Talk Morgan Forums Morgan Sports Cars Morgan Aero 8, 2012< Plus 8, SuperSports, Coupe & Aeromax FAO People interested in Aero Librands short shift

A few people may remember a while back I was trying to source a Librands short shift for my S1 Aero 8 with no success, if I recall I wasn't the only one.. well if you are interested in obtaining one read on!

Firstly a bit of background on the kit - it is made up of a new gear lever shaft from an old (E46 I think) M3, some bearings, shims, washers a new gear knob and some machining to these items.

Now the problem was the gear lever shaft, BMW said it was discontinued and therefore the kit was unable to be supplied.
I am a bit of a perfectionist and didn't want to just cut down the shaft if there was a better option which would reduce the throw via the bearings as well as on the lever length - so I have spent a lot of time digging!

I spoke to Librands (Phil) and he said it had been many many years since they supplied one, he was unable to source the shafts - bearings were no problem.

I didn't really fancy the hassle of finding a used shaft so I obtained the part number of the discontinued part from Phil and went to BMW. After a bit of searching on their system the helpful parts chap located a supersession of the lever - he wouldn't guarantee it would fit and it was a special order non-refundable part from Germany - but I took the approx £100 plunge and ordered it anyway!

Long story short it arrived and I sent it to Phil along with my choice of gear knob from Richbrook, he has confirmed it was correct and as such I have a fully fledged short shifter kit now in the post to me! The first in about 10 years.

I will dig out the number of the shaft later for anyone that is interested, as if you supply the shaft Phil is happy to produce a short shifter kit for the S1 again.

Approximate prices:
Shaft £100
Knob £40
Labour/bearings £100.

The benefit of this kit is it doesn't modify any existing parts, so you can put it back to standard if you wish. It also provides a quicker/shorter shift with more precise action than just cutting down the shaft itself.

Hope that helps someone, and I will post up some pictures when I get around to having it fitted.

Regards,
Nick

I am/would be interested Nick but I currently have an excellent short quick shift.
Having never driven another S1 is there any way to tell if I have on fitted or not?

I will be honest I have no idea!
When the kit arrives I will have to take a picture or two, but I guess all the bearings/mods might be hidden away regardless..

mine has the long shift!!!

Missed the postman today, so hopefully I shall find him/her tomorrow!

Part number of the shaft needed from BMW:
B25.11.7.527.260

£72.09+VAT.

Being fitted this weekend.

Could be interested in this for mine.
Simon

Update:

Took the car to Allon White's yesterday (always a pleasure) to have the Short Shifter fitted, a nice morning with their breakfast club going on also.

What a difference! The shift is very very short and precise now, the action is much more positive and feels like a bolt action rifle. I am also very pleased to say this has reduced driveline shunt massively, you can feel much more relaxed when shifting and cruising and the shifts are much smoother as a result, whereas before to get a smooth shift you had to be rather brisk with your left arm!
It has totally transformed the car, and really helps it become a comfortable cruiser... which I tested by driving 160 miles to Surrey and back!

So a few pictures of the kit and the difference:

It must also be said that the original bearing was looking rather tired and dry, I don't recall the cars being slated for their shift action when new so I would imagine most are quite tired by now.

Therefore it was well worthwhile changing this rather than just cutting down the old shaft - which is far limited on how much it could be cut down by compared to the new one.

Unfortunately I cannot update my original post, but if anyone wants a short shifter kit for the Series 1 Aero - I whole heartedly recommend it, and for the first time in ten years you now can!

Few more pics: