Exposed Shifter Retro-fitted to V6S

[KIMUTAKU]

Hi all,

First of all, this isn’t something new and I’m certainly not the first.  I think it’s pretty well-known that at least 2 fellow members in UK have done this conversion.  I think I’m the first in Hong Kong (and possibly outside UK in general).  I know there are a lot of interest in this for the V6S owners but not enough information and that is probably keeping many people away for attempting this.  I hope with some tips and pointers more V6S members would feel comfortable doing this.  I will share my experience and what I have gone through from start to finish.

There is no mystery to this conversion, but it is not 100% plug and play as most would expect.  Like I said, there is simply very little info around.  So I began by obviously reading EVERYTHING there is to this, including threads in this forum, pictures here, pictures on Facebook, pictures on IG, you name it.  I also probably read the Exige Part List (like the ones you can find on DeRoure website) 100 times to try to understand what exactly are different between the V6S shifter and the Exposed Shifter.  I’m no mechanic so it took me a while to digest all the graphical information.  After that it was time to put together a part list.  My approach was to rather have extra parts than to be missing parts because everyone knows the waiting time for Lotus parts.  Unfortunately, I was STILL missing a few parts in the end, which wasn’t a big deal as I will come to it later.  For you guys’ information, you will need about 70 parts, many of them little parts like bolts, screws, etc.  The cost for me was just over £3,000.  But like I said earlier, I ordered extra parts so actually you will be looking at around £2,500.  I will have a finalized part list when I have time to cross check everything.  Feel free to pm me later.

Here are some tips and obstacles.

Shift cable & Cross-gate cable

In the V6S, both the shift cable and the cross-gate cable are similar length and size.  They both route from the shift lever in the cabin out to underneath the car and up from the BACK of the transmission.  So if you look in your engine bay under the airbox (if you have changed to aftermarket intake it would be super easy to spot), you can see the 2 cables parallel to each other.

For the Exposed Shifter, the shift cable is significantly larger and longer than the cross-gate cable.  Why?  Because only the shift cable follows the same route as described above. The new cross-gate cable takes a short cut up from the FRONT of the transmission.  This is not rocket science since the cables are length specific, meaning there is really only one way to install them.

There are 3 cables in the picture because I ordered an extra cross-gate cable.  Why?  Because on the Lotus part list, there is a cross-gate cable for “isolated type”.  There is absolutely no other information provided.  It does not say which model it is for, just nothing.  So if I was to guess, I suspect this “isolated type” cross-gate cable is for 410/430 charge-cooled cars.  Perhaps those with 410/430 can confirm this.  Anyways, you DO NOT need the cross-gate cable “isolated type” and the associated bracket!  

 

Center Console & Parking Brake

First problem here, the hazard switch.  You will need the new hazard switch, which is completely different in size and style.  The plugs are different.  I have yet to figure out what I want to do here.  For now I just zip-tied the old switch on the side so at least I have working hazard lights.

Then there are the parking brake bezel, gaiter and retainer.  Apparently these 3 items are different between the models but in the part list there are no separate part numbers for them.  I was still able to fit them to the car but now as you can see I have a huge hole.

 

Next is the alloy cover tunnel.  I’m not sure whether again there is a separate part number for the newer cars.  So this cover tunnel did not line up perfectly with the front upper and lower center console pieces.  Some trimming and adjustment to center console pieces are needed here.  I don’t recommend cutting the alloy cover tunnel.  Also a small imperfection is that the front lower console piece isn’t 100% flush on the right, meaning it is “flapping” out a bit.  It’s not noticeable unless you press on it.  I suspect this may be due to the material flexing during shipping.

 

Next is the the harness guide underneath the alloy cover tunnel.  This is completely different.  In the V6S, this guide goes “all the way” to the grooved (or raised) section of the aluminium tub.  But on the newer cars, it stops just short of reaching the grooved section.  The reason for this is the front console for the Exposed Shifter requires a mounting assembly that looks like a rectangular block.  This mounting block will require drilling 2 holes through the aluminium tub.  A simple solution was to cut up the mounting block into 2 pieces.  Again, I do not recommend cutting away the metal harness guide.

