Frustrating times...
I did a very quick test fit of the gear lever gaiter base.
Before grinding off the edge of this rivet.
( Old white towel protecting the leather from sparks. )
The string was replaced by a couple of cable ties.
Unfortunately, the inside of one fell out when I tried to use it.
So it was a long trip from the front driveway to the bottom of the garden to get another one.
Apologies, but by now the sun was setting and as the light faded, the photos got worse.
The next problem was that the second zip tie was too high to properly grip the wider part of the lever.
( So would slip off above it. )
This left me with two ties around the thinnest part of the lever and a big hole.
So I went back inside and returned with a needle and thread.
Which has now closed the big gap and would be simple enough to remove if required.
After bolting the alloy base into place and hammering the edges, I was left with this.
Overall, I am a little frustrated with the final design, as I made a few mistakes along the way.
It is certainly better than no gaiter, but I think there may well be a MkIII version arriving in the Summer.
But adding alloy panels to the cockpit wall will be a higher priority than re-doing this job.
Plus I still need to make another leather gaiter, with alloy base, for the hand brake lever.
End of Part 1…