Which gear changers will physically fit onto a B18C gearbox?

[Slugman]

Hi. As per the title - My 1977 mini gear changer is flogged out, & due to the reduced throw of the B18C gearbox compared to the changer, I need to replace it soon. I am having trouble sourcing a Type R one since I don't want to sell my house, so can I connect an LS or a B16 gear-changing assembly to my B18C box? As long as the bar & stabiliser fit, & the throw is about right, then I will be happy.

Obviously modification of the thing to fit my car isn't an issue. I will have to do that no matter what changer I get, but I had to mod the mini one to fit anyway. It's not hard.

BTW, my car is street legal, road registered, & as fun as any Type R with 400kg removed can be, as you might expect....... ;)

[SHOGUNOVDDRK]

B18A (LS/DA9) Gearbox will fit but it's cable.
B16a (EG6/EK4) gearbox will fit

[Slugman]

Thanks for the quick reply. Just clarifying - Do you mean the gear changer or gearbox?
I'm looking at the changer assembly - The gear lever, the bit below that, & the two rods connecting to the gearbox, but not the gearbox itself.

[SHOGUNOVDDRK]

I'm not 100% what gears work with what box, there are articles on it though on Honda-tech usually.

[Slugman]

OK, thanks anyway. I'll trawl through there & see what I can find.

[mooshie]

They should all fit. The differences between the Type R and any other B series vehicle are minor and it sounds like you will have to custom modify things anyway.

What do you mean by 'flogged out'? If it's just the bushings then simply replace them, there are a couple of traders on the forum with options there

[Slugman]

It's the mini gear-lever bushings that are stuffed - The 'bushings' are essentially a metal ball at the bottom of the gear lever below the pivot point, which fits into a metal cup at the end of the rod that connects to the gearbox. The sideways throw of the mini lever is so different to that required by the gearbox, so it was never great changing gears with that setup anyway. Fifth gear is always a struggle - Really have to force the gearstick over to work against the mini mechanism before it will slip into that gear - Minis don't have 5th, so it wasn't designed to move that far to the right, & that's the gear I use the most. 195/45-R13 tyres means I can take off from the lights in second if I want, & usually change to fifth at 60-70km/hr.
It's a good excuse to change over to the Honda setup - Better for me, better for the gearbox. I just wanted clarification on what I could use that would actually fit onto the back of the B18C box, which you have done. Thanks! :)

[vinnY]

as far as I know all b series shifters will fix a b series box
though I suspect the mounting points may have been slightly different? I.e. the end bit where the shifter itself is

either way it might be a bit long to straight fit into a mini? would probably have to cut and well it to length
pretty sure you could pickup a used type r shift linkage for less than 200odd(they are rare though)
though if that's a bit expensive regular b series shifter with some new bushes would do the job

[Slugman]

Thanks. After mooshie posted, I contacted various wreckers online to try to find one, but so far the only one that replied with a quote was Hondworld. I'm giving the other ones a couple more days to see if they answer, but I might just end up ordering the one from Hondworld. None of the local wreckers seem to have any hondas, so I cannot buy locally. That proves it, Honda drivers just don't crash as often!
I have to modify & shorten the linkage to fit in the tunnel next to the exhaust/cat anyway, so as long as it fits the gearbox, & isn't too worn then it doesn't matter what I get - No point getting an expensive Type R one if I don't need it.

[vinnY]

the big difference between the type r shift linkages and the regular ones were the bars themselves though being thicker in diameter

could always just get a short shifter though if you're not satisfied with the throw(though if you get a decent one, this might just end up as costly as a type r shifter's original cost)

[Slugman]

Don't think I need a short shifter. The car is a beast, but it's still 'just' a daily driven car. Having driven a fair few different cars, & particularly old ones, the basic honda gearshift is actually pretty good. There's no way I would drive on the street in such an aggressive way that a short shifter would make any difference, & I doubt it would make much of a difference on the track either. At least not compared to all the other things I could change, like removing the 20kg of sound-proofing I installed. The cops around here are mostly good with modified cars, but if I drove like that I would have no licence in a very short time, & deservedly so.