Did you know you already have a short shifter?

douglas vincent · Post by **douglas vincent** » Wed Jun 16, 2004 6:43 am

Of course it is a REALLY short shifter. If you on purpose or by accident dislocate the stock shifter, you know the thing with the tranny map on it, you will reveal a short stubby metal shifter that the rubber shifter was attached to.

And viola! you have a short (to the point of removing the boot to use it) shifter in both through and hieght.

My rubber top part actually just fell off once and I decided to leave it short.

vrg3 · Post by **vrg3** » Wed Jun 16, 2004 2:30 pm

I don't follow -- are you talking about what happens if you just remove the shift knob?

douglas vincent · Post by **douglas vincent** » Wed Jun 16, 2004 2:58 pm

exactly, all that remains is the stub of metal that is connected to the shift mechanism.

mTk · Post by **mTk** » Wed Jun 16, 2004 3:14 pm

That hurts the hand, and doesn't have a short enough throw to warrant the pain IMO

MK

THAWA · Post by **THAWA** » Wed Jun 16, 2004 4:08 pm

lugnut

entirelyturbo · Post by **entirelyturbo** » Wed Jun 16, 2004 5:38 pm

This happened to me once, my shifter was getting wobblier everytime I moved it. To be frank about it, the whole shifter really felt like a limp wang.

vrg3, the shifter is in two pieces. The long piece that the shift knob screws onto goes over the little stub with rubber around it. Then while I was sitting in the middle of an intersection, it came off entirely while I was in Neutral!

I put my hazards on and motioned for traffic to go around me while I figured out what happened. I was able to put it in gear and move it into a parking lot where I temporarily put it back together, then got home
and super-glued the hell out of it.

mTk · Post by **mTk** » Wed Jun 16, 2004 5:51 pm

with a lugnut, still not short enough to make want to do it.

What do you mean suby? My turbo shift lever was one piece. Did just the knob fall off?

MK

evolutionmovement · Post by **evolutionmovement** » Wed Jun 16, 2004 5:52 pm

Round wood drawer knob from Home Depot - ~$1. Paint/stain as wanted, drill 3/8 (