R380 Gear Selector help please

[mgbdon]

I managed to get a R380 Gearbox along with a Rover 3.9 recently from Ebay. My query is regarding the selector, clearly it's much shorter than the usual version seen on V8 conversions.

Can anyone help with a description and whether or not I'll need to swap it out for the longer version. My project car is a 78 roadster.

Many thanks

Don

[v8250]

Don, this looks like a RR type gear selector and is too short for the B, they're often used on Cobra kit cars. You have 2no options, 1. buy std length remote housing and selector rod and reposition the gearstick 1" forward with a welded plate, 2. buy std length remote housing and selector rod and shorten the complete housing+rod by 1". Sometimes, these do come up on ebay readily modified. If you have the book How To Modify MGB To V8 Power, there's a section in the book explaining this further. For reference here's a link to the R380 adjustment detail/process...it a useful page to download.

http://www.gomog.com/allmorgan/remoteissues.html

[mgbdon]

Thanks Andrew, yes I have the How to give, How to Improve, and MGB electrics books usually within a few feet at all times. But as in this case, they don't often cover the parts that don't fit.
I see that your beautifully painted and poly-bushed selector is an earlier version, that's also been shortened? any reason for the early version, better, stronger etc. or just available?

[v8250]

mgbdon said:

poly-bushed selector is an earlier version, that's also been shortened? any reason for the early version, better, stronger etc. or just available?

Oddly, I used this selector as was unaware that they came in different versions and this was the only one available at the time...every day's a school day! I looked at cutting and welding but preferred extending the gear lever position with an extension piece. It's thick steel that's drilled to fit the knuckles's thread and then double lock nutted. Similar at the gear lever end too as the lever's thread needs vertical adjustment to ensure thread end has full movement for each gear without clashing with the gearbox + used a welded nut and simply used a combination of st/st and rubber washers to fix correct height. The gear lever sits in perfect position as the original. I modified the original gear lever too keeping the 4sp OD gear knob. Have yet to decide what to use the OD switch for...was even thinking of one of these if I happen to have an irritating passenger...or if a totty breasted blonde says, "can you show me an exciting time...?"

http://www.martin-baker.com/products/ejection-seat...