Controls layout?

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G

Ghetto Fab

Spotter Required
Joined
Nov 1, 2021
Messages
88
Location
Atascadero, Ca
Trying to plan the layout of the interior of the new buggy. What do you use more often, t-case levers or rear cutting brakes?

I had been thinking, especially with a driver drop t-case, that having the t-case levers closer to me would be a benefit when doing front digs. Now I'm starting to think I'd use the cutting brakes more often though, since I could use them at anytime. Obviously I'd prefer to not be reaching for the thing I use more often.

I've never had a buggy with rear cutting brakes or the real ability to do front digs so I have no experience with either. This also isn't getting rear steer so thats not a factor in the control design layout either.

Thoughts?
 
Have the ability to use ANY of the controls with your left hand.

My the knobs on my cutting brake levers are parallel to the shifter when in park. Not quite a full arms reach away, plenty of leverage to pull back. t-case is behind/below them between the seats. Easy reach with the left hand. Every control in my cockpit is in a small area.

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Here is my controls. Tried to make everything in seamless reach from one control to another. I figure transmission is the most used, then rear steer, then t-case, then cutter. I aligned rear steer valve with transmission neutral so near same angle going to it from 1st or reverse. Also made rear steer valve lever the same height as transmission shifter. Switch Pros is extended to easy reach from shifter as well. Only controls on left side of steering wheel are the brake ball valves and rear suck down then I mounted temp and so far has just been fine. Gauges up high so easy glance from normal sight lines over hood.

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I was also thinking the trans would be the most frequently used and in my head I really want that down low between the seats. I'd like my left arm to be in a natural position to use it. Then have t-case in front of the shifter on one side and the cutting brakes on the other. I really dislike having the trans shifter on the center console mounted at a steep angle, probably from years of working on alfa-romeo spiders.
 
woody said:
Have the ability to use ANY of the controls with your left hand.

My the knobs on my cutting brake levers are parallel to the shifter when in park. Not quite a full arms reach away, plenty of leverage to pull back. t-case is behind/below them between the seats. Easy reach with the left hand. Every control in my cockpit is in a small area.

View attachment 18633
Click to expand...
where did you get your winch switches?
 
Since I am a drag axle car, rear steer controls are a non factor. For me, levers touched by priority are transmission, rear air locker, cutting brakes and then transfer case. I lock and unlock my rear a lot and always unlock prior to cutting brake. My right hand is always on my trans shifter or cutting brakes. (mostly cutting brakes) I switched the cables on my transfer case so my rear axle is the closest to the trans shifter for front digs. Having a 4 spd case makes it cumbersome to be trying to manage the middle lever for front digs.

The air locker switch is in front of the trans shifter. suicide knob on the wheel makes for easy one handed driving.

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whiterhino said:
Since I am a drag axle car, rear steer controls are a non factor. For me, levers touched by priority are transmission, rear air locker, cutting brakes and then transfer case. I lock and unlock my rear a lot and always unlock prior to cutting brake. My right hand is always on my trans shifter or cutting brakes. (mostly cutting brakes) I switched the cables on my transfer case so my rear axle is the closest to the trans shifter for front digs. Having a 4 spd case makes it cumbersome to be trying to manage the middle lever for front digs.

The air locker switch is in front of the trans shifter. suicide knob on the wheel makes for easy one handed driving.
Click to expand...

How do you like your cable shifters? I keep hearing people warning not to go that direction, but the one project I have done with them seemed to work out well, and it would fix quite a few problems on my end.
 
They work decent but probably not as good as direct linkage. I had to replace one early on. I attribute it to trying to force a shift vs finessing it. My double works flawlessly. Shifting to a front dig can be a nuisance sometimes but that is not unique to cable shifters. Quite often there is bind between front and rear axles making it hard to shift. As @woody mentioned, you need to have your shifters accessible by both hands. A trick is to have one hand on the t-case shifter and one on the trans shifter. By clicking F-N-R and back on the trans, you can get the case to shift. There have been a few times where I was all twisted up and it was a struggle to do a front dig.(or rear)

Bottom line, sometimes there is no alternative to a cable shifter setup.
 
