently just presses straight to the floor without any effort at all. This is because there isn't a gearbox anymore. Hopefully you still have the clutch slave cylinder though as we need that now (shown in 'Picture 1'). if your car uses a cable, the idea is the same however you may have to reverse the direction of the pressure mechanism.

The Clutch Slave Cylinder

Tools and Materials Required:

• Angle grinder
• Electric drill + bits
• Bolts and nuts
• Brake line flaring tool
• Clutch slave cylinder
• Clutch line
• Washers.

So the clutch line between the clutch master cylinder and the slave is normally quite long and has lots of twists and turns in it. We don't need that length and it would look ugly as well so we are going to shorten it. As well as this, the clutch slave is best out of the way, so we will stick it close to the firewall as per the 'Picture 1'. And here are the steps:

• Position the clutch slave below the clutch master cylinder directly in front of the frame's rear crossmember as per the first picture. Mark where to drill the 2 holes.

• Drill the 2 holes and attach the clutch slave cylinder to the rear crossmember with 2cm worth of spacers (multiple washers or nuts) between the back of the clutch slave and the front of the crossmember. The spacers are required to line the slave cylinder with the fulcrum we are going to build.

• Attach the clutch line to the clutch master cylinder and position (bend) the line so that it runs parallel to the hole where it connects to the clutch slave. Mark where it needs to be cut and cut with an angle grinder.

• Slide the threaded nut off the other end of the clutch line and slide it over the shortened line.

• Using a brake line flaring tool, flare the end of the clutch line.

• Attach the threaded nut into the clutch slave.

• Bleed the clutch. I'm not going to cover this as there are plenty of guides on how to do this.

The Failed Clutch Solution

So 'Picture 2' was the first attempt at getting the pressure right. A shock absorber that would normally hold the boot (trunk) open, and a heavy duty spring. This appears in a number of the pictures. In the end I just could not get enough pressure out of this mechanism to generate the correct resistance in the pedal. I also didn't want to use a hacked clutch plate solution as that would look ugly and take up too much space. So, this caused a mental block for a while, but the solution finally presented itself. Rather than driving the shock absorber directly from the pedal, why not use a fulcrum to increase the pressure. By attaching the clutch slave close to the pivot point and attaching the shock to the end of the fulcrum, it increases the effort required to push the shock absorber. This is what we want.

Creating the Fulcrum

Tools and Materials Required:

• Angle grinder
• Electric drill + bits
• Another brake/accelerator frame
• Threaded rod
• Aluminium tubing with internal diameter slightly bigger than the threaded rod
• 100mm of 50mm x 50mm aluminium angle

Alright, we are going to use a brake pedal mounted upside down to form the fulcrum. So here is what we need to do:

Start with the stock brake/accelerator frame and take to this with an angle grinder and cut off the accelerator. Also cut off the end of the brake pedal and trim down the frame. You should end up with something approaching the third picture (labelled 'Picture 3').

Next, we need to create something for the clutch slave to press on. We will use a bolt attached to the U bracket that normally attaches the brake booster to the pedal. This is shown in 'Picture 4'. Now we need to fix this in the right position . This will require a bracket attached to the rear crossmember (see 'Picture 5'). The bracket will be made out of 50 x 50 aluminium angle and should be about 100mm long. Now we need to position it:

• Collapse the clutch slave (push the tip until it and it's rubber boot sits neatly in place).

• Cut a bit of tubing 10mm longer than the bolt and slide it over the bolt.

• Attach the bracket to the bottom of the pedal frame. This can be done by drilling 2 holes through the frame and bolting the frame to the bracket.

• Now, place the mechanism in front of the clutch slave, feed the end of the tube over the end of the clutch slave and push the mechanism towards the clutch slave until the pedal starts to move.

• Bolt the bracket in place on the rear crossmember in this position.

You should now have a setup approaching that shown in 'Picture 5'. I should also note here that this mechanism can be finely adjusted by changing how far in the bolt is screwed.

Attaching the Shock Absorber to the Fulcrum

Tools and Materials Required:

• Drill and bits
• Shock absorber (specifically a boot strut).

Now the fulcrum is in place, we just need the resistance. Problem is, there is no way to know how high up the pedal we need to go to get the right resistance. Answer; drill lots of holes (See 'Picture 7'). The boot (trunk) shock absorber has a joint on each end with a thread attached. As a result, this joint can be bolted directly to the pedal (see 'Picture 7'). We just need to drill holes the same size as the thread, and by moving the shock between different holes will change the resistance of the pedal. As for the other end of the shock, it can be just be cut off and jammed into the strut tower (see 'Picture 8', it may be worthwhile drilling an indentation for the end to sit in, or creating a bracket for it to bolt to).

Stabilizing the Clutch Slave

So I struck a little issue with the Clutch slave bending to the right under the applied pressure. To fix this, we need to build a rail for the pipe to slide on (see 'Picture 9').

Tools and Materials Required:

• Aluminium angle
• Electric drill + bits
• Angle grinder
• Tek screws
• 4 x small bolts + nuts

Ok, so this is pretty simple. Use a piece of large aluminium angle to attach to the rear crossmember just below the pipe. The pipe should be resting on the angle when positioned. This should then be tek screwed to the rear crossmember.

Now, using 2 pieces of aluminium angle, fence the pipe in on both sides. Drill holes at either end of each and attach to the larger angle with small bolts as per 'Picture 9'

And that's it, the clutch is finished!

So hopefully you are still with me and have not given up in disgust. We now have a car that acts like a game controller. We still have a lot to cover, but I'm going to leave that to the next instructable, where I'll be installing some more advanced features.

In the meantime, check out the videos. This shows the rig in action and provides a bit of a teaser of things to come.

• Video 1: Dirt 5, Greece, Kalabaka Town. Global Position: 1st in World
• Video 2: Dirt 5, Greece, Kalabaka Town. Global Position: 2nd in World
• Video 2: Dirt 5, Greece, Kalabaka Town. Global Position: 2nd in World
• Video 3: Dirt 5, Brazil, The Redeemer. Global Position: 6th
• Video 4: A sample Dirt 5 race.

Stay tuned for Part 2: Racing Simulator With a Twist...