2nd most balla shit you can do

[SupraCharged007]

So I had this idea on how to make the shortest shifter possible. Called my buddy TimT, and this is what we came up with.

Top has been chopped only 1" to keep the height a little modest

The bottom though has been extended 1.5" [img]{SMILIES_PATH}/smile.gif[/img]

Tim cut a brand new bottom section (1" longer than stock) and welded it on. Then drilled a hole 1/2" lower to move the point a total of 1.5". Also cut the 1" off of the top near the ball so that I could reuse the stock knob without having to make new notches. Then welded that back to the ball. We also added 1" to the L-arm

So how the hell did we pull this off without cutting a hole in the floor?
Simple, 1/2" aluminum spacer between the frame and the yellow plastic thing. Also made some custom 1/4" bushings out of plastic for the feet.

But what about the cables on a goofy angle now?
Aha, we cut and notched the part of the shifter that holds the cables. That way we could bend it to realign the cables. Then just welded it back. The shifter bolted right in with no modifications. We dremels the boot a little bit to make it fit and all is well.

This thing feels 100x better than the one I had in before (pivot extended 3/4") Its actually pretty comparable to a Honda with a short throw shifter. Very short throw, a good bit of height to the shifter so you arent reaching into the console to shift. And it also feels much more firm.

On with the evidence
Crappy camera phone pics, but you get the point .........

[RotorNutFD3S]

What's it look like installed?

[SonicION]

What's it look like installed?

+1 i want to see how it sits. how long (short) is the throw?

[SupraCharged007]

the throw from 3->4 is about 3 inches im thinkin. Maybe 3 1/2 (at the top of the shifter I mean)

and the knob sits 1/4-1/2" lower than stock right now. But I'm gonna get a new knob and modify a boot and cut about another inch off of it.

and it looks damn near stock

[d3ad1ysp0rk]

Sell them. [img]{SMILIES_PATH}/biggrin.gif[/img]

[TimT]

Just to clear up one piece of info. The bushings are made out of nylon and are 1/2 thick. Plus they snap into the shifter base. There are also 2 holes for the bottom linkage to fit one at plus 1" and one at plus 1.5" so there is a little adjustablity.
I'm going to make another with some bearings and a couple of design changes. I'll post pics when done I just have another project infront of it.

Tim

[SupraCharged007]

lol I'm pretty sure Tim isn't interested in making more than this one and the one for his car. Thats why I posted directions lol.

honestly to make one yourself all you have to do is this:

1. Add 1 1/2" - 1 3/4" of material below the ball.
2. Add 1" - 1 1/4" to the L arm.
3. Notch the shifter for the L Arm and the window for the up/down cable(extended it forward on the base of the shifter)
4. Make some kind of spacer for the top, 1/2".
5. Pie cut the sides of the shifter where the cables attach. Also drill out the "hump" in the middle. Bend the front of the shifter till the cables align with the new attachment points. (Bend, then bolt some cables to it to check. Might take a couple tries.)
6. Weld the cuts back together
7. Put some fender washers on the studs(in the car) to add enough clearance for the up/down lever to clear the floor.
8. Trim the top of the shifter to your likings

[tek]

Short shifters are not "ballah", but they are... "hoe tight"...

that is all. Haha.

[TimT]

I cann't really make stuff to sell cause the place were I work has some pretty strict rules against me using their equipment to make a profit they aren't getting a cut on. But maybe we can work out a trade on some things just PM me. On my shifter I'm adding ball bearings on the L bracket and the shift cables. The L bracket is going to be a new one piece unit I will machine. I'm going to make a single 1" spacer to go between the yellow thing and the base. The bottom part of the shift handle will be a new one piece unit like Billy's but no extra adjustment holes.

Tim

[DasPirate]

You won't be able to fit that underneath your center console without hacking the shit out of the boot. Even then you may have issues with the bellcrank hitting the rim around the console when you shift into 5th or reverse (ask how I know.)

Edit: I've also been experimenting with many different configurations of shifters and I found that if you really want the shortest shifts possible you do have to hack the top more. Also, going with ball bearings in the bellcrank is a waste of time and money because you'll find that there's a ton of play in the transmission and the cables. You're better off using some 5/16" brass sleeve bushings.

[TimT]

We had no issues with fitting the shifter under the counsol at all. Yes the boot had to be cut Dremel + 5 minutes = no big deal. We added a total of 1 inch in height so if I make a spacer 1" in height still won't be a big deal. I'm going with bearings cause I got a shit load of them and I can. Don't know about Billy's trans but mine is less then 6 months old freshly rebuilt and tight.

Tim

[TypeSL2]

I did the same thing to mine about 6 months ago. Holds up quite well, but I need to put some new bushings on mine. Stick wobbles a little. It actually wasn't too bad. I did 1" to the whole thing.

James

[SupraCharged007]

1 1/2" > 1" [img]{SMILIES_PATH}/smile.gif[/img]

[TypeSL2]

Agreed.

James

[saturnspeed_12]

basically same thing i did with mine, but i didnt have to modify cable angles. cables were just like stock. but adding the spacer brought it right up under the console, so stock boot cant be used. only fix, dropping shifter mounts or longer throw [img]{SMILIES_PATH}/lol.gif[/img]