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Brian N.

Jedi Hopeful
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The trans tunnel is now covered on inside and outside with insulation. I used the foil covered bubble stuff from Home Depot. Works well. Glued it down with 3M Trim adhesive. Easy stuff to work with. All seams were then taped with aluminum tape. Works real good. I left a bit of an uninsulated edge around the dip stick hole and the shift lever hole so the plug and boot can afix without stuff in the way.

Problem is, the dog dish shift lever boot does not fit. It has three grooves, but none seem the right size for the hole! This seems to be the right boot for the side shifter according the the catalogs and resto books.

Is there a source that sells an accurate and correct one?

Any help and experience is appreciated.
 
Looks like you and I have a similar car. My side shift tunnel rubber shift boot doesn't extend far enough up to seal. This problem may be original. I remember when I removed the extension ring from the transmission shifter (that's what the rubber boot is supposed to slip over) it was very rusty. So, you have a choice, keep the shift lever dry and clean, or seal the lever near the tunnel. I chose the former, and pulled the rubber seal over the lever extension ring. Just my 2 cents worth.
 
Brian,
The shifter boot is a bit confusing. As near as I can tell, the early side shift BT/BN7's originally had shifter boots with the bottom fitted over a steel cup & an upper groove for the transmission tunnel. The boot does not extend above the tunnel.

The later center shift had a different boot with the outer bellows up & the center down. The change was made at CBT7#15881 & CBN7#16039. They are both made to seat in the transmission tunnel hole. I guess what I'm saying is that there are a couple of different types & it's easy to install them wrong side up. I'm not even sure which boot you have & I don't know which vendors know the difference. I expect that you already know all of this.

The pic you referenced on the Healey list in January & the comments from Rich C. should have solved the problem. This boot has two grooves & a part to fit around the cup.You say that you have a three groove boot?
D

[ 03-05-2004: Message edited by: Dave Russell ]</p>
 
OK, now I'm really confused.

"shifter boots with the bottom fitted over a steel cup & an upper groove for the transmission tunnel. The boot does not extend above the tunnel."

The steel cup is there on the top of the side cover. It is secured by three nuts onto studs. This cup holds the shift leaver onto its socket.

The boot I have has no provision for encompassing this cup. the inner part of the boot kind of fits INTO the cup, but pops out when shifting.

The top groove in the boot is too large for the tunnel hole, the bottom one too small. The middle is about the same as the top. So I glued the large area below the second groove to the tunnel top surface and trimmed the carpet to fit into the top groove. This seems to be the best I can get to work. Stays put, looks fine. Sort of. Not a cool looking leather boot like my Triumph had, but it will be OK.

I'm not convinced this is the correct part. I'll have to way until some club events where I can inspect other BT7's.

All else on the project turned out above expectation! Drove the car today for the first time in about a month.

[ 03-05-2004: Message edited by: Brian N. ]</p>
 
Brian,
You have the wrong boot. I'll refresh your memory. Your boot should look like the pic. Pic is upside down. I think I'm wasting my time.
Start here:
https://www.team.net/html_arc/healeys/200401/msg00298.html

https://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=42612&item=2453616281

https://www.team.net/html_arc/healeys/200401/msg00309.html

https://www.team.net/html_arc/healeys/200401/msg00312.html

https://www.team.net/html_arc/healeys/200401/msg00317.html
D

[ 03-05-2004: Message edited by: Dave Russell ]</p>
 
No, you are not wasting your time at all. Going back over the links you sent I have concluded several things.

1. The boot I have is indeed installed correct side up. (contarary to the pic of the similar one from eBay.)

2. The boot I have is NOT the same as in the pic. The part that is to fit into the "cup" is very different on mine, not nearly so extended.

3. None of the grooves on mine fit the hole in the tunnel. They are simply all the wrong size. According to Rich Chrysler's comments from that former thread: "The upper most rubber boot
lip should fit into the metal only," it is obvious that I do not have the correct piece. Whether mine is an incorrect attempt by some rubber parts supplier, or a piece intended for another car I do not know. (This can be a common mixup on an old car that has had too many hands on it.)

But the obvious solution is to get the correct piece. Lacking any objections from folks on the forum, the one in the eBay pic seems to actually be correct, albeit upside down. That part I can deal with.

So I'll try to hunt one up! The reason I was asking for source experience is that the one in the Moss catalog (Illustration 21 on page 140) appears upside down and a different shape than either what I have or what I need. I was thinking someone else also might also have received a part similar to mine. I would not want to order from the same place.

Thanks for your help.
 
Dave

As best I can tell from the poor picture, this is exactly what I already have, in contrast to the one previously available from NOS PartsLocator on eBay.

There are distinct differences. Application range on this new eBay listing is confusing, too.

"You are bidding on a RARE NOS factory shift boot for the BN7 BT7 BJ8 Austin Healey 3000 car. Part # AHB9510 it has been sitting on the shelf since the 60's. The rubber is in excellent condition and it still has it's factory bag. This is a show car must. Don't let this one pass you by as you may never see another one."

https://i3.ebayimg.com/03/i/01/6c/7a/73_1.JPG
 
Brian, I do beleive I have the correct one. I ordered it from Moss. The catalog I used is AHY0204. On page 118, item #128. You'll notice it is different than the one on ebay. The extension I was referring to, in the former post, is the cover, shift lever (item 108) in the picture. You'll notice the difference. Mine did fit over the cover (item 108) and I suppose if you put a clamp on it would stay there. I have a feeling this boot was placed on the transmission cover first. Then pushed down into the cup. As I said earlier, you could go around the outside of the cup (cover item #108) then put a clamp on it to hold it securely. Then after fitting the tunnel try and pull the boot up enough to fit into the groove provided for the tunnel. I remember having it fit perfectly this way, then when I tried to shift in 1st or reverse, the shift lever wouldn't stay in either gear. So I ended up not having the boot connected to the tunnel. Good luck.
driving.gif
 
Jonny--

Dave and I are trying to figure this whole thing out. Here are a couple of pics. See which one is like yours (both are pictured inverted):

Pic A:


32_1.JPG



Pic B:

73_1.JPG



I definately don't have Pic A. The part that fits into the side cover top cup looks much more correct and functional than what I have.

