Replacement Shift Cable Kit - Similar to Bob B.

Drivetrain problems

Moderators: theelanman, dapinky, Specky, clemo, Nige, Sy V, Dave Eds, DaveT, Elanlover, muley, Enright, algirdas, nitroman, GeoffSmith

Re: Replacement Shift Cable Kit - Similar to Bob B.

Postby Brit-Car-Nut » Thu 12.05.2016, 15:21

Some of you know me and also know that I am being treated for Leukemia.

I will start another year of intensive treatments in early June and probably will be unable to respond as quickly to cable orders while I am away at the hospital or recovering from the chemo.

This is my second go-round and the cancer is much more aggressive this time, so the treatment will also be much more aggressive.

That said, I can still fulfill orders in a timely fashion (a week to two weeks before shipment after an order is received) but if you are thinking about improving your shifting experience, you should consider buying sooner than later.

A web LINK will be provided to the heavily detailed installation guides[/b][/color]

For the current price please go to the most recent posts as I will keep updating costs or product info as it changes


The "Retail" price for these is much higher, so asking your repair shop to buy a set for you only increases your final cost.

Also, most repair shops don't want to add the Short-Shift kit (to keep their outlay as low as possible), so it is most prudent for LEC members to buy directly from me to get the best price for the cable and short-shift kits.

Until I start treatment, there is still a 3 to 4 business day shipping delay while I assemble and finally install/adjust the cable kits on my test car prior to shipping them out.

Anyone that "wants a set" but is waiting until the last minute, the clock is ticking.

A very BIG Thank You to those that have ordered Cables and shared their experiences and results with the forum.
Last edited by Brit-Car-Nut on Tue 01.01.2019, 14:42, edited 6 times in total.
Please contact me via eMail, not by PM
Brit-Car-Nut
God
 
Posts: 4820
Joined: Tue 03.07.2007, 17:07
Location: Charlotte, NC USA

Re: Replacement Shift Cable Kit - Similar to Bob B.

Postby vinnie » Thu 12.05.2016, 20:03

You may have been asked this before but are the shift cables suitable for a S2.
vinnie
Newbie
 
Posts: 36
Joined: Sat 21.06.2014, 22:51
Location: sheffield

Re: Replacement Shift Cable Kit - Similar to Bob B.

Postby Brit-Car-Nut » Thu 12.05.2016, 20:31

Not to worry. They are an improvement for both the SE and S2 and make them feel like a high-end sports car when installed.
Please contact me via eMail, not by PM
Brit-Car-Nut
God
 
Posts: 4820
Joined: Tue 03.07.2007, 17:07
Location: Charlotte, NC USA

Re: Replacement Shift Cable Kit - Similar to Bob B.

Postby vinnie » Sat 14.05.2016, 10:41

just waiting for the exchange rate to improve before I order a kit.
vinnie
Newbie
 
Posts: 36
Joined: Sat 21.06.2014, 22:51
Location: sheffield

Re: Replacement Shift Cable Kit - Similar to Bob B.

Postby Artaban » Sat 14.05.2016, 11:16

just waiting for the exchange rate to improve before I order a kit.


I think you'd miss the benefit of the short shift over the summer if you wait for that. 8)

With the In/Out referendum Sterling will remain relatively poor against the Dollar and probably decrease in the lead up to the referendum on the 23rd June. If the vote is to remain in Sterling is likely to go up in the short term. That is until we realise what a colossal mistake we made by voting to stay in. If you have the money buy it now and enjoy a summer of driving perfection. :-D
Andy
My wife's just divorced me because I wouldn't open the car door for her!
To be fair I panicked and swam straight for the surface.
User avatar
Artaban
Fanatic
 
Posts: 489
Joined: Tue 09.02.2010, 07:24
Location: Tiverton, Devon UK

Re: Replacement Shift Cable Kit - Similar to Bob B.

Postby Brit-Car-Nut » Sat 14.05.2016, 13:23

I had heard that there was a movement to equate the Euro 1:1 to the USD which is in peril now, but it is still the objective of a lot of countries to gain parity.

At the current £1.00 = $1.44 you are as good as it has been for the last 5 years give or take a few cents. It has been floating up and down no more than $0.03 for quite a while.

When the dollar goes down, the cost to ship goes up, so the price for a kit has been pretty stable with the only changes being due to shipping rate increases.

I am running low on some of the adaption parts that I had machined for me and when I have to get more, the cost will certainly be higher than what I paid in 2013.

I have been making small batches of a few easy parts myself but getting them "treated" has been significantly higher than when I did a large quantity since I have to pay for a full 75 piece rack even if I only have 10 pieces.

