What's the lowdown on replacing the shifter gear cables?

[Polymathic]

Hi everyone,

I'm new here and just received a red 91 Lotus Elan SE US model from my aunt as a gift. It has 27,000 miles and she is the first owner. (I convinced her to buy the Elan new when I was 20, and put the first 5,000 miles on it.) The car has been sitting in storage for a few years. Before being stored, the car had a lot of work done on it: timing belt, belts, seat belts, etc. I'm pretty excited to see that car again... but before I can go pick it up across state lines and drive it home, I need to have one last job done: the shifter cables, while not broken, no longer work well. Getting in reverse is hard. So I need to have them replaced.

Now, I read through several threads, but I'm having a hard time pooling all the information together, and some sites seem defunct now. Could someone please answer a few questions here? I bet these answers would be helpful to other newbies as well, without having to spend hours reading through the forum.

What are the shifter cable aftermarket options available today?

What are the inexpensive options today involving Impulse/Isuzu parts? Are those inexpensive options as good?

What exactly is the the short shifting kit? What does it do? Are there any downsides to it?

If I'm replacing the cables, would it make sense to upgrade to a short shifting kit at that time? Would I save money on labor?

And, lastly, will the after market cable outlast the original cables? 27,000 miles seems a bit short lived to me.

Thank you in advance for you time!

[epipete]

This is the thread: viewtopic.php?f=3&t=22759&p=290226#p286921

John is your guy.

And being in the States is even better from a postage perspective!

John can also sort you a short shift

[Brit-Car-Nut]

Hi everyone,

Now, I read through several threads, but I'm having a hard time pooling all the information together, and some sites seem defunct now. Could someone please answer a few questions here? I bet these answers would be helpful to other newbies as well, without having to spend hours reading through the forum.

Thank you in advance for you time!

What are the shifter cable aftermarket options available today?
Lotus have a replacement option based on the cables used on the S2 (1995) model. It requires that you replace BOTH cables and the abutment bracket at the gearbox since it is a different design from the earlier SE cables

What are the inexpensive options today involving Impulse/Isuzu parts? Are those inexpensive options as good?
None to my knowledge. Those cars used different cables and are not interchangeable. I saw a write-up on using GEO Storm Cables but it never really made sense to me since it required a lot of modifications.

What exactly is the the short shifting kit? What does it do? Are there any downsides to it?
The Short-Shift kit changes the fulcrum points at the gearbox ro reduce the amount of motion the driver goes through during shifting. It shortens the throw by about 25%

If I'm replacing the cables, would it make sense to upgrade to a short shifting kit at that time? Would I save money on labor?
Since the short-shift assembles kit at the gearbox and connects to the cables, doing both at the same time will be cheaper than getting the cables done first and then going back and adding the short-shift kit

And, lastly, will the after market cable outlast the original cables? 27,000 miles seems a bit short lived to me.
It always depends on the driver. The after market cables use a heavier duty cable design but over-shifting or slamming the car into gear will reduce the life of any cables used.

My car had 19,000 miles on it when the crossgate cable snapped. I had owned it for about a week and had only moved it around the yard getting it ready to go to the body shop for major repair. The previous drive learned how to drive a "stick shift" on the M100 and also went through a clutch before crashing it.

Financially speaking, except for finding USED cables, the aftermarket cables are significantly less expensive than cables from Lotus.

SJS just released a very low-end cable replacement set that have no bearings or bushings and are strictly a metal to metal design that one LEC member has been unable to adjust to work.

They are not expensive but not even close to the design of the Factory Supplied cables which are not as robust as the ones I supply.

When the cost of cables hit £610.09 ($1,040.00)+ 20%VAT + Postage, it became necessary to find a better, less expensive replacement.

My cables cost $430.00 + $30.00 US Shipping and the Short-Shift kit is $130.00 and adds nothing to the shipping cost.

Access to full installation instructions is provided when you buy the kits.

[Polymathic]

Thank you for the detailed answer, John. It's very helpful. I think I'll be ordering a kit from you soon.

I was wondering, does a shorter throw on the gear box leads to faster wear? Is there any downside to the modification? I do remember thinking years ago that the shifter on the Lotus had a long throw compared to a Porsche 911 Turbo I'd tried that same summer, and that the 911 shifted faster as a result.

[Brit-Car-Nut]

Thank you for the detailed answer, John. It's very helpful. I think I'll be ordering a kit from you soon.

I was wondering, does a shorter throw on the gear box leads to faster wear? Is there any downside to the modification? I do remember thinking years ago that the shifter on the Lotus had a long throw compared to a Porsche 911 Turbo I'd tried that same summer, and that the 911 shifted faster as a result.

No extra or faster wear at the gearbox, the moving of the fulcrums adds a bit of effort to the cables since by shortening the lever arm, it takes more energy to do the same amount of work but there are people using stock SE cables, S2 cables and even A-B cables (a previously available aftermarket replacement) and a short shift with no complaints.

By using better cables and spherical rod ends in the replacement cables kit, the motion is smoother and the feel isn't heavier or harder to engage the gears.

The short-shift kit makes a very noticable improvement in the shift pattern and shifting is quicker.

[rip]

I felt the standard gear change was rather long too.
I believe John makes several different sets of cables (I am sure he will correct me if I am mistaken). Although they are interchangeable, the fittings have been optimized to work best with the specified type of shifter.
So if you are changing cables & are considering a short shift, I would definitely do both together.

How long has your Elan been in storage? You mention that the timing belt was changed recently (mileage-wise) but it deteriorates with age too so if it has been sitting around for several years, I would consider changing it.

[Rambo]

Sounds like its been sitting around in dry storage for a few years from the original description

[Brit-Car-Nut]

I felt the standard gear change was rather long too.
I believe John makes several different sets of cables (I am sure he will correct me if I am mistaken)

Actually, the short-shift kit varies based on which cables that will be connecting as there are different types of termination. Basically I have a kit for rod-end connections and a different kit for OEM/Stock "bushing" connections. I don't have a kit that will work with the new SJS cables and I don't expect to create one.

[superbad]

I have an earlier version of the short shift kit and cables John is supplying (he may have even made some improvements). I also have an aluminum Momo shift knob that sits a little lower on the shaft and weighs a bit more than the stock knob. The difference between this setup and stock is so dramatic. Shifts are precise, quick, and I don't feel like it really increased the engagement force. It shifts like a modern car. This is an essential upgrade as far as I'm concerned, second only to fixing the brakes.

[ccb056]

Get the cables and short shift from British Car Nut. Best quality cables on the market and the short shift really enhances the car.

[Polymathic]

Thank you all for the feedback. You convinced me, and I just ordered the cable and short shift kit. Hopefully, I'll have everything installed and the car shipped to me in a couple of weeks, and I'll be able to report on my first test drive.

The car was in storage for a couple of years, and the timing belt and so forth were replaced right before storing the car. I think it should be fine...