'77 midget gearshift lever

[philman]

am wondering if since the '77 midget shares the engine/tranny with the triumph spitfire if I can purchase a spitfire gearshift lever to replace the one in the midget? And will it fit, etc. thanks

 

[Matthew E. Herd]

I can answer that. The refurbished trans in my midget came from a spitfire. This explains why we had some trouble with the shifter. To explain: The shifter has a pair of pins in the casting. They are pressed in and one sticks into the space where the shifter goes. On your shifter (the round part most of the way down that goes into the trans), there should be a groove. This pin fits into the groove. When you pick up the shifter to go to reverse, it slides along this groove, but doesn't allow the shifter to rotate. The difference (the only one) between the two transmissions is that the pins are reversed (and the groove on the shifter). In order to accommodate the alternate shifter, the pins have to be switched. This is not an easy task (so I relegated it to my mechanic--poor guy!), but it can be done. As to whether the shifter is the same shape, I cannot tell you, but it will shift the gears if you switch the pins. Hope this helps

 

[philman]

thanks!It does kind of. One of the pins had popped out and I reseated it. I haven't been able to locate a gearshift for a midget and I can locate a spitfire shifter so I thought I would try one.

 

[Matthew E. Herd]

I'd say definitely worth the try