I have been absorbing those costs and only raised the kit prices when the core cable costs have gone up.
Please contact me via eMail, not by PM
Brit-Car-Nut
God
 
Posts: 4820
Joined: Tue 03.07.2007, 17:07
Location: Charlotte, NC USA

Re: Replacement Shift Cable Kit - Similar to Bob B.

Postby Brit-Car-Nut » Sun 26.06.2016, 14:59

Last edited by Brit-Car-Nut on Wed 17.01.2018, 06:11, edited 3 times in total.
Please contact me via eMail, not by PM
Brit-Car-Nut
God
 
Posts: 4820
Joined: Tue 03.07.2007, 17:07
Location: Charlotte, NC USA

Re: Replacement Shift Cable Kit - Similar to Bob B.

Postby simonbuk » Mon 27.06.2016, 09:08

Being new to this I don't fully understand the issue ? I know what a short shifter does but are the cables a replacement purely because the originals are old and fail ?

Is there a difference in SE and S2 models ? Does it affect a specific model more than others ?

Educate me.............
Simon - Black S2. Simonthesailor

"Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn't do than by the ones you did. So buy an Elan" - Mark Twain.
User avatar
simonbuk
God
 
Posts: 1254
Joined: Sun 13.03.2016, 12:50
Location: Orpington, Kent, sometimes Worthing, currently River Thames........

Re: Replacement Shift Cable Kit - Similar to Bob B.

Postby Brit-Car-Nut » Mon 27.06.2016, 12:21

The original cables are very low quality and have a significant amount of "slop" between the inner cable and the outer jacket. This increases the amount of travel the inner cable must endure to change gears. The replacement cables are heavy duty and have a 1/4 inch multi strand inner cables inside a Teflon jacket that allows them to transfer the push / pull with very little inner cable flex and/or resistance. They are very "smooth sliding" and able to handle the force needed to shift. Combined with the addition of the short-shift kit the normally sloppy shifting of the M100 is much more precise and it is easy to shift with minimal motion at the shifter.

They fit both the SE and S2 and both cable designs used thin cables with bushing connections at each end while the heavy duty cables are sturdy, in a low slip Teflon jacket and have Teflon race spherical rod ends to connect them to the shifter and gearbox.

If you read through the postings, you will see that everyone that has installed a set has been extremely happy with the results.

Over the years, there were several options for replacement cables such as the A-B Cables from Singapore, Lotus's S2 cables were introduced in 1995 and now are the only cables they offer for the M100, Bob Brown pioneered the cable kit I now provide (although I modified the attaching hardware a lot) and Dave H developed the short-shift kit I am supplying (with his permission). A-B offered a short-shift kit that replaced parts of the transmission control box but not too many owners have installed that kit.

In August of 2015, Lotus added the S2 cables to their "discontinued list" ( they were down to 28 of the crossgate cables) and offered them for a very low price that has been increased several times since. They are now around £260.00 for a set of cables and abutment bracket, down from £660.00 in early 2015.
Please contact me via eMail, not by PM
Brit-Car-Nut
God
 
Posts: 4820
Joined: Tue 03.07.2007, 17:07
Location: Charlotte, NC USA

Re: Replacement Shift Cable Kit - Similar to Bob B.

Postby simonbuk » Tue 28.06.2016, 12:58

Ok thanks for this. So the S2 cables were seen as an improvement but still maybe a bit sloppy to the short shift kit ?
Simon - Black S2. Simonthesailor

"Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn't do than by the ones you did. So buy an Elan" - Mark Twain.
User avatar
simonbuk
God
 
Posts: 1254
Joined: Sun 13.03.2016, 12:50
Location: Orpington, Kent, sometimes Worthing, currently River Thames........

Re: Replacement Shift Cable Kit - Similar to Bob B.

Postby Brit-Car-Nut » Tue 28.06.2016, 13:44

Actually, the S2 cables were not an improvement in shifting but they replaced the plastic bits that the SE cables had with metal bits so they didn't break as easily any more.

The cables were still low quality and there was still a lot of slop in the cable design.

The Short-Shift Kit reduces the travel at the shift knob by something like 25%
Last edited by Brit-Car-Nut on Sun 03.07.2016, 03:39, edited 1 time in total.
Please contact me via eMail, not by PM
Brit-Car-Nut
God
 
Posts: 4820
Joined: Tue 03.07.2007, 17:07
Location: Charlotte, NC USA

Re: Replacement Shift Cable Kit - Similar to Bob B.

