Gearknob thread stripped

[Paul Coleman]

I have managed to strip the internal thread on my wooden S1 gearknob. Is the thread M7? Has anybody found a way of removing the metal insert inside the gearknob?

Alternatively I have another one which needs sanding down and re-lacquering. Has anybody done this and made a good job of it? If so, what did you use?

Thanks, Paul.

[silverfrost]

Hi Paul,

Could you not drill out the threads on the the decent looking gear knob and insert a heli coil,  or drill it out complete and juist by a bit of cheap alloy bar and drill and tap this and glue it back in ?  

Other option as you say would be to sand your other one and use a yacht varnish or any hard wearing varnish to that matter.

I think alloy bar and drill and tap it is the cheapest and quick option, or for helicoils rather than by a kit that can be pricey just drop into a local enginnering firm as they will have a load kicking about and will probably do it on a lunch break for the cost of a drink. ! 

Have met some great people over the years popping into little off the beaten track old engineering shops.

[Paul Coleman]

Helicoil - now why didn't I think of that? Good idea and only a tenner for a kit

Can anybody confirm that the thread is M7 on the gearstick?

Thanks, Paul.

[ramjet]

I was going to suggest a helicoil as well. Should work well.

[Paul Coleman]

Bought an M7 Helicoil kit and it's fixed woohoo!!

[silverfrost]

Glad you got it sorted Paul 

[Paul Coleman]

Yes that's the last time I let my wife drive my car!! She was struggling to get it into reverse so grabbed hold of it with both hands and yanked on it.

Okay, no jokes about your wife grabbing hold of your knob with both hands and yanking on it please

[silverfrost]

Now why do women do that though ?, seriously i have seen that so many times with lasses grabbing the gearstick on cars with both hands and what i could only describe as arm wrestling it into reverse ?  Must be a genetic trait of some kind 

[ramjet]

They never did Knobbing 101 at school.  

It's a learnt skill later on in life. 

[molemot]

The need to heave on the gearlever makes me think the crossgate needs adjusting. Back when I was a Lotus neophyte, I struggled with getting reverse..;the lever would NOT move backwards...in the end, I snapped the thing off where the rolpin goes through the lever as part of the reverse gate. One handed, too.... (!) After that..and a new gearlever.. I analysed what was happening and found the crossgate mechanism worn in several places underneath. Once I'd sorted that out, no more trouble.