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I've uprated the gearshift rod for my old 3B....
This is what the standard one looks like:
First job - drill a pilot hole to align the extension adaptor, and cut the end off:
The extension bar was machined from SAE 4130 (3/4")
I was going to use tube and put a plug in the end, but we had no tube:
The extension was pinned onto the cut down shift rod:
And then welded on:
The components for the job - left to right: the welded adapted rod, a military-spec universal joint (machined with suitably timed holes for M5 bolts), a sleeve for the gearbox pin (which will need to be drilled to accept the M5 bolt). In the foreground on the right, two of the four curved washers which will be used for the bolts (the bolts shown are not the final length):
The assembled end fitting:
The completed shift rod - just a lick of paint required along with the correct shank length bolts (which will be cut down from similar bolts to the ones seen here):
Finally, as a rough comparison - the before and after views together:
So there you have it - a shift rod with less flex than the original, so it should make shifting a lot more positive. Combined with the short-shifter I believe it will make the whole driving experience a better one! Yes there will be more vibration, the lever will move a bit with the engine (mind you I've got the stiffer engine mounts)
...comments welcome!
This is what the standard one looks like:
First job - drill a pilot hole to align the extension adaptor, and cut the end off:
The extension bar was machined from SAE 4130 (3/4")
I was going to use tube and put a plug in the end, but we had no tube:
The extension was pinned onto the cut down shift rod:
And then welded on:
The components for the job - left to right: the welded adapted rod, a military-spec universal joint (machined with suitably timed holes for M5 bolts), a sleeve for the gearbox pin (which will need to be drilled to accept the M5 bolt). In the foreground on the right, two of the four curved washers which will be used for the bolts (the bolts shown are not the final length):
The assembled end fitting:
The completed shift rod - just a lick of paint required along with the correct shank length bolts (which will be cut down from similar bolts to the ones seen here):
Finally, as a rough comparison - the before and after views together:
So there you have it - a shift rod with less flex than the original, so it should make shifting a lot more positive. Combined with the short-shifter I believe it will make the whole driving experience a better one! Yes there will be more vibration, the lever will move a bit with the engine (mind you I've got the stiffer engine mounts)
...comments welcome!
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