Sprinter 4WD Conversion Idea, GMT-800 IFS.

[luthj]

Got the shifter today. Its a very nice piece of kit. I played with the cable, and the minimum bend radius they list is quite conservative. It will do a 5" radius without binding, maybe even 4".

 

[Alloy]

Got the shifter today. Its a very nice piece of kit. I played with the cable, and the minimum bend radius they list is quite conservative. It will do a 5" radius without binding, maybe even 4".

Conservative when new.......don't expect the same as the cable ages......a sharp radii wears faster.

Blue Loctite or double nut the cable.

 

[shade]

Got the shifter today. Its a very nice piece of kit. I played with the cable, and the minimum bend radius they list is quite conservative. It will do a 5" radius without binding, maybe even 4".

Always good to find that a part that looked useful online still does in your hands.

 

[luthj]

Conservative when new.......don't expect the same as the cable ages......a sharp radii wears faster.

Blue Loctite or double nut the cable.

I agree. I always aim for the least bends. If this was a gear shifter or parking brake cable, it would be a important consideration. A gear shift cable will see 100,000s of shifts. Being a Tcase shift cable, it will see a few hundred, or a few thousand shifts.

Always good to find that a part that looked useful online still does in your hands.

Its always a guessing game with photos, even with dimensions. The real test will be when I start cutting holes in the van!

I may end up sealing the lower parts of the assembly with some plastic board and urethane. Mostly to reduce any air (or water!) that may try to find its way through the floor.

 

[luthj]

Conservative when new.......don't expect the same as the cable ages......a sharp radii wears faster.

Blue Loctite or double nut the cable.

I agree. I always aim for the least bends. If this was a gear shifter or parking brake cable, it would be a important consideration. A gear shift cable will see 100,000s of shifts. Being a Tcase shift cable, it will see a few hundred, or a few thousand shifts.

Always good to find that a part that looked useful online still does in your hands.

Its always a guessing game with photos, even with dimensions. The real test will be when I start cutting holes in the van!

I may end up sealing the lower parts of the assembly with some plastic board and urethane. Mostly to reduce any air (or water!) that may try to find its way through the floor.

 

[luthj]

Fitment of the shifter should be pretty easy. I need to cut a 3/4"x4" slot in the floor for the handle. The rear part of the main body flange will need trimmed off to clear the floor support. Then 4 bolts through the floor to attach the boot and mount the unit. I may end up putting an extension on the shaft depending on how the knob gets positioned.

 

[luthj]

Shifter is mostly installed. I need to work out if I want the boot on top of the floor, or If I want to cut the floor covering out around the boot.

A few cardboard models, and a couple pilot holes got me the rough position and cut-out.



Because I didn't want to cut out the floor support, I opted to trim the back of the flange off instead.







The tcase bracket didn't position the cable correctly, I could have made it work, but it was easy enough to cut and move it up 1.5".





Here is everything bolted up. The seller mentioned I may need to redrill the hole in the selector arm. THe 242 has more total rotation on the shaft than the 241, and the shifter would not have had enough throw. I redrilled the hole at a 2.5" arm length.







I should have put the shifter a bit farther inboard. I will probably just trim the excess on my seat adapter plate, as it sticks out about 0.4". It really sucks getting these heavy seats out though.



Now I need to figure out the Tcase indicator switch pinout. Hopefully it indicates all the positions, and I can just put a few indicator LEDs on the dash somewhere.

 

[shade]

 

[luthj]

Funny story, my black sharpie died, and I switched to the bright red one. I kept thinking I had cut myself, cause of the sharpie ink. Ironically my hands are the most injury free they have been in a month or two. Which reminds me, I need to get new tips for my deburring tool...

 

[Alloy]

Shifter is mostly installed. I need to work out if I want the boot on top of the floor, or If I want to cut the floor out around the boot.

A few cardboard models, and a couple pilot holes got me the rough position and cut-out.



Because I didn't want to cut out the floor support, I opted to trim the back of the flange off instead.

1/32" cutoff wheels will make things easier... also great for splitting tac welds cutting the floor panel and aluminum.




Sorry don't know your experience with grinders so I'll add......
Be careful not to stress the center of the wheel or you'll have I've seen pcs stuck in the wall 20' away.

Always have the force of the grinder pulling away from you

Smart.....gloves would be better


Dumb.

 

[luthj]

Good tips, always important to check, because assuming someone knows the basics, makes an Ass of U and Me. I watched me father pull a 1" long wire wheel brush strand out of his leg once. That left a lasting impression.

I have been putting my direct-from-china handheld bandsaw to good use. I find its a bit easier to control on these big cuts.

 

[Len.Barron]

I should have put the shifter a bit farther inboard. I will probably just trim the excess on my seat adapter plate, as it sticks out about 0.4". It really sucks getting these heavy seats out though.

When you do the handle extension just add some shape to it to the inboard.

 

[Len.Barron]

I have been putting my direct-from-china handheld bandsaw to good use. I find its a bit easier to control on these big cuts.

and a hell of a lot quieter..

 

[luthj]

When you do the handle extension just add some shape to it to the inboard.

Good idea. Should be pretty easy with my torch and some mild steel tubing.

 

[luthj]

Needs some cosmetic work, but functions just fine.