A simple but effective clutch lockout.

[Greg Schilhab <gschil@orthomed.org>]

 Hope the security thread here isnt getting long and tiresome... I'd just 
like to share a thing which took me 1 hour to make, costs 15 bucks and 
seems to offer some solid security. Measurements may be a bit different 
on other cars.

A simple clutch lock. The Nub :-) 
This little thing is not for putting on every time you hit the store but 
rather to protect your regular overnight parking (because every ho 
slappin' punk with a screwdriver also knows where your scirocco sleeps). 
It takes about ten seconds to put on and can augment whatever else you 
use. Just throw it in the glove compartment when not in use.

Materials
1 inch square pipe of 1/8 inch thick steel
1 heavy duty padlock

Tools
drill press
file
hacksaw

1) Cut off a 7.25 inch section of pipe

2) On one end cut a slot across two sides 3/16 wide by 1.75 inches deep. 
This slot will fit around the flat arm of the clutch pedal which is 3/16 
stamped metal. The other end of the pipe goes straight back and rests 
securely on the carpet directly behind the pedal.

3) Install for fit. On the uncut sides of the slotted end, measure and 
mark the position for a hole to be drilled through them. These holes 
should be wide enough to accept the shackle of the lock and also be as 
close enough to the edge of the enclosed clutch arm to eliminate _any_ 
free play.

To install, just reach down, slip the pipe behind the clutch pedal arm so 
the slot encloses the arm, thread the lock through the holes and snap it 
shut. If you've measured right,the pipe wont budge with any force, and 
the clutch is locked up. Since the pipe is as strong as the the pedal arm 
itself you cant really pry it off. The clutch arm has a neat little notch 
at the back edge of it- if you lock the pipe there it can't be slid up or 
down either.. Because it so cramped down there, its tough to get a good 
bite at the lock with bolt cutters or start whaling away at it with a 
hacksaw. After putting this gizmo on, I couldnt think of a fast way to 
defeat it, even in the larcenous frame of mind I'm in these days.
Those other pedal locks from the wheel to pedal suck-just cut through the 
wheel and off it comes. Here you gotta bend and grunt a little here for 
the extra security.

Ten seconds a night devoted to this paranoid ritual might just let you 
avoid  weeks of insurance recovery hassles and months of searching for 
another scirocco to replace your ripped off baby. 

greg




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