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Lotus Seven S2 Shifter


TEM

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Joe,

Your shifter looked familiar so I went through the boxes of spare parts I received with the car and found something similar but, it looks way too long.  The O-ring at the bottom looks like crude vibration dampening.

Is it typical these come so long and need to be cut down?

 

 

Shifter 2.jpg

Shifter 1.jpg

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Looks like it may be a shifter from a Cortina or Escort.

Interesting that you have that, but when you get into these old collections of parts, all sort of things show up.

 

You want to install the shifter as-is and see if it feels tight end will engage all the gears.

Unfortunately, this may require having the transmission out of the car if the dashboard interferes with the shifter movement.

If that goes well, then cut and thread for the shifter ball.

 

Ah Lotus!  Nothing is ever easy!

 

Good Luck - Joe

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Based on the drawings, it looks like a 36 degree bend with the upper end an inch longer than the lower. A lug bolt hole in an old steel wheel would be useful to hold the lower for bending with a torch and would shield the lower as well as support the shaft better than a vice to prevent gouging the shaft. Wet rag around the lower also helps. Only heat the one inch of bend area (to keep the bend tight versus an arc) to near cherry with a 3/8 gas pipe over the upper for a little more leverage. I doubt a hand bottle/map torch will get hot enough but worth a try. A threaded rod coupler can be epoxied into a cue ball for a nice shift knob if you have large hands. Drill the ball to the diameter of the coupler flats, epoxy coat the hole, fully thread a bolt into the coupler so the threads stay clear of epoxy, then tap the bolt to insert the coupler. Add a jamb nut.

 

If you have trouble cutting threads into the shaft, a bolt with the desired threads can be butt welded to the end of the shaft and ground to level with the shaft if the butts are vee'd or a gap created to be filled by welding.

Cortina shifter estimate.jpg

Edited by MV8
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I realized that I didn't have any pictures of the shifter I built, so I figured I would take a few minutes and get some.

You may only have one chance to cut and bend, so best to take your time and get the best measurements you can!

 

I used a socket on an extension as a shifter so that I could get a measurement of the receiving cup in the shift rod.

Tried a number of sockets and finally settled on 1/2", which was very convenient.

 

I got a 1' length of 1/2" round stock from the home supply store and set about tapering the lower section like the flat ball shifter.

Fortunately. my transmission was on the floor which allowed me to test the "shiftability" as I shaped the 7/8" section.

Once I was satisfied that there was little play and all gears were selected, I drilled the hole for the swivel pin and bent the shaft like the other shifter.

 

Seems like I got the plastic swivel in a kit from Kelvedon in the UK, Burton has some of the shifter parts also.

I am using an MGA shift boot (gaiter).

 

I suggest you get maybe some 1/2" aluminum or steel tubing and mock-up the shaft so you can be sure of clearance.  There is not a lot of room under the dash and you want to be sure there is no interference, particularly with the handbrake.

Sit in the car and reach for where the gear knob will be.  Beware that the seat is surprisingly low and the tunnel/armrest position should be comfortable.

 

Good Luck - Joe

Shifter with measurements.jpg

Shifter 4th gear.jpg

Shifter 3rd gear.jpg

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I got the boot from Moss and measured it and trimmed the hole to fit.

Looks like it is around 3"

I think you want to get the boot, slide it over the shifter and mark the circle, then cut the hole inside the marks.

 

I did this 6 or 7 years ago and the boot shows no signs of age or cracking.

 

Good Luck - Joe

 

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