Replacement Shift Cable Kit - Similar to Bob B.

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

Postby Squirtydog » Mon 16.09.2013, 17:25

Hi, if the cost is sensible then I am interested too. I have an S1 car. One cable is broken (have only 1st, 3rd and 5th now). Will replace both however.
Please add me to your list: both cables, whatever adaptors I need to fit to S1 plus short shift.
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Re: Replacement Shift Cable Kit - Similar to Bob B.

Postby tweetdriver63 » Fri 20.09.2013, 03:41

Interested here too, depending on price of course. I've never been happy with my shifting since I got the AB cables a few years ago. I immediately lost the centering when I installed them, and third gear has been tough ever since then too.
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Re: Replacement Shift Cable Kit - Similar to Bob B.

Postby Biff » Sat 05.10.2013, 22:37

Interested as well. Been living in 2nd and 4th for the last week. :(
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Re: Replacement Shift Cable Kit - Similar to Bob B.

Postby Brit-Car-Nut » Sun 06.10.2013, 00:52

I hope to have details, prices and pictures by the end of next week. I have most of the pieces here, just working on a few more adapters. I am also working on a proper installation guide.
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Re: Replacement Shift Cable Kit - Similar to Bob B.

Postby rip » Sun 06.10.2013, 10:31

tweetdriver63 wrote:I've never been happy with my shifting since I got the AB cables a few years ago. I immediately lost the centering when I installed them, and third gear has been tough ever since then too.

I had that but cured it.
The AB cables have a brass sleeve (or more like a bush or thick washer - you'll know it if you fitted them yourself). This fits onto a pin on the crossgate selector at the gearbox end. This was a really tight fit: Far too tight for the centering spring to cope with.
I dug out my needle files to enlarge the hole a little, tidied it up with some fine wet & dry then added a blob of grease before re-assembly.

Back on to topic & I my financial situation should change slightly next week so I may be interested in a spare set of cables after all.
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Re: Replacement Shift Cable Kit - Similar to Bob B.

Postby Brit-Car-Nut » Sun 06.10.2013, 13:37

rip wrote:
tweetdriver63 wrote:I've never been happy with my shifting since I got the AB cables a few years ago. I immediately lost the centering when I installed them, and third gear has been tough ever since then too.

I had that but cured it.
The AB cables have a brass sleeve (or more like a bush or thick washer - you'll know it if you fitted them yourself). This fits onto a pin on the crossgate selector at the gearbox end. This was a really tight fit: Far too tight for the centering spring to cope with.
I dug out my needle files to enlarge the hole a little, tidied it up with some fine wet & dry then added a blob of grease before re-assembly.

Back on to topic & I my financial situation should change slightly next week so I may be interested in a spare set of cables after all.

That connection end also works better if you "turn it over". I don't have a good reason, but I fetteled the hole when I first installed my set and it was still tight, I rerouted the cables and it was still tight and I pulled it off to see if I needed to enlarge some more and just turned it over on reassembly and the centering problem was gone. I never looked back t see what the difference was, but make sure the hole is adequate and try it in both directions. I also found the cables work much better if you put the fore-aft cable through first so it is at the bottom when you exit the firewall.
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Re: Replacement Shift Cable Kit - Similar to Bob B.

Postby Brit-Car-Nut » Tue 15.10.2013, 22:58

I have finally got a test setup of cables and adapters I am happy with. I have machined enough adapter parts for 4 sets of cables and they now need to go for anodizing which will take around a week.

I have stressed a lot over materials and have gone with the most compatable and least galvanic pieces that should work together the best.

The price for a set of cables with the adapters and rod ends will be $415.00 (around £260.00 using $1.60 to £1.00). Shipping to the US should be around $40.00 and to International addresses around $60.00. This is shipping by USPS Priority Mail. If you require a "signed for shipment", I will get a custom quote as needed. I tried to keep the price as near to the price of the earlier (BB) version as possible.

I checked and Priority Mail EXPRESS is $10.00 more and it improves International shipments from 6 to 10 days down to 3 to 5 days. US shipments only improve from 4 days to 2 days.

These prices ASSUME that payment will be made via PayPal using the Personal Payment / Gift option. Otherwise, PayPal will charge me 4.3% which I can not absorbe in these prices. If you want to pay by PayPal directly (That is fine with me), The price will be $433.00 so I end up with $415.00 Shipping is $42.00 for US and $63.00 for UK / Europe - or $53.00 for US and $74.00 for International if you want Priority Mail EXPRESS.

I am working on an installation guide that should be like the one from the Lotus Service Manual.

I plan to have the cables and adapters fully assembled when you receive the kit so you only have to remove the shift pins at the gearbox, the small pin at the shifter end, replace the cable abutment bracket and then put the cables through the tunnel and hook them up. Adjustment will be like the stock cables: set gearbox in 3rd and position shifter to be comfortable and then tighten the cables in the bracket (now 2 nuts per cable instead of the plastic twist lock).

