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precise self centering shifter ? - any experiences/ideas ?
Andrzejsr - 27/5/21 at 03:29 PM

Tried on Wesftfield Forum, but maybe here I could find someone who had similar thoughts and has some experience :

I have this shifter connected to MT75 gearbox (In Westfield Aerorace so based on SEiW chasis) :

http://www.westfieldsportscar.co.uk/buildpics/module3/quickshifttop.jpg

(not mine picture but the same)



It seems to me ok so far, but now installing a dogbox, thinking to change to somethig more precise and self centering on 3-4 gear position , to be sure I did all I could not to misshiftt and destroy new gearbox.



Does anyone know a solution for 7-type kitcars esp Westfield and MT 75 gearbox?

Here in Poland there are some manufacturers of such shifters designed for BMW , somethig like this (just example but the spring centering the shifter is visible) :



https://allegro.pl/oferta/short-shifter-bmw-super-shifter-drag-drift-ftwl-10669954772



I think it needs to be mounted to center tunnel rather than to gearbox. Worth to look at the gearbox connecting rod to make best fitment with no play.
Butt just now started to wonder if there are any disadvantages of mounting the gear selector-shifter on the chasis-tunnel instead on support bolted to gearbox ?


theconrodkid - 27/5/21 at 05:07 PM

Dzien dobry
if you mount the selector on the body it could cause problems as the engine and box will move as they are not rigidly mounted, the one in pic 1 would be my choice.
do you really want a dog box ?, they are (imho) a pain to use


Andrzejsr - 27/5/21 at 05:38 PM

As for the dogbox have no choice, this was the only affordable way fot the gear ratios I wanted (car is track only, no road use) . And it is already connected to the engine so ... The old MT75 stays on the shelf (with the gear lever from 1st picture together) just in case.

As for the mounted on bushes engine and gearbox, I am aware of thas so that is why I ask others more experienced if it really in reality is a issue and of what kind. Those tunel mounted gear levers are as I understand mounted this way in BMW's and have just found other company with similar products for other cars ( https://cae-racing.de/ - pretty costly so if this coud make harm to gearboxes why pay so much for the gear lever).

[Edited on 27/5/21 by Andrzejsr]


40inches - 27/5/21 at 10:36 PM

The gear linkage for my Getrag box is mounted on the chassis, no problems encountered
Description
Description


Andrzejsr - 28/5/21 at 11:43 AM

Thank You! it looks like a BMW support - some kind of "hybrid" - on one side gearbox attached on the other side to the chasis via rubber busch. Maybe it is good idea - such similar hybrid mounting.


40inches - 28/5/21 at 02:40 PM

quote:
Originally posted by Andrzejsr
Thank You! it looks like a BMW support - some kind of "hybrid" - on one side gearbox attached on the other side to the chasis via rubber busch. Maybe it is good idea - such similar hybrid mounting.


It's a Jaguar S type 3 litre box with the OEM gearchange, although it is shortened slightly, and yes the support is rubber mounted on the box.
Description
Description


Andrzejsr - 14/7/21 at 10:25 PM

Update :
decided to fit the shifter to the gearbox, not to the chassis.
Here is how it looks like , shifter - aftermarket for the BMW E36/46 with strong self - centering spring (it always center at 3-4 gear position - see video below) + Ford Scorpio cradle (support?) - it had old bushes, could not find new ones except from Burton Power but it was for 4x4 version , only front (yellow on pictures below matched). Upper ones was cracked but not completely like the front-sides, decided to fill in some polyurethane . This made a little stiffer whole assembly but still there is some "springing" on the bushes. Did not want to fit the cradle stiff - solid to the gearbox as previous solid mounted quick-shifter caused destruction of one of the threads. Maybe in future after helicoiling the aluminum gearbox case threads... But is shows not to disturb garchange when driving. Will see.
So the gear lever, the cradle (had to cut some on the sides and cut out the original support plate for gear lever bearing, weld steel flat plate on the top, cut it accordingly to the lover part of lever movement, weld 6 bolts.
Then the rod connecting lever with gearbox. Original from Scorpio was to short to properly ergonomically position the gear lever in cockpit . And the connecting unit to the gearbox from scorpio is huge and of unknown to me mechanism of disconnecting the spring to pin of the rod.
In meantime it shows that the BMW (e36/46) solution is much easier, better design, smaller (easier to connect and disconnect in the chassis tunnel)
So I cut both rods and connected the Scorpio part to the gear lever and BMW part to the gearbox .
In the end I decided to lengthen a little the lever so the movement is little longer and similar to the movement I had with previous lever (the lover part - below the axis of movement) of the lever in the new is longer than in previous, so to achieve similar hand movement, had to make the upper part longer. Whis is good additionally because it is closer to the steering wheel.

https://aswestfield.files.wordpress.com/2021/07/img_20210707_015949364.jpg?strip=info&w=1800

https://aswestfield.files.wordpress.com/2021/07/img_20210710_230456572.jpg?strip=info&w=1800

https://aswestfield.files.wordpress.com/2021/07/img_20210707_020041845.jpg?strip=info&w=1800

https://aswestfield.files.wordpress.com/2021/07/img_20210703_152444725.jpg?strip=info&w=1800

https://aswestfield.files.wordpress.com/2021/07/img_20210703_173834992.jpg?strip=info&w=1800



More pictures and video with driving it here :


https://aswestfield.wordpress.com/majsterkowanie/


EDIT have some troubles with uploading pictures so links instead


[Edited on 14/7/21 by Andrzejsr]

[Edited on 14/7/21 by Andrzejsr]

[Edited on 14/7/21 by Andrzejsr]