Triumph Repair: 1975 Triumph Spitfire reverse, Spitfire, shift pattern

Question
I am looking at buying a spitfire that seems to be reluctant to go into reverse.  The forward gear and the reverse seem too close...am I doing it wrong or is there a weak 'spring' or something...or something more severe? Your thoughts are appreciated.

Answer
Penny,

I'm guessing that there is no gear grinding when you try to get to reverse, just that the side to side spacing on the gear pattern seems off?

If reverse is up and to the left then it's the original single rail gearbox.   I've never "measured" the distance between the gates in the gearbox pattern but if you're getting into the gear you want at the time you want it that's probably ok.  There are some rubber pieces that hold the shift lever in place and they will break down over time so a shifter bushing kit might not be a bad "upgrade" if you buy the car.

Cheers,

Jim