Pictures will follow but I am still trying to get enough parts on hand to say I really have cable kits ready for sale. I won't offer any unless I have all of the pieces in the house and ready to ship.

I have experimented with the short shift project but there are still several things I need to resolve since fabrication in small quantities in the US is not cost effective. I also need to make sure I can design a system that fits all of the versions of cables in use today without having multiple versions of the kit. After installing the basic parts of a short shift kit, I wouldn't suggest adding one to a car with original, stock SE cables. The effort to shift goes up more than I anticipated so there is a lot more strain on the cables.

S2 cables and brackets ARE STILL AVAILABLE from Lotus but pretty pricey:

B100F0030F Gear Change Cable £344.79 + VAT
A100F0031F Crossgate Cable £230.00 + VAT
A100F0033F Abutment Bracket £14.67 + VAT

If anyone has questions or comments, Please jump in.
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Re: Replacement Shift Cable Kit - Similar to Bob B.

Postby theelanman » Wed 16.10.2013, 08:38

just a note on a comment made regarding the use of USPS......

I notice that you offer international shipping via USPS, United States Postal Service. In my experience, this is not the best way ship if you want to maximise the final value you receive for your wheel, for this reason.

USPS will get the item to the UK. The Royal Mail will then take over the delivery of your item in the UK. They will then look at the stated value on your shipping labels and documents enclosed. They will then SOMETIMES apply VAT at 20% on the stated value, to hand over to our Chancellor, AND THEN, apply a VERY REASONABLE handling charge of say £18, for their trouble!!!!!!!!!!! They then send you a friendly little note, to say that all monies are payable at their depot, before delivery of the item.

How do I know this? Because it happened to me when I bought 2 pistons from Bean a couple of years ago. Fortunately, the amount involved was small, as Bean was jobbing out the pistons cheap to clear, and therefore the amount the robbers at the RM wanted on top was not excessive, taking into account the VAT, but with your parts, the extras when landed in the UK, could add up to over £100.

How to get round this. Again, in my experience, use a different courier. Use UPS, or maybe Fed Ex, not USPS. Certainly UPS bring the item in to the UK themselves, and deliver it themselves, in their lovely brown vans, but do not charge anything on top, other than what you have paid the seller to get the item to you.

For my part, I do not buy items from the USA when I see the courier is USPS.

Good luck with the sale.

Les


just a thought.....(all in the pursuit of saving money :mrgreen: )
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Re: Replacement Shift Cable Kit - Similar to Bob B.

Postby Brit-Car-Nut » Wed 16.10.2013, 12:01

Gareth: Thank you

I considered all of the above and having shipped hundreds of packages around the world (I make and sell a custom display for a piece of electronic test equipment), I still find the actual cost of shipping by USPS is significantly less than FedEX or UPS. Also, reading posts from people that buy from RockAuto, they get killed with FedEX and UPS charges. Both carriers now HAVE to provide import customs clearance and as such tack on a fee for doing the paperwork - EVEN if there is no duty required. UPS is worse than FedEX in this.

Any shipping company that brings parts from one country to another has to file and charge for preparing Customs Documents. There is no way around it without cheating and breaking the law.

I spent time calculating the shipping cost for the same package which is 20 inches x 20 inches x 2 inches and weighs 3 pounds. USPS is $60.00 to most International areas, FedEX is $160.00 using my UK address as a sample, and UPS is crazy as they won't provide pricing until you finalize an export classification search.

Using Interparcel to generate a "discounted" shipment, the best price they quoted was £68.50 for FedEX and £75.06 for TNT. Both FedEX and TNT will hit you for customs preparation fees as well as the duty.

When I bring parts to the US, TNT charges me duty even if the total value is below the standard exemption.

I believe USPS is the most cost effective method of shipping to anywhere in the World. They are NOT the fastest but they get the job done and cooperation between Postal Services have improved significantly since that earlier missive was presented.
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Re: Replacement Shift Cable Kit - Similar to Bob B.

Postby theelanman » Wed 16.10.2013, 13:15

I personally have bought very little from the US but have been caught on both occasions.....
one of which was the belts and pulleys for the belt change and I got done for about £100
cant remember the courier........one came USPS/Royal Mail.......

Im guessing there is no real definite way of avoiding the charges......you might get charged...there again you may not....
Im guessing its a lottery.......

itd be good if there was a way round it as it sounds like there could be about a £70 fee if you do get charged.... :(
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Re: Replacement Shift Cable Kit - Similar to Bob B.

Postby Brit-Car-Nut » Wed 16.10.2013, 13:56

I wish there was a way to LEGALLY circumvent the government's taxes and duties but there isn't.

