WTB: Cable shifter

[Hf_martin]

Looking for a cable shifter setup for lotus europa.
Know there was a group buy/construction of a cable arrangement made years ago if someone have one laying around. Or any other setup that’s fits.

Also interested in a rear hoop for gearbox.


Regards Martin
Hf_martin@hotmail.com

[BDA]

I'm not aware of a universal design for cable shifter nor am I aware of anybody who sells a cable shifter kit for any particular transaxle. There are some designs here (https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1vN3OGyVAaJ5Q8i6isCilUYFTC3nicIGr). I think this is something that will have to be a personal project or one you farm out.

As anybody on the board can tell you I am far from infallible so I will be happy to find out I'm wrong and may consider buying one from whoever makes them!

[jbcollier]

I built my own.  It's not hard.  Just takes a bit of head scratching and basic fabrication.  I started with a shift unit from a Toyota Corolla.  Modified that quite a bit to fit in the tunnel and then measured the cable travel it gave.  Compared that to the required movement at the transaxle end and fabricated supports and levers to match the two up.  Any truck shop can make up custom control cables.

[Hf_martin]

Thanks for answers,

will try do make something myself, and maybe start with a corolla shifter.

Do you have any pictures of how you did it and what year of corolla shifter did you use?

/Martin

[S2Zetec54]

…..just a thought but has anyone used an Elise shifter?

I have a MR2 hybrid in mine using bespoke control cables and I've always thought a lotus derived shifter would be more appropriate…perhaps using standard off the shelf cable lengths extended at the gearbox end with adjustable rods.

The MR2 hybrid shifts well but every couple of years the cable breaks at the crimp. I have installed pipes from to back to make installation of the control cables easy….i use blue drinking water pipe which is just large enough to slide the cable down and the water pipe is nicely swept and supported for smooth operation.

[jbcollier]

Here is the Corolla unit I used:



Get it with the used cables as well as you will need at least one end.  I removed the plastic unit from its metal base and made up spacers to bolt the unit in from inside the tunnel positioning the ball of the shifter in the same place as the stock shifter:



This also shows the reverse lock out I made.

[jbcollier]

Use a ruler to measure the total available travel at the shifter cable attachment points.  Then go to the transaxle and do the same.  In my case the fore/aft, gear selector worked fine as is but the side/side shift rail selector had to be modified.  I made up a very simple, ratio-altering, lever with brass bushings and rod ends:



Fore/aft selector rod bent to clear suspension and driveshaft:

[jbcollier]

I made up cable anchors at the transaxle end but just used the rear chassis tunnel end plate for the shifter end.  I had a truck shop make up custom cab remote control cables in the required lengths with 1/4NF ends. I used -3 oil line swivels in the linkage to allow for easy adjustment.

As I said, nothing actually complicated.  Just straight-forward, methodical fab work.

[Grumblebuns]

There are a couple of articles in the LotusEuropa@groups.io files section on home made cable shifters, second page.

https://groups.io/g/LotusEuropa/files

https://groups.io/g/LotusEuropa/files/Cable%20shifter%20%28using%20MR2%20parts%29/Shifter.pdf