3D printed Gear Lever Retainer

[Howard_B]

On the US tr7-and-tr8-forum they have been developing a 3D printed gear lever retainer over the past year or so. Knowing the problem I had replacing mine when it broke, this may be of interest to others. Its just been announced that the testing is finished and it will be available shortly:-

http://www.triumphexp.com/forum/tr7-and-tr8-forum.3/lt-77-gear-change-retainer.1762534.1890082/page-7#msg-1890082

Cheers

Howard

[Rich K]

This part at the top of the gear lever gaiter seems to be broken or missing on a lot of our cars. There is an equivalent and possibly identical part listed for Spitfires under the part code ZKC301, which is currently available from Rimmer Brothers and possibly other suppliers as well.

[Howard722]

Could be we have crossed wires here-two different parts methinks

[Rich K]

Hi Howard, apologies I should have paid closer attention That US retainer looks like an interesting development.

[Beans]

It looks like a well designed part!

[Howard_B]

Its gone very quiet for a while, but just received the following update to a question about the progress:-

Maine triumph wrote in Re: LT-77 Gear change retainer
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Here is the latest on the development of UKC 3159 E as of 7/25/23.

The design has been finalized for quite some time now. Rich's design was pretty much a finished product once we sorted out the shift boot gaiter groove. Overall, there were 4 different modifications that were done from the original design. UKC 3159E is the finished design.

Testing the print material has been the hold up on releasing this part to the market. We have been testing various materials and that has taken time to determine strength, design and durability. We have tested in a variety of weather, temperatures and driving conditions. Real world testing has been performed on 2 different TR7's. Other factors involved have been cost of printing. Some materials print quicker than others and the run time on a 3D printer has to be taken into account along with the material cost in its raw form. There is also the labor factor of hand finishing once the piece comes off the print table. Some materials require more hand finishing, some take less.

I met with Brian at the British cars of NH Show of Dreams on Saturday and discussed the project. We have determined which printed material we will be using, and it has been battle tested with no failures thus far. Brian has been working pretty consistently on this project and has made great strides in developing this. Without his diligence, this project would have taken even longer than it has.

We are getting very close and have a few loose ends to finalize in the production and distribution process. Once that is defined, it will go to market, and we will announce it here on TE. I am anticipating UKC 3159E coming to market within 60 days.

[Beans]

Will be interesting to see what the retail price will be!

[Howard_B]

The new gear change retainer is apparently ready for manufacture - see the following posting:-

Gaging interest now. Here is a refresh / update on this gear shift retainer. Almost 3 years ago Tim Hutchisen started a subject about the availability of this retainer. Fast forward and with much collaboration with Tim, Rich Mackey and myself, we have created a solution. In addition, at #4 thread, Darrell came across some information that will be helpful https://www.gomog.com/allmorgan/remoteissues.html To make the best of improving the shift functionality of the LT77, making sure all the bushings in the shift mechanism and adjustments are in good condition is important. It has been noted that shifting is possible without the shift retainer, but most find that the shift feel and accuracy is lacking. This retainer should improve that and retain the shift boot as originally designed. This retainer UKC3159 was used on several cars including Triumph, Morgan's and Land Rovers. Rich designed several renditions, and his final design is clean and robust, it is held firmly with three attachment screws versus the single screw of the original metal retainer. The next obstacle was material selection. I 3D printed well over a dozen prototypes in different materials. Tim used his TR7 and tested at least 5 different materials, we had several material failures. After several thousand miles and thousands of shifts including in race competition, we have selected a material that is tough, wears well, is strong and contains carbon fiber and did not have a failure. A kit has been developed that will include the retainer, all attachment hardware, a 1cc tube of silicone lube and an installation sheet. This project took longer than expected but we feel we have a lasting solution. If interested, you can email me, and we can discuss the availability of the retainer kit. The kit is now UKC3159_E. As noted, I'm gaging interest to see if a run of kits should be started. A big thanks to Tim and Rich in their contribution to this project.

BT

To see photos and to register interest see the following, but you might need to register. https://www.triumphexp.com/forum/tr7-and-tr8-forum.3/lt-77-gear-change-retainer.1762534/page-8

Cheers

Howard

[Howard_B]

I have just ordered one for my parts stash. Cost is 60USD + shipping / duty etc.

Howard

[Beans]

Will be interesting to see the real thing. Price seems fair. Keep us posted

[dursleyman]

Wondering if anyone has organised a group order to reduce shipping costs to the UK?

[Howard_B]

It turned up safely and looks substantial. Photos and details of the installation to follow. I will install it once the weather gets a bit warmer

Shipping costs detailed below:-

I used the Aramex Shop & Ship service for this which allows an item to be posted to an address in the USA by the vendor and from there the Shop and Ship sends it to the UK, clears customs and couriers it to my home address. They invoice me for the costs & provide good tracking of where it is and contact me if there are any problems with the shipment e.g. missing invoice. Cost for this exercise were as follows:-

1) Aramex shipping fee £12

3) Aramex Admin fee for Customs clearance £10

4) Customs Duty / VAT 20% of cost of item and shipping charges £13.35

Setting up an account with Shop & Ship is free & I used it regularly in the past to ship items from USA/China/Australia to Qatar without any problems, but points to note for shipping into the UK are:-

Applicable laws and regulations for importing shipments into the United Kingdom for personal use:-

Under the United Kingdom customs regulations, any personal shipments with a value of GPB 135 or below are subject to VAT only, any shipment above this value will be subject to VAT and Duty charges.

For more information on applicable duty charges, you can visit https://www.gov.uk/trade-tariff.

Please also note that when Aramex Shop & Ship is clearing a shipment on your behalf, an admin fee will be charged as follows:
Any VAT charges up to GBP 5 is subject to an admin fee of GBP 5.
Any VAT charges between GBP 5.01 and GBP 14.99 is subject to an admin fee of GBP 10.
Any VAT and duty charges between GBP 15 and GBP 300 is subject to an admin fee of GBP 15.
Any VAT and duty charges above GBP 300 is subject to an admin fee with a 5% value of the customs charges.

Additional Note: The customs clearance charges, VAT & Duty are applied by DHL/UPS/Royal Mail to any shipment into the UK and you have no advance warning of the amount they may charge!

[Beans]

Looking forward to an installment post!