'66 4.2 OTS
Alright, I’ve got to ask an analog question in a digital world.
I’ve searched the usual parts suppliers without finding even a close match.
BAS Upholstery’s Youtube video calls it a shifter dome… that term doesn’t come up on their own website.
What is this called, and is there a cover available for it? It appears to have been vacuum formed as there are clamp marks at the edge.The parts book shows it but it isn’t split out as a separate part - with it’s own name.
Liggets parts book for the S2 (which is the best reference I know for obscure parts for the S2, and many S2 parts are the same as S1) calls it a Gauntlet Panel BD29748. That part number is NLA everywhere I looked.
John North
S1 Roadster
S2 Coupe
If you are asking if there is a retrim kit or vinyl piece for this part I think the answer is no at least I’ve never heard of or seen one. OSJI or one of the other upholstery suppliers may have an idea.
Hi Mitch, This part seems never to have been available separately, and I think it came with the base part which was BD26282, and later BD27538 and etc… Anyhow some years ago I was searching for for such a part for my 1970 SII"E",as my PO had partly dismantled the the consul and the steel dome was missing. After many calls to John Farrell ( formerly of NY, but now out of business, and haveing sold out his whole business to someone in UK.) he came up with one!! Part of the problem in “finding” it was related to the fact that it had no official name!! I now call it the gear shift dome, and it is made from pressed steel and is covered in vinyl to match the rest of the consul fittings.So far this tale seems to going nowhere. However, since this part seemed to be made from Unobtainium, I made a plaster cast of it , which I have retained .The casting is hardly any use for makeing a metal part, but would be quite OK for a making a fibre glass casting…If this is something you might be interested in then pm me. I still have materials left over from a Condor raceing catamaran build some years ago. I am sure that you would prefer a metal one, but the only load this part carries is to mount the leather gear lever cover.
I gave mine to BAS at Stoneleigh (UK) and they covered it with correct thin non-stretch vinyl - presumably using heat and a jig.
Note that the photo shows the rare version fitted with the bulbous rubber boot, not leather or vinyl gaiter and used in 66-67-ish only. I opened out the hole to the gaiter shape and fitted one, complete with narrow chrome perimeter trim below and chrome stick bezel above.
Hi Mitch, I see that this piece is listed on the SNG B website.while they give it a name…Gauntlet panel…it is NLA…not that that is news !
Peter, yes, I’ve got a '66 and I should have the rubber boot. A PO had changed the boot to leather. The covering is what I’m after.
John, Gauntlet panel. OK, I wouldn’t have guessed that. Barrett’s lack of illustrations (true for most of our suppliers) make’s it really difficult to buy something based on a description alone. Even if this was available, I’m guessing they wouldn’t sell many. Shift tower, gauntlet panel, gaiter trim thing-whatzit. Holy smokes - in MG,Triumph land we are SOooooooo spoiled.
So, OK. I learned how to cast aluminum and weld with a TIG for the TC… Perhaps I’ll build me a vacuum press for this thing’s covering… whatever we’re calling it.
Stay tuned.
Youtube, here I come!
It’s nice that someone is doing that. Expensive?
Contact them and send them a picture. We could all benefit from knowing if they can refinish that part. If they can do that they can probably do the hatch hinge cups.
You need to build yourself one of these:
Regards,
Ray L.
I had my dome recovered in leather by Classic Showcase and it is perfect. They sliced the leather to 0.020” or so thick and then stretch it to perfect fit and match to the console.
They did my my hatch mechanism covers the same way to the same level of quality.
That’s what I did to trim my radio console in leather. To think it out in one area to make a fold you can use a Dremel with a sanding drum. To do a bulbous part like this I’d mount a belt sander upside down and lightly sand the whole hide with a fine belt so it can stretch easily.
Home made sciving, very creative.
It was insignificant. I may have picked it up at the next spares event (2 per year in UK. Call the Wales outfit and ask for Steve Evans.
I looked into forming an ABS cover for it (I have a vacuum pump for veneering) but I decided to cover it in leather instead. Thin sheepskin is almost perfect and will look better in this area than plastic anyway.
My question really was - is this cover being offered anywhere?
Answered. …Nope.
Thanks all.
Done. The more I thought about it, the less I liked recreating the original plastic covering on this prominent area of the interior. This now looks and feels like it belongs in an upscale sports car. (I’m NOT installing a rubber gaitor either).
I searched Ebay for 2.25oz goat leather. I got enough to cover this part 5 times over for under $25.00 shipped. Goatskin has a bias to the stretch and if you work it right it can almost wrap a baseball.
No seams:
That looks really nice.
