DIY short throw shifter

[KurBads]

Hi,

I was planning to do short throw shifter accordin to this
http://web.archive.org/web/200504180..._shift_diy.htm
but got somewhat puzzled on how thick the spacers must be. I see it is suggested to use 0,5" or 0,75" spacers - I believe it`s meant inches.

0,5 inches gives me 12-13mm
0,75 inches is ~18-20 mm

The depth of metal housing where plastic bit sits in is just ~11mm.

That means that if using just 0,5" spacer the plastic bit comes out of the metla housing and sits above it ... that seems to me impossible as it`s necessary to hold it right in place ...

if spacer is 0,75" then plastic bit sits even ~0,5 mm above the metal housing ...

this seems to mee illogical ... I don`t think that the plastic bit and thus the pivot can be supported just on the upper spacer and rely just on 3 bolts ...

Am I missing something or the 0,5" is meant as 0,5mm thus alowing plastic bit to remain in the metal housing but be just raised upwards ...


Can anybody share their experience on doing this mod - IronJoe, you did it, what are the right recipee?

Thank`s in advance!

[IronJoe]

Yeah I did it... dang. It's been a while.

I'll take a pic for you tonight. I really can't remember how I ended up doing this, it was a few years ago. That said, it's held up for a long while with no real problems! It's a fantastic mod.

[KurBads]

thank`s, will wait for pics ...

was it really so that plastic bit came out and cmpletely above metal housing?

[sonett v4]

I have a short shift in my track car ,which i made using a piece of alluminium 3" diameter and machined to suit remote housing ,basically the amount you raise the top pivot point is the same amount you have to raise the pivot ball ,so if you put a 20mm spacer in then you have to raise the position of the pivot ball by 20mm also.


Martin

[li Arc]

What I did was I simply cut the top off the shifter...mine was quite the exceptional case because I shortened the shifter about 10cm, or about 4"! I didn't really care for the reverse-pin lockout though, because #1) I'd like to consider myself quite the competent driver, and have never hit reverse accidentally (before or after the mod), and #2) somehow the reverse lockout wasn't quite lining up properly, even after some tinkering with the shifter collar, so getting into 5th was always a problem.

Now I have no reverse lockout, but I feel like it's the greatest shifter in the world! It also let me put on regular knobs, which was difficult before when there was a hollow point with a slit on its side to the shifter for the reverse lockout mechanism. It's been a year or more, and I can't think of a better mod for the price!

li Arc

[IronJoe]

shortening the rod works, but it isn't nearly as effective as moving the pivot point.

I disabled reverse lockout at one point, and installed an aftermarket knob. I hated it, reinstalled the reverse lockout and popped on a genuine saab leather knob. Couldn't be happier now!

[li Arc]

I might try moving the pivot point sometime, but as is, it takes a pretty big guy to be able to shift my shifter properly!

I guess to each his own: I've got long fingers, and the small Saab knob doesn't work as well for me as my big aluminum Momo knob... The reverse lockout is also locking out my 5th, so in my case, removing it altogether also improved my car's safety! Coasting along at 120km's unable to find a gear is not so fun...

li Arc

[IronJoe]

Interesting... I found the opposite to be true. My reverse lockout actually HELPS me get into 5th. When it wasn't there, my shifter would slide all the way to the right, missing the gate for 5th altogether.

Running out of RPMs in 4th trying to find the next gear isn't any fun either!

[TheRedBaron]

Kinda helps hinder joyriders, too. Joe, I'm interested in pics as well

[KurBads]

did it ... although dodn`t care to make pics ...


works quite OK. 5th gear is so close to 4th ... don`t know if that`s good or bad. What I didn`t like for the first moment is that rather firm/hard stick, you need moore forece to move it around ...

I didn`t say anything to my wife about what I had done (she drives the car every day to pick up kids) ... when I returned home she asked - what have you done to those gears? It`s like a tractor ...! but that was not as an abuse ... I felt that she had been confused but thinks that it might not be that bad to have those changes after all ...

I raised pivot ~ 9 mm, didn`t shorten the stick itself

Prior to that I also adjusted shifter as described in Bentley - put some thick wire into the differential cover hole and gear shaft, loosened clamp near the firewal (was very easy although I thought it must to be a fight) and then moved stick to the position when you can insert 6 mm drill into the hole in geartick housing and gear shaft ... I think that gave me some more precision for the shifting ... it was rather hard to get into reverse befor, now it`s more easy ... for that I had to lie myself down under the car with one front end jacked up ... dit it for the first time and discovered that one can put his body under the car without raising it up (if he`s pretty slim)

Hope the short throw mod will hold up and please me for some time