Don't know if it's the same thing, but I have a Wooler shifter on my 66 4/4.
This is an apparently rarely seen mod that was available once upon a
time. It brings the shift to the rear so that it falls to hand quite naturally
and does indeed have a very short throw. Quite a nice item. During a
visit to the factory a few years ago, another customer, a Brit, told me he
thought that Wooler still existed, but he never came up with any info and I
haven't followed up either since mine hasn't given me any trouble since
being adjusted by a seasoned Formula Ford mechanic. My guess is a
competent engineer could dissect one of these and reproduce it, no
doubt at a stiff price!
I was told by John Sheally (he of much Morgan experience, etc.) that
Triumph Spitfires used a similar arrangement. He advised I should lay in
a spare if the occasion ever arose that I found one, which I haven't. I
don't know if it's a difficult adaptation. I have more often heard of folks
converting to the later Cortina 5-speed which is a relatively simple
changeover I'm told; all needed parts available from Dave Bean among
others. All you need is the tranny. Mine has the 1500cc Ford as original
(asserted by Sheally to be stronger than the 1600cc and thus a better
engine for racing - 5 mains being the big thing, I guess). So, when I get
to restoring mine, the plan is to leave the original engine but do the
5-speed conversion.
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