Isetta gear change tube removal!

[AndyL]

This one has me stumped. The gear change rod that leads from the gearstick through to the bell crank seems to be impossible to thread through the hole in the firewall. Every time it gets caught on the lug that the threaded pivoting clevis screws into.

I've removed all hardware from the rod, and tried twiddling it about as much as I can.

Naff all in the manuals about this either.

Bit embarrassing to be honest, such a simple part. My Dad suggested cutting it in half!!

[Jim Janecek]

It is a vexing process, but once you know the secret it can be done repeatedly with little effort.
I have done this myself several times in the past and EVERY TIME I forget how I did it previously.

remove the shift lever and try pulling it out from underneath and BEHIND.
don't try and pull the tube into the cabin, pull it out the other way.
The shifter section at the end looks like it won't fit through, but it will if you angle the tube a bit.

[AndyL]

I've tried pulling it through that way, but it wouldn't go. However I still have the shell bolted on the chassis, so it might need to wait until it comes off.

If they'd made the hole a bit bigger, the rod would come out easily! Bad design really.

[Big Al]

'You may think that. But I could not possibly comment'.

Is it not covered in the JJ book of doing naughty things to your Isetta in America? Sadly I do not have a copy, as I do not do anything to Isettas, unless they are Vellam. Quite frankly I would be happy not to do that either! However that is another story.

[Bob Purton]

Everything is do'able on an Isetta Andy, its just a matter of acquiring the knowledge and the patience to learn. Wait until you try and fit the firewall gaitor!  Stick at it.
 Isetta's are for men like us,  not whimps! 

[Big Al]

I assume that the firewall gaiter is not held in place by a crocodile clip, then, if a caiman across it. Probably Gary all to do with it, but I will monitor the situation.

So BMW does not stand for Bubblecars Mit Whimps. For all these years....... Actually I would agree. They are manly machines, despite being small. You need man skills to make them work, make them pretty, and in some ways, to drive them. That's not to say ladies cannot have them, but I would expect them to always be a minority. A Treinkel is more of a ladies car in use, perhaps, but its fragility, or need for service, would put most off.

[AndyL]

I'm not out of patience, just a bit bamboozled, as I tried what I thought was every iteration feasible to thread it through from inside the car, and no dice.

No information on this in the John Jensen tome, original workshop manual or Cassell book of the Isetta

If they'd made the hole in the firewall a few millimetres larger in diameter, it would slide out easily.

I'd say that in pretty much all other aspects the Isetta is an easy to work on vehicle, with most of the headaches resulting from frozen or rusted up parts on a very old car.

[Big Al]

Hmm. Not sure about that. Doing the top of the engine without a tin opener is fun. The carb is cunningly surrounded by space that you cannot use to get at it. I could go on. The design tends to offer about twice as many parts as you would find on other, more realistically minimalist, microcars. Not a prob if your not a minimalist fan, of course, but an Isetta is definitely a small car, not a cyclecar, enclosed scooter or other inter dimensional concept no one actually asked for. So, yep, compared to a car like a Mini, it is a simple device.

[AndyL]

No argument from me that there were more elegant designs. Cars like the Messerschmitt and the Heinkel benefited enormously from input by aeroplane engineers.

Anyway, I've got the critter out. I found by revolving the rod so that the spigot that holds the rotating clevis was at 12'o'clock, and using a bit of persuasion I was able to get it out, but boy was it tight, virtually zero clearance, so I'll be making a small adjustment to that rod so it goes back in a lot easier, because as it is, I'll either end marring the finish on the body or the rod- probably both- when reinstalling.

[Bob Purton]

I agree with all. Most definitely over engineered so could have been much lighter and simpler.  Earnest certainly addressed all these thing when he came up with the Heinkel.  Still. they are what they are and I like them. I envy you though Andy, I would love to have done a total restro on mine but I bought mine allegedly restored. I have had to go over virtually everything and do it properly, a real lesson learned for me. There is restored and made to look pretty, mine was the later.

[Jim Janecek]

No information on this in the John Jensen tome...

on page 105 of the original or Section 3.04 SHIFT LINKAGE #3 if you have a reprint:
If you are doing any serious body work and repainting, you can remove the shift tube by sliding it out towards the rear.

[AndyL]

I tried sliding it out towards the rear, it wouldn't go.

[Rusty Chrome (Malcolm Parker)]

So did BMW add the over-engineering as they revised the design, or was it present from the Iso Isetta origins?

[AndyL]

Never seen an Iso Isetta in the flesh so to speak. Everything was changed on the BMW version, although the basic concept remained. The most obvious alteration was the change from a two stroke twin to a single cylinder four stroke.

The sliding window revision moved further from the original by incorporating a very different body style alongside vertical suspension and hydraulic dampers in place of the friction dampers on the bubble windows.

The car that deviated the most from the Iso spec chassis wise I think was the Velam, as that used subframes rather than a full ladder frame chassis.

I believe there were certain conditions under the license which prevented the companies building Isetta's from moving too far outside the original concept.

[Bob Purton]

The velam even had Nieman ring suspension like an Inter. Still used today on some French trailers.