Pic B, though not showing details very clearly, is much more like what I have been wrestling with. The smallest part is more like a radiused flange, than a cup shape to fit into the metal cup.

I suspect parts sources are selling the wrong one for side shifter use. Pic B does not even look right for center shifters. Dont they have a stepped rising boot, when observed from the top? A more conventional appearance? Check pages 166, 167 of Anderson and Moment"s book. I think that is the boot I have, but I keep trying to install in inverted (cone down) like a side shifter boot, which it is not.

Don't know if this makes sense.

My objective is to figure out what is correct, and a souce for it. The PO bought the wrong part already. I didn't want to just do that all over again.

Happy driving this weekend.

[ 03-06-2004: Message edited by: Brian N. ]</p>
 
Pic A is what I remember the side shifter's boot to look like. As you say, it is the bottom that is shown "up" in the picture.

Sorry I can't be more definitive, but my Healey has neither the side nor center shift trans, I installed an MGC trans back in the 80's.
 
<blockquote><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><hr>Originally posted by Brian N.:
Jonny--

Dave and I are trying to figure this whole thing out. Here are a couple of pics. See which one is like yours (both are pictured inverted):

Pic A:


32_1.JPG



[ 03-06-2004: Message edited by: Brian N. ]<hr></blockquote>

Pic A is what I have. Although the picture is upside down. I think I have mine on upside down. It seems more logical to place the smaller portion on top, like the picture shows, but I think that's wrong. The wider part most likely would fit better on the tunnel. The smaller part would fit inside the cup rather than go around it. What do you think?
smile.gif
 
The one in the A pic looks like the part with the H650 could fit around the cup. The center part which is up in the pic could probably be pushed through the opposite way to project up a bit when the H650 part is down. Clear as mud?
D

[ 03-08-2004: Message edited by: Dave Russell ]</p>
 
<blockquote><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><hr>Originally posted by Brian N.:
Dave--
I think that's it. The big groove swallows the metal cup on the top of the shift cover. Part goes in the cup. Part surrounds it. May sort of a way to keep water and road grime out of the metal cup.<hr></blockquote>
Brian,
I just got a #021-337 "Shift boot-side shift" from Moss. It is exactly like pic A. If you turn it upside down from the pic, the large outer ring goes outside of the cup & the funnel shaped inner part goes down into the cup.

The very narrow groove at the top fits into the tunnel opening & the carpet just sits over the boot which is flush with the cover. Carpet hole edges are bound. Everything fits & looks good. Note that viewing from the top, the boot extends down like a funnel. It seals the shift lever tightly at the bottom of the funnel, & the tunnel tightly at the top. No interfearence with shifting.

The only problem was that on my BN2, the hole in the cover was 3" ID. The boot groove needs a hole 3.5" diameter to fit into. I enlarged the tunnel hole to 3.5" with an "Adel" nibbler. Your tunnel may already be the required 3.5" diameter.

My car had one of the BN1 style boots that didn't even come close to fitting or looking right.

Thanks for bringing up the topic.
D

[ 03-11-2004: Message edited by: Dave Russell ]</p>
 
Dave--

You said:

"The only problem was that on my BN2, the hole in the cover was 3" ID. The boot groove needs a hole 3.5" diameter to fit into. I enlarged the tunnel hole to 3.5" with an "Adel" nibbler. Your tunnel may already be the required 3.5" diameter."

This brings up an interesting issue. I think the hole in my cover is only 3". Possibly I have a BN2 cover. Maybe some PO had to replace the cover and this is what he found most easily. Maybe back in the days when Healey's were littering junk yards.

Is another clue to the BN2 cover the rectangular hole on the side near the rear? Same shape as the oil dip stick hole. My cover has one. Or more accurately, had one. I welded a patch over it when fixing the cover before insulation. (I had to cut away rusty flanges and weld on new material.)
 
<blockquote><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><hr>Originally posted by Brian N.:
Dave--

Is another clue to the BN2 cover the rectangular hole on the side near the rear? Same shape as the oil dip stick hole. My cover has one. Or more accurately, had one. I welded a patch over it when fixing the cover before insulation. (I had to cut away rusty flanges and weld on new material.)<hr></blockquote>

That's so you can grease the front universal joint on the driveshaft.
 
"Transmission tunnels are interesting." (Those kind of statements are what worries my wife.)Anyway, I find them interesting in that Healey owners have effected many ways of covering/shielding them from emitting excessive heat. I wish Donald Healey would have solved the problem, or at least addressed it, thus we would have a standard to go by. Where instead, I think it just wasn't considered important enough to change. Some choose to insulate from inside, as did Brian, others choose to insulate on the outside. I chose the latter. With carpeting glued to the insulation it can easily be removed together as a unit, thus exposing both rubber grommets for maintenance. If I had to do it again I might have chosen to insulate on the inside. That way the forward flange of the tunnel would be exposed more and would appear more original.
Glad to hear your car is coming along so well. It looks great.
driving.gif
 
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