Postby rwfortingall » Thu 30.06.2016, 09:15

Brit-Car-Nut wrote:I understand poor quite well. I am doing this on a shoe-string budget and only able to order bits as money becomes available.

I should have a full kit finished in around 10 days and will assemble it to see if I misunderstood anything.

I was figuring on funding a batch of around 20 adapter sets and keeping 2 sets of cables available. They take a few weeks to get made, so if there is a run on cable orders, it might be slower than prefered.

I also have to figure out the final costs of the kits and then figure out shipping costs outside the US.

First samples look good and I have the short block and gearbox mounted in a body shell, so I am making progress.

Thanks.


Hi John,

I've just experienced the missing 1/3/5 gear shift, so was interested in the replacement with short shift mechanism. I live in Scotland, so would be interested in the price/availability of the US replacement.

Roger
rwfortingall
Newbie
 
Posts: 4
Joined: Mon 25.01.2016, 12:07

Re: Replacement Shift Cable Kit - Similar to Bob B.

Postby HJ2 » Thu 30.06.2016, 09:34

I expect to order a complete set as well in the coming weeks.
I will let you know when I get the go ahead from the owner!
If you always do what you always did, you always get what you always got
User avatar
HJ2
Wodan - God of the Low Lands
 
Posts: 4380
Joined: Fri 06.06.2008, 10:54
Location: Delft, the Netherlands

Re: Replacement Shift Cable Kit - Similar to Bob B.

Postby Brit-Car-Nut » Thu 30.06.2016, 12:58

rwfortingall wrote:Hi John,

I've just experienced the missing 1/3/5 gear shift, so was interested in the replacement with short shift mechanism. I live in Scotland, so would be interested in the price/availability of the US replacement.

Roger


Roger: The price is as listed:

[b][size=150]Please go to the newest posts for current prices
Last edited by Brit-Car-Nut on Tue 01.01.2019, 14:39, edited 5 times in total.
Please contact me via eMail, not by PM
Brit-Car-Nut
God
 
Posts: 4820
Joined: Tue 03.07.2007, 17:07
Location: Charlotte, NC USA

Re: Replacement Shift Cable Kit - Similar to Bob B.

Postby Brit-Car-Nut » Thu 30.06.2016, 13:00

HJ2 wrote:I expect to order a complete set as well in the coming weeks.
I will let you know when I get the go ahead from the owner!

Thanks, HJ!
Please contact me via eMail, not by PM
Brit-Car-Nut
God
 
Posts: 4820
Joined: Tue 03.07.2007, 17:07
Location: Charlotte, NC USA

Re: Replacement Shift Cable Kit - Similar to Bob B.

Postby Rambo » Thu 30.06.2016, 19:09

Best wishes John :wink:
User avatar
Rambo
Don't push me
 
Posts: 9086
Joined: Wed 24.12.2003, 00:37
Location: Both sides of the Tweed

Re: Replacement Shift Cable Kit - Similar to Bob B.

Postby Brit-Car-Nut » Sat 02.07.2016, 00:20

Back from hospital!

I have enough parts to make 3 sets of cables and Short-Shift Kits before I have to order more base cables.
Please contact me via eMail, not by PM
Brit-Car-Nut
God
 
Posts: 4820
Joined: Tue 03.07.2007, 17:07
Location: Charlotte, NC USA

Re: Replacement Shift Cable Kit - Similar to Bob B.

Postby HJ2 » Sat 02.07.2016, 08:45

email sent :D
If you always do what you always did, you always get what you always got
User avatar
HJ2
Wodan - God of the Low Lands
 
Posts: 4380
Joined: Fri 06.06.2008, 10:54
Location: Delft, the Netherlands

Re: Replacement Shift Cable Kit - Similar to Bob B.

Postby Brit-Car-Nut » Sat 02.07.2016, 13:23

HJ2 wrote:email sent :D

email answered.
Please contact me via eMail, not by PM
Brit-Car-Nut
God
 
Posts: 4820
Joined: Tue 03.07.2007, 17:07
Location: Charlotte, NC USA

Re: Replacement Shift Cable Kit - Similar to Bob B.

Postby danbrown100 » Wed 06.07.2016, 14:57

Glad to hear that you managed to escape from hospital in time for the 4th July weekend!

Dan
Milford PA - 70 miles NE of NYC
1991 Elan SE, 54k miles, needs some TLC
1995 Audi A6 Avant, will outlive all of us!
1973 BMW 2002 Touring, currently off the road
User avatar
danbrown100
Tinkerer
 
Posts: 56
Joined: Thu 13.08.2015, 18:27

PreviousNext

Return to Transmission, and Clutch

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 1 guest