Hi all,
I've started converting my R380 gearbox to a cable-operated remote system. The existing shifters are held on by four bolts on top of the rear case. Inside, things are pretty straightforward - no pictures as it's dark outside! At the local scrapyard, I found a gear lever which is designed to turn shifter movement into pull-and-push motion in two cables - one handles left-to-right movement of the lever, the other deals with forward and backwards.
By adapting this to sit on the gearbox, I can turn cable movement into gear selection - using it as an actuator instead of a gear lever.
The first step was to mirror the whole shifter left-to-right in order to fit into the available space inside the gearbox; in its initial configuration, the bellcrank that turned left-to-right into cable movement fouled on the insides of the gearbox. Specifically, it hit the unit that stops you going from fifth into reverse, and I didn't want to remove that...
Next, I had to drill and tap an M8 hole in the bottom of the gear lever. An M8 partially threaded bolt with its head cut off is exactly the right size to fit into the hole in the swivelling ball that translates gear lever movement into gearbox movement. Again, photos to follow.
Now the lever assembly looks like this:
The bolt is only in there for test purposes; something longer and shinier will replace it. Then I'll find out how much adjustment is needed to position it properly. After that, I'll cut out a mount plate, cut the long lever short, and weld up some sides and a lid to box it all in. The control cables will pass through the front of the box via bulkhead fittings, and the whole lot will interface with a similar shifter in the cab of the vehicle. At least, that's the plan...
I've started converting my R380 gearbox to a cable-operated remote system. The existing shifters are held on by four bolts on top of the rear case. Inside, things are pretty straightforward - no pictures as it's dark outside! At the local scrapyard, I found a gear lever which is designed to turn shifter movement into pull-and-push motion in two cables - one handles left-to-right movement of the lever, the other deals with forward and backwards.
By adapting this to sit on the gearbox, I can turn cable movement into gear selection - using it as an actuator instead of a gear lever.
The first step was to mirror the whole shifter left-to-right in order to fit into the available space inside the gearbox; in its initial configuration, the bellcrank that turned left-to-right into cable movement fouled on the insides of the gearbox. Specifically, it hit the unit that stops you going from fifth into reverse, and I didn't want to remove that...
Next, I had to drill and tap an M8 hole in the bottom of the gear lever. An M8 partially threaded bolt with its head cut off is exactly the right size to fit into the hole in the swivelling ball that translates gear lever movement into gearbox movement. Again, photos to follow.
Now the lever assembly looks like this:
The bolt is only in there for test purposes; something longer and shinier will replace it. Then I'll find out how much adjustment is needed to position it properly. After that, I'll cut out a mount plate, cut the long lever short, and weld up some sides and a lid to box it all in. The control cables will pass through the front of the box via bulkhead fittings, and the whole lot will interface with a similar shifter in the cab of the vehicle. At least, that's the plan...
