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Re: Age, Treachery, and metal fatigue

To: william.eastman@medtronic.com
Subject: Re: Age, Treachery, and metal fatigue
From: gofastmg@juno.com (Rick Morrison)
Date: Fri, 21 Aug 1998 00:00:00 EDT
Bill, 
 You've just got to watch those hard shifts. 
 I mean, come on, trying to ram the poor defensless shifter knob through
the dash is just a bit over board, don't you think.
 
Seriously, there is another alternative, if you are willing to do a bit
more machine work.
 Remove the shifter, and cut it down to a reasonable point slightly below
the break. Have it re threaded ( the chrome should be safe, if the
threads are cut carefully.  Then have a short extension, male thread one
end, female the other, made to add back the length you've lost. You could
also have a couple of varying lengths made, to expemiment with the
shorter shift throughs.

Rick Morrison
72 MGBGT
74 Midget

On Thu, 20 Aug 1998 15:25:38 -0500 Bill Eastman
<william.eastman@medtronic.com> writes:
>I was out for a quick spin in the A over lunch and, on a 2-3 upshift, 
>the
>shift knob decided that it wanted to be a rebel and explore new 
>territory
>outside of its traditional H pattern.  So I now have a shift knob that 
>is
>free of its worldly shackles and a shift lever that's about an inch 
>short
>of its original stature.  
>
>Working at a high tech company has to have some advantages so I took 
>the
>shift knob with the broken end of the lever still in its clutches over 
>to
>the people in metallurgy research.  They were unwilling to put it on 
>the
>scanning electron microscope but cursory visual inspection identified 
>the
>failure as a fatigue fracture due to shear stresses- probably ductile 
>in
>nature.  Oh well, we all have to go some time.  Let's hope the front 
>stub
>axles or brake pedal isn't next.
>
>So the problem is how do I fix this?  Memory of past threads is that 
>the
>MGA shift lever doesn't just pop out on its own accord because of some 
>pin
>or another.  I also have heard the reproduction shift levers leave a 
>bit to
>be desired.  I am in a quandary and am looking for advice.  Should I:
>
>1) Replace the lever?  If so how tough is it to do?  Any first person
>experience with repro levers or offers of used levers would be 
>appreciated.
>
>2) Just cut off the end of the lever, bore out the Moss Wooden shift 
>knob
>to fit over the stub and use a grub screw and/or epoxy to hold the 
>mess
>together.  I shorter shift pattern would be kind of neat.  How short 
>should
>I go?
>
>3) Take the old lever out and find a way to get new threads cut to 
>hold the
>shift knob.  How tough is the lever?  Will the chrome chip at the 
>shoulder?
> Again, how short should I go?
>
>For now I will use the angle grinder to knock off the sharp edges plus
>maybe a little duct tape to keep my palm in one piece but I would like 
>to
>have this solved by Wings and Wheels on 12 September.  Having a bent 
>bonnet
>will be bad enough but a broken shift lever too will make it look like 
>I
>don't maintain the poor thing.
>
>Regards,
>Bill Eastman
>61 MGA loosing another small skirmish to Father Time.
>


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