How to Split Morse Teleflex Levers?

[SteveHGraham]

My dad is selling his boat, and the knobs on the Morse Teleflex throttle and transmission levers have come off. The levers are pretty well screwed, too. The broker says to leave them alone, because it won't affect the selling price. My dad has decided it has to be fixed. That means new knobs and levers.

I am told the bases of the levers will probably have to be split in order to get them off the brass shafts. There are set screws holding them on, but the levers are pot metal, the shafts are brass, and God knows what the set screws are. They have been in a salty environment for about 40 years, so I very much doubt the screws will turn right out or that the levers will slide off as though new. They say the brass will hold up if you split the pot metal.

What do you split a lever with?

I'll link to a photo of a new version of the product.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Dual-Twin-Lever ... 0735381329

[spro]

The prices from your link are staggering to me. Maybe your Dad doesn't know that. The levers are working so buy some shiny new knobs, clean and oil and be done.

[stephenc]

If they are pot metal they should split pretty easy . Use a hacksaw , dremal , cutoff wheel or what ever to cut as close to the threads as your comfortable with .
And then give it wack or two with a hammer and cold chisel . It should break right apart .
If it isn't a very substantial casting it will probably break with just the cold chisel and hammer without much fuss

[SteveHGraham]

The prices from your link are staggering to me. Maybe your Dad doesn't know that. The levers are working so buy some shiny new knobs, clean and oil and be done.

It's possible to get the levers themselves cheaper, but I didn't have a link to that. Still a lot of money to spend, on something that will cause unnecessary work without raising the price of the boat.

[mcostello]

Sounds like He has a Machinist background.

[earlgo]

Have you tried to pry off/out the logo buttons on the handle hubs? I am not sure that they come off but it seems logical.

I worked in the industrial controls division of Morse Controls in the late 70's and I don't remember seeing those made in the shops, but they may have been. I found a couple steering rack assemblies in the trash that I rescued.
John Morse started his business building line projectors for the tire building businesses in Akron, and since his hobby was boating, got into the controls business because he couldn't buy what he wanted: i.e. a dual control.
IIRC Morse was sold to Teleflex in the early '80's. There is a Heinen's grocery store where the Morse office used to be, and the manufacturing facility gave way to an ostentatious library and upscale coffee, dress shops and restaurants.
--earlgo

[SteveHGraham]

I haven't done a thing. I'm trying to convince my dad to forget about this useless task.

[spro]

How does it hurt you to order some new knobs? It is only coincidence they are the same basic thread as the buggered levers. JB Weld is wonderful stuff.

[SteveHGraham]

RE JB Weld, I had the same thought.

[shootnride]

Steve,

I think you should extract the gold out of those things before you sell the boat

Ted

[SteveHGraham]

Putting "marine" in the name of anything doubles the price.

[SteveHGraham]

Something occurred to me: the people who live under the delusion that American tool makers are going to come back, and that something nefarious resulted in their demise, need to look at that ad for a $529 set of US-made throttle levers.

That right there is why our factories went Tango Uniform.