Current thoughts.
Screenshot 2025-04-10 113849.webp

Screenshot 2025-04-10 113648.webp

Obviously none of this is set in stone until I get more of the interior and the seats in, but its a tentative plan for now. I'm not sold on the switchpro panel location and I will probably try to move the cutting brakes up higher if possible. Depends on how the reach for them is. I think the trans shifter and t-case shifters are in a good spot though. My only worry would be hitting the front output shifter with my leg.
 
How close is your trans shifter to your knees? It looks like you will have to pull your elbow back behind / beside your seat bolster to reach the shifter. You want to be able to drop your hand off the wheel and have it naturally fall onto your trans shifter. (note Woody's, Matt's and mine is in front of the seat. Yours is beside it)

Switchpro is in an awkward location. You will have to reach over your levers and poke at the buttons. If you can reach while strapped in, I would move them up on the vertical panel next to the cutting brakes.
 
Ghetto Fab said:
I really dislike having the trans shifter on the center console mounted at a steep angle, probably from years of working on alfa-romeo spiders.
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I always thought it looked awkward having shifter more vertical on the console but after sitting in a buddy's oriented like that it isn't bad and in my application it fit there nice.
Here is a in-cab video that highlights some control operations and having everything easy to reach with your right hand.

 
Great vid Matt. Where is that?
Off topic, is the roof padding for noise, heat or just street cred? :)
And does that little fan help much?

To the OP, notice how his hand never gets further back than his thigh? If he had to reach further back, it would be awkward.
 
whiterhino said:
Great vid Matt. Where is that?
Off topic, is the roof padding for noise, heat or just street cred? :)
And does that little fan help much?
Click to expand...
That is near me in northern Wyoming, that was the first time driving those canyons so a lot of figuring out which way to go.
All of the above on the headliner, looks more finished but my main thought is heat insulation from radiant sun heat on aluminum roof panel.
Little fan helps but the battery on those don't last long. Thinking a powered one next time I try.
 
whiterhino said:
Great vid Matt. Where is that?
Off topic, is the roof padding for noise, heat or just street cred? :)
And does that little fan help much?

To the OP, notice how his hand never gets further back than his thigh? If he had to reach further back, it would be awkward.
Click to expand...
Yeah, I get that. My thought was to get the trans shifter situated in a position where my arm felt natural when resting on the center console. The shifter might have to move forward more for that to happen. Always hard to tell in the computer models as the human form is very flexible and hard to model. I have seats on order and by the time they show up I should be much further along on tube work.
 
Shifted things around a bit based on feedback. Moved the trans all the way forward and put the switch pro behind. Should make access to the switch pro better and should be more natural of a fit for the shifter. T-case shifters are basically in the same spot as the trans which is nice, although I fear its too crowded in that spot. It'd be nice to move the trans shifter further to the right. I could move the t-case shifters to the right side of the trans and up a bit, but I fear that would put them out of left hand reach. Pretty sure with this layout that reaching the t-case shifters with my left hand should be no problemo.
Screenshot 2025-04-11 114408.webp

Screenshot 2025-04-11 114554.webp
 
Just a quick question regarding steering wheel location, does the wheel usually line up around the front edge of the driver seat? I realize it depends on a few different parameters(body height, seat type, etc). I'm 6' 225. I will be using a 9 or 12" column with a steering wheel disconnect. Once my Atlas gets in I can fine tune it a little more. Just me planning/visualizing the future setup.
 
Lots of variables, but yes....ish...

Not clipped, so it'd be about 1" further forward. Trans is in neutral (re-spooling the winch line today).

The steering wheel dish helps keep the steering shaft further away for easier entry/exit.

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BTW: I think the most overthoughtabout thing on my build was where to position the steering wheel....lol
 
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That's great. I have the same steering wheel (in red flake). My plan is to get the Atlas mounted, then mock up the driver seat, and then on to the steering wheel/column/orbital location. I just want to make sure I have it in an optimum position for comfort and drivability sake.
 
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