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MG TD TF 1500 - Gearshift Lever Removal

Hello all. I am trying to remove my gearshift lever for rechroming. I have removed the large circlip on top and the small cotter pin on the bottom that holds in the ball bearing. The lever lifts part of the way out but gets stuck. What's the catch? Do those two pins on the side need to come out too? If so what is the best way to get them out? Thanks in advance.
Tim Mayor

Tim - Those two pins that go into the sides are what is holding your shift lever in place. Getting them out is a bit of a problem. I have always been told that all you need is a thin screwdriver to drive down between the pins and the shifter ball, but have never been able to budge the pins. Apparently the casting is peened over the outside ends of the pins and needs to be broken loose to get the pins to move. I finally opted to just paint the shift lever and not look at it too closely (it is somewhat under the dash so it doesn't stick out for inspection). Good luck - Dave
David DuBois

It's reassuring to hear I'm not the only one that gave up on getting this one out of there! My mechanic friend offered to "remove" it after watching me try for about 45 mins. In as much as he was standing next to the car with a torch and 15lb hammer....I decided to go with some "chrome" paint and a leather boot! There is less than 2" of it that shows and like Dave said it is somewhat under the dash.
If you get yours out....keep us posted as to how you get it back in!
Cheers,
David 55 TF 1500
David Sheward

The good news is that you only need to get one of them out :-).

Yes they are peened over from the housing. I have not done this for 40 years but if I remember I had to take a dremel tool to the outside and remove enough material to weaken the pins. Then you can pry from the lever side. Save the pin.

After chroming you will need to re peen the side that you took out. You might also try filling over the top of the reinstalled pin with one of those metal epoxy compounds if there is not enough material to re peen.

Chris
Chris Couper

Well guys after much time spent prying and dremeling, and after one broken screwdriver I must declare defeat.
Those pins are truly nasty to get out. Perhaps for the next round of chroming though!
Thank you everyone for the advice.
Tim Mayor

Tim/Chaps,
I also gave up trying to remove the pins. I sent the complete remote unit away to an engineering shop, with a new lever supplied by Moss, and had them do it, and at the same time fit a new remote shaft and bushes. There is now absolutely no lost movement, and the rattles are gone....... AB
Adrian Bennett

You only need to loosen one of the pins.

I made a tool from an old 1/4" wood chisel. I ground it to a very shallow taper with a sharp edge and reduced the 1/4" to a size that just fitted in one of the slots in the gear stick ball in which the pins run.
I was then able to tap the sharp edge between the pin and the groove and this pushed the pin out with no trouble. When I repaced the leaver I turned it through 180 degs - the plunger in the selector had worn a slight groove in the bottom of the stick.

Also had to make a tool up to push the spring down when I came to replace the gear stick circlip. Cut a pice of copper tube and placed it over the stick and pushed the spring down with a nut on the gear knob thread. Was messy since the tread was't long enough - anyone got a better suggestion ?


Jan T 51 TD
Jan Targosz

All,

I can describe a method to free the gear lever, which worked for me.
You must remove the remote control from the car, it cannot be done in situ.
You require a hardened steel pin punch having smaller diameter that of the pins in the remote control. You need to grind the punch so that, on one side there is a flat, and on the other, a taper, when done it should have the shape of a wood chisel. Hold the bottom of the gear lever in a bench vice (use pieces of wood to avoid damaging the ball end) Then with the flat edge towards the gear lever, put the punch in the gap between the lever and the pin, then hammer it, the taper should force the pin out. You do not need to remove the pin completely just enough to free the lever, if you are lucky you only need to do one side. The base of the slot, in the gear lever, gets slightly damaged, but that does not show. In my case I replaced the gear lever with a new one, as this was cheaper that a re-chrome.

John Scragg
52 TD

John Scragg

Tim
You don't say if the trans is in the car or on the work bench. But either way the pins are rather easy to remove. First spray the area with WD-40 or rust buster. Then insert two screw driver , one on each side in the pin slots of the gear shift lever. The pins, most of the time have been peened over on the alu housing of the remote. locate these and file them away. They should only be peened in one small area. Some times in a rebuild they get more than they need. With both screw drivers installed, rock the gear shift leaver from side to side in the direction of the pins. If the screw drivers loosen tap them in more. You may need to use more screw drivers or thicker ones, but this has always worked for me. I have changed them sitting in the car and on the bench. When you re-install take a blunt chisel and re peen the pins, in one small area only! As you have noticed they don't come out very easy and only need a little to hold them in place. Hope this helps
John
John Hambleton

After all of the responses that poured in after my defeat post I just had to go out and give it another try. SUCCESS. I used John H's method. I never thought to rock the shift lever..I had only pried with the screwdrivers before. Came out easily. Thanks to everyone for the encouragement. What a great BBS!
Tim Mayor

By now you have done it, but here was my method. I simply drilled out one of the pins, trans in situ. I changed the gear lever with a rechromed one and replaced the pin with a piece of steel dowel stick, made to fit the hole hard. Has been there for 10 years.

Denis
Denis L. Baggi

Wow, tough crowd. You asked for advice and you got an honest response. Anyone selling a well restored TD is likely not going to get back all they have invested. A partially "restored" is always going to be an even tougher sell as it does not appeal to someone wanting a turn key car. Someone with the skills to finish the project may choose to start from scratch (less intitial outlay and more satisfaction). I am only trying to explain why all your hard work and expense does not translate into a fair return.
Tony
Tony Cove

Sorry the above was linked to the wrong thread and I am not sure how edit it once sent.
Tony
Tony Cove

You can send a note to the admin but it's probably more trouble than it' worth. I did it once when I enclosed my key in a URL. :-)

Chris
Chris Couper

This thread was discussed between 12/10/2002 and 22/10/2002

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