At last, it is good to remind my fellow members that you will need to drill 4 holes to mount the Exposed Shifter mechanism.  Again, not rocket science as you just need to line everything up from the parking brake assembly.

 

Missing Parts

The waiting time on some of the parts are ridiculous.  I managed to finish the conversion but not without some improvising.  The 2 mounting clamps for the shift cable and cross-gate cable have no ETA.  I had to make a judgment call and used zip-ties for now.  These 2 clamps have the same part number.  I thought if the same clamp is used on 2 very different sized cables, then the clamp cannot be a critical mounting piece.  All it is probably doing is to “hold” the cables down so they don’t pop out of their respective mounts.

I was also missing the ball type end piece for the shift cable that attaches to the shift lever.  This piece is not a separate part on the part list and should have came with the shift cable.  While it is being shipped to me as we speak, I went ahead and found some alternative and made it work.

Lastly, the shift knob.  There is only one part number for the shift knob (maybe the part list that I was referring to wasn’t the most updated version).  But as I quickly found out, the threads were different!  The new shift knob is M12x1.25.  What the hell Lotus!  Luckily, I have a Subaru STI OEM shift knob lying around that I could use.  Best part is the shift knob has a waiting time of almost 6 months.

Anyhow, here is the finished product vs the old one.

 

Enjoy guys!

 

Edited June 5, 2021 by KIMUTAKU

[Kristof Thys]

That was a good read!  Kudo's to you!

[keith84_hk]

Great write up and very detailed info! 👍

 

[El-RGB]

Awesome! Same here, I have been talking to a lot of people about this conversion. Great job!

[KIMUTAKU]

This little part arrived, thanks to Rob for the super quick delivery.  Like I described earlier, this is the end piece to the shift cable that attaches to the shift lever.  It certainly looks cleaner than what I have on now.

I haven‘t had time to fully test the car (except driving it home from the shop).  So I‘m super excited to give it some beans as soon as my busy schedule allows.

You guys can follow me on IG at @cheungu_2046 for periodic updates to my Exige V6.  It’s not exactly a project car where I have big plans or anything.  All I want to do is to keep it clean and take it to the track once borders re-open. 

[34Vette]

nicely done man ! Congs! 

would u kindly share the part number u order?

my exige is same as ur the pre lci model even the color is the same , i`m located in Beijing

i was thinking about doing these but i didn`t really figureout what to order

 

[KIMUTAKU]

Pm me, I’ll have a final part list ready soon.  

[KIMUTAKU]

Update:

Turns out I was wrong about the shift knob.  I could actually re-use my V6S knob.  I jumped the gun and thought it didn’t screw right on easily.  The pressure from the spring makes it a little difficult but it went in just fine.  Silly me.  But I do want to say that the whole shift knob situation is so unnecessarily complex.  There are an o-ring and a plastic sleeve which the latter took me a while to figure out how it was supposed to be fitted.

 

 

Now it looks more proper woot woot!  The knob is a little scratched up but it will do for now until my brand new one arrives.

 

Edited June 15, 2021 by KIMUTAKU

[ramjet]

[MrD]

Awesome write up, thanks for taking the time to do this👍

 

[manuel.400]

Any one would consider my shifter instead of this conversion?

My shifter has been mount on a V6cupR and the owner says me that it is more precise also than the new lotus exopsed.

So a good combination should be my shifter with new Lotus exposed cover..

what's in your opinion?

PS: on mine you could alsochoose the ergal parts anodization color   (here in standard grey)

 

[KIMUTAKU]

Hey man your shifter looks super dope!  It’s always good to have more options for Exige owners. 👍

[manuel.400]

Here you can see also the "reverse knob":

and a view from the other side (here it was not completed):

[KIMUTAKU]

Impression:

The exposed shifter is way more solid and has close to zero play when it’s in neutral and in gears.  I did notice something different between the various cars equipped with this shifter though.

