Question about classic race cars.

[blueST]

Can anyone tell me what the metal linkage/mechanism is that is seen around the gear stick on a lot of old racing cars. I'm not talking about the the little tab that stops you selecting reverse.It looks like it's maybe some sort of lockout to prevent selecting a wrong gear or something.

Hopefully you can see what I mean from these pics. If I'm right, when you select 1st gear, the gear lever pushes a plunger which, via the mechanism, extends a plunger into the 2nd gear slot. If you then selected second the mechanism would push back the plunger in the first gear position. But for what reason I ask...

[john2443]

Stops you getting first by mistake?

Equally, what's the purpose of the 'trigger' on third?

[blueST]

I don't see how it could stop you getting first by mistake, it just looks like the plunger would push out of the way. I think the trigger you refer to is actually for that purpose, it looks like it would put a barrier across preventing you selecting the dog leg first or reverse, Although reverse has it's own separate guard too.

[BlueMR2]

It looks like its designed to guide 1st to 2nd gear change, does the slider on 2 have a slight notch to take the gear lever as you push into 2nd?

Also if you look there is a lock out switch to stop reverse or 1st being selected.

[blueST]

Just to add, this isn't the only old racer I've seen it on. It seems quite a common thing.

[lowdrag]

As said, it blanks out reverse. Simple, but effective.

[blueST]

lowdrag said:

As said, it blanks out reverse. Simple, but effective.

I might be a being a touch dense here but is that not the little flap with covering the reverse gear gate?

I'm talking about the mechanism the connect the first gear position with the second gear position via the rods running around the outside of the gate.

[blueST]

This is the bit I'm talking about...

[guru_1071]

i guess that when you put it into second (from first) it moves the stop, blocking first, so that the gear lever cannot be accidently put into first gear when going for third - the driver has to manually move the detent to allow first to be selected again.

id guess that depending where the reverse idler is inside the box it may be easy to just catch it when trying to change in a hurry, so the mechanical gate forces the drive to be a little more organised with the change - even more so if its an old dog enagement box

my race mini has a seperate 'lift to detent' for the reverse as its possible when going from third to fourth to 'go past' the fourth selection point and find a false neutral (as it tries to select reverse), once the false neutral is found its almost guranteed to just chip the teeth on the reverse idler. with the 'lift to detent' fitted its impossible for the selector to find anything but the correct gear