Lotus Elan and Lotus Elan Plus 2 Forums

The rubber gaiter on the gear stick of my sprint has begun to perish.
I have seen some elans where it has been replaced with a leather version. Are these available and were they ever used as original on any elans ?
Any tips on how to do the replacement also much appreciated !
cheers
Terry

Hi Terry,
I'm not aware of any leather gaiters being used on the Elan, although there were a few specially trimmed ones back in the day and that may be what you've seen. The OEM rubber ones are still available, Sue Miller had them listed earlier in the year, SJS also show them for around a tenner and no doubt Paul Matty will have stock as they do seem to split easily in comparison with other cars.
Brian

There's an OE leather gaiter on my Land Rover and it seems to be deteriorating faster than the rubber one on the Elan, with a number of splits appearing and the stitching coming undone.

The rubber used in Elan gaiters did seem to have done it's usual disappearing quality trick and there was a time when I seemed to be getting through a gaiter a year but the current one, bought from one of the main UK suppliers about four years ago, does seem to be a lot better and shows no sign of deteriorating. Whether that's just luck or whether a higher quality rubber mix is now being used I've no idea but I just keep my fingers crossed that if it is better rubber that it spreads to the rotoflexes etc.

Actually changing it is very easy. Remove the centre console and you'll see the bottom of the gaiter is fixed to a thin metal plate like a giant grommet. The plate itself is fixed to the glass fibre with self tapping screws (on my car anyway). Unscrew the gear knob and either "unpop" the gaiter from the plate or unscrew the plate and pull the gaiter up over the gear lever. In best Haynes manual style, reverse the procedure to fit the new one.

My shift lever gaiter is fixed to the centre console so it's even easier to replace. I bought two new ones last year and sprayed each liberally with ArmorAll. I then wiped the excess from the one I was goin to install and sprayed the inside with silicone spray. Every so often I put a bit more ArmorAll on the outer surface. The second gaiter sits sealed in a plastic bag still covered in ArmorAll in case the one in the car deteriorates over time. The replacement ones were relatively cheap so it made sense for me to buy two. I think I got them from Miles Wilkins.

My Sprint came with a leather-cloth (not real leather I think) gaiter when I got it in 1985, but eventually it deteriorated so much that it had to be replaced by a rubber one.

I replaced the original rubber gaiter with a "home made" leather one.

1. I kept the top piece of rubber that holds the gaiter onto the gearstick

2. I turned a nylon ring that had an external groove in it.
The groove must be big enough to clip into the hole in the centre console when the leather you have is glued into it.
That ring will need a big enough radial split cut into it to permit it to be compressed & fitted into the console (take into account the thickness of the leather to be used)

3. I got a "man" to sew a leather gaiter which I glued the top to the saved bit of rubber & turned it in.
The bottom was glued onto the nylon "piston ring" & into that groove

Job done & still looks good after 10 years.

An alternative would be to buy a metal surround that can be bought for kit car gear change levers & cut/sew your leather to suit, but your Elan my start to take on the appearance of an AC Cobra replica!

Good luck!
John

On a previous car, I fitted what I thought was a good replacement (it wasn't concave so it wouldn't trap any gunk) It needed a bit of "fettling" and I was pleased with the result...and then someone pointed out it was a CV boot...Doh!

But having said that...rubber's rubber...right

ardee_selby wrote:But having said that...rubber's rubber...right

Brings to mind a certain Surtees GP sponsor in the '70s!

I bought the rubber piece and mine was attached to the console. The nw one made the console move with every shift so I took a piece of "pleather" and had my wife sew it like 3 triangles and make an Indian TeePee. The big end was left unsewn and just sits under console. This works well and looks just fine....
Brian

Archives, dear boy, archives......

elansprint71 wrote:Archives, dear boy, archives......

Like this, for example?

Leather gaiter - 5 results

(http://www.lotuselan.net/cgi-bin/search ... oom_sort=0)

Leather gaitor - 1 result

(http://www.lotuselan.net/cgi-bin/search ... oom_sort=0)

Leather croc - 0 results

Pete, another great picture of the last train +++

Sarto

Just tried to look at it again and it is not there.

mac5777 wrote:Pete, another great picture of the last train +++

Sarto

Just tried to look at it again and it is not there.

I think that there are two shots "headlining" alternately on the site at the moment.

My slot at Dungeness is already booked for next year.

Thanks.

Thanks for the advice and photos !

Grateful for advice on the removal of the centre console as it is not obvious where it is fixed and seems firmly in place !

Carpet has been fixed into the tray to provide a non-slip surface but imagine the rubber goes onto the body as you suggest Stuart

cheers
Terry