LAND ROVER SERIES I GEAR BOX (PART I)

From the early 1960 late pattern gear lever had a small groove machined in the ball end at the bottom of the gear lever this groove was fitted with a rubber ring to cushion the ball end, preventing rattles against the selector shafts. Earlier gear levers didn’t have the cushion ring, so they rattled and wore facets. The rubber ring wears away eventually, so even later levers can wear. Facets allow bigger and better rattles, but if the ball end is really badly worn it can jam. Anyway, a lever that that first precisely and moves slickly is a satisfying thing.

The gear lever made in two parts the bend upper rod first in to a hole in the lower part. Earliest gear lever have this joint brazed on late ones, it’s welded. Later still, you can see the end of the upper rod has been machined and fitted very neatly into the lower part I suspect its shrink fit. I compared a series I gear lever with one from series II A and the lower part appears to be identical dimensions. Checking part number and excluding the first 150080 inches, which have a unique system, there are six or seven numbers for the gear lever, running from Series 1 right through to the end of series III. However, except for the very last series III (including the Stage 1 V8s,) they all share the same part number for the aluminum gear lever housing and the mounting plate, so should all the same dimensions at the ‘working End’.