Replcing shift lever bushings on the end of shift lever.

[GPS]

Thanks everyone for the help on the safe lifting practices. Dually noted.
Now I am going to try and replace all the bushings and the circular bearing on the end of the shift lever
on my 72 twincam. Now I have been told that it takes an act of god to do this without the body off. Not sure if the neighbors would lone me there children to help with the reach. so I think I may be on my own. Are there any tricks or incantations I need to be aware of before starting this endeavor?
I don't want to start something I cant complete without body being removed. To be honest I don't know what having the body off would gain.
Makes me wonder how they built these things. Having  a fixed welded nut on the inside of the frame. Nah why do that?!?!
Any advise would be much appreciated. Thanks in advance.

[Kendo]

You can pull the entire shift linkage out the back of the car. Tap out the pin holding the rearmost uj from the tranny, remove the bolt/bushing in the middle about where the engine and tranny meet, then unclip the circlip holding the shift lever to the front spherical joint. Might have to undo the four bolts holding that joint from the tunnel. Then pull it all out the back, fix it all, and reverse the process for reassembly. I’ve done it a couple of times without removing the body.

[4129R]

Gear knob off, 4 x 3/8" nuts off where the gear lever attaches to the chassis, long 1/4" UNF nut and bolt off the central mounting at the bell housing, drift the roll pin out of the selector at the back of the gearbox, move the whole gear shift rod back until the gear lever can come through the hole where you adjust the hand brake cable (centre of the chassis where your elbow is when driving), and you can replace the bush where the lever attaches to the rod from inside the car.

There are two different types of bush, plastic and brass.

Don't drop anything into the hole in the tunnel or it will take you ages to get it back out. Plastic and brass are not magnetic.

[SilverBeast]

Get the brass if you can, the plastic will disintegrate again a lot sooner than the brass.

I replaced mine in my 74 TCS with the engine in and body on chassis. It's just awkward and very tight working through the hole in the tunnel.  Hardest bit for me was getting the roll pin out of the selector shaft at the rear of the gearbox. I made a tool to do it using a part from a door hinge puller, some brake union fittings and a tube with a matching internal thread.

[SilverBeast]

Link to tool https://www.lotuseuropa.org/LotusForum/index.php?topic=4631.0

[Fotog]

I did mine a couple of years ago and found it to be very easy.  Sure, the access through the opening in the chassis spine is limited.  But after removing the four bolts at the shift lever bearing, disconnecting the linkage at the transmission and at the intermediate bushing at the bell housing, you can easily pull it back the few inches necessary to position the lower end of the shift lever at the opening and it's quite easy from there.  After replacing those bushings and the one at the bell housing I think the operation is really quite good. 

So don't hold back.  Go for it!

[GPS]

Thanks fellas.
Great info. I am going in to get it done.

Cheers