A $415.00 item is around £259.38 and 20% is £51.88. I don't know what the tax rate is, but it is way less than 20%. Sometimes they add in the cost of shipping: $475.00 is £297.00 and VAT is £59.40.

I used $1.60 to £1.00 as my conversion

You can always buy the cables from Lotus:

B100F0030F Gear Change Cable £144.50 + VAT
A100F0031F Crossgate Cable £288.00 + VAT
A100F0033F Abutment Bracket £19.91 + VAT

OR, you can try to order from the previous member who was selling his version... Oh, yeah, he didn't actually send them after getting paid...

Everything you buy in the UK is hit with a 20% VAT fee. I think that sucks, but I can't do anything to prevent a shipment from being monitored and the VAT and duty added. I highly doubt that FedEX or UPS circumvent the system and prevent the collection of the taxes. It is possible there are individual exemptions and they honor those exemptions and don't process the paperwork unless you exceed the exemption. I believe the 20% VAT is collected on all items being imported, so it is like buying items locally.

It would be nice to find out the individual exemption for the UK and/or citizens of the EU. I believe items sent as a "gift" are handled differently.
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Re: Replacement Shift Cable Kit - Similar to Bob B.

Postby Peter_W » Wed 16.10.2013, 19:25

Brit-Car-Nut wrote:I have finally got a test setup of cables and adapters I am happy with. I have machined enough adapter parts for 4 sets of cables and they now need to go for anodizing which will take around a week...

...I am working on an installation guide that should be like the one from the Lotus Service Manual.

...I plan to have the cables and adapters fully assembled when you receive the kit.

...I am trying to get small wrenches made for each kit so you don't have to buy some cheap wrenches and cut them down.


That's great John! :smt023 Another quality solution available to LEC'ers. I would be buying these if I hadn't already acquired a B.B. version.

Thanks for investing your time and financial risk upfront to make these available!
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Re: Replacement Shift Cable Kit - Similar to Bob B.

Postby Squirtydog » Thu 24.10.2013, 22:31

Definitely in for a pair for SE. Shipped to UK. Cheaper than the £600+ for lotus parts.
Not sure what your list of interested parties will look like but PM me when you have a pair available to ship.
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Re: Replacement Shift Cable Kit - Similar to Bob B.

Postby Brit-Car-Nut » Thu 24.10.2013, 22:33

Just a tease: These are the parts that make up the shift cable kit. Of course, two cables are also included as are locknuts and washers and a third bolt and washer for the new bracket.

I am now working on the assembly guide.

If anyone needs a set now, I have enough parts for 4 kits. I will have 2 more pairs of cables soon.
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Re: Replacement Shift Cable Kit - Similar to Bob B.

Postby dapinky » Thu 24.10.2013, 23:06

I know that you can't always tell from a picture, but THIS set looks like an ideal solution for anyone who needs their cables replacing (or just wants to replace the original ones as a 'security blanket' if they are on the OE ones).

I know John has put a lot of time and effort into getting these right, and with the dollar/GBP rate at the moment, even if you get hit with duty and handling fees, they are a darn sight cheaper than the inferior ones that you may find in the UK.
Dave

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

Postby Brit-Car-Nut » Thu 24.10.2013, 23:09

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

Postby LotusEnthusiast » Sat 26.10.2013, 06:45

Looks great!! Can't wait to see pictures and progress on the short shifter, I really want one of those!

Keep up the good work!
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Re: Replacement Shift Cable Kit - Similar to Bob B.

Postby Brit-Car-Nut » Sat 26.10.2013, 13:32

The short shift kit is not going to happen quickly. Having the crossgate bellcrank laser cut over here is being quoted at ridiculous prices.

Minimum quantities are also impossible. I can make the fore-aft adapter in steel and get it zinc plated and chromated for a reasonable price, but I am still working on finding a company to cut the crossgate for a reasonable price.

Stainless is not a common material around this area so nobody even wants to discuss it. At 4 to 5 times the cost compared to HROP steel, I don't see anything made from stainless being affordable.

I just received a shipment of steel parts to look at for the crossgate bellcrank, but I am trying to finish the cables so I can try to recover some of the money already out for that piece of the project.
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Re: Replacement Shift Cable Kit - Similar to Bob B.

Postby Brit-Car-Nut » Tue 05.11.2013, 16:31

Please go to the latest posts for the current prices.
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Re: Replacement Shift Cable Kit - Similar to Bob B.

Postby Brit-Car-Nut » Tue 05.11.2013, 16:42

Squirtydog wrote:Definitely in for a pair for SE. Shipped to UK. Cheaper than the £600+ for lotus parts.
Not sure what your list of interested parties will look like but PM me when you have a pair available to ship.

PM sent
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