 

Exige 390 Sport

 

 

Exige V6S (retro-fitted)

 

 

Elise S220 (MY2019)

 

 

Basically my shifter and the 390 Sport feel identical in terms of weight and stiffness.  But on the “older” Elise S220, the shifter is super stiff going into gears.  This is also the same with another Exige 350 Sport (MY2016) that I have test drove before; super stiff.  I’m not sure if Lotus has made some changes or what, but the difference is quite noticeable.

I actually prefer the super stiff feeling but I can appreciate the smoother and “lighter” operation of the later version, if I may call it that.  I think people were complaining about having trouble shifting on racetrack and perhaps Lotus has lighten things up.  Just my thoughts.

 

 

Edited June 23, 2021 by KIMUTAKU

[KIMUTAKU]

Update:

So I finally have time to tackle the hazard switch.  I actually bought the new switch which was a £70 part (yikes) only to find out that it’s not plug and play to the V6S.  As mentioned in my original post, I had the “old” hazard switch zip-tied on the side of the console, which was tacky to say the least as you can see from the picture below.  So I figure there were basically 3 options for me:

1. Leave it as is, but tug the old working switch away better (on the driver’s side);
2. Spice the wires on the switches, match the wires and solder them; or
3. Retro-fit the old switch into the bezel.

The best looking result would undoubtedly be option 2.  However, it is a risky job.  The number of wires appear to be different and the colours are different.  My mechanic was willing to give it a shot but I was very hesitant.  So I gave up on this until I can somehow confirm that this has been done and/or possible.  The beauty is I can always come back to this option in the future.

So I decided to go option 3 as it seems most logical.  It was certainly the most economical as well because the cost of a bezel is “only” £10.  Even if I messed it up I could always buy another to work on.  After first attempt, the result is not quite what I wanted but I think I can get it to sit more flush.  The old switch is like a long piston and together with the plug and wiring it takes up quite a bit of room underneath.  In fact, some trimming to the inside of the front lower console was required.

 

 

 

 

Will work on it again later this week.  Afterwards, I will have the bezel painted.

Cheers!

[KIMUTAKU]

Updates:

So I finally finished the hazard button and bezel.  I think it looks pretty OEM.  The way it’s angled now actually makes it easier to reach and press if you can believe that LOL.

At the end I went with matching colour and it turns out quite nice.  I originally wanted to paint the bezel yellow or gold, but I thought that maybe a bit too much contrast as I already have a mix of accents in the interior.

 

[caesargucci2001]

Awesome build!!!

can you share the parts list to me.

I am consider retrofit the project

many thanks 

[34Vette]

parts list +1

could u kindly share it ? 

that would help a lot

[KIMUTAKU]

Finally I can say that my conversion is 100% complete.

The parking brake suede boot with matching red stitching took over 6 months, yikes!

No more nasty gap, even though no one would notice unless I point it out, but it bugs me to have this imperfection.

The old vs new.  The old one uses a different size bezel/retainer and fastening mechanism.  I believe Lotus has since updated this for both non-exposed and exposed shifter setup.

 

Not very good picture but you get the idea.  Referring to my previous pictures, you can see the gap from using a smaller size parking brake bezel and boot.  Now it’s perfect and as OEM as it can be.

 

 

Cheers!

[fnomis]

I’ve got a set of SSC cables - brand new and still in their original packaging if anyone is interested.

[mayak]

@KIMUTAKU I am currently trying to remove the bezel around the gear linkage to get it repainted.

I found this picture in the forum. It seems like the bezel has 5 plastic clips. I tried pushing them in with my fingers, but no chance.

- How did you get the bezel removed?
- Did you first work on the clip in the rear and then on the side?
- Did you use any tools?

Thank you very much.

[KIMUTAKU]

@mayak sorry I haven’t been coming on this forum often.

You don’t need tools to remove the shifter bezel (item 36).  You need to have some strong fingers though as you will need to press hard on those clips while pulling the bezel up.  I started from the two sides together.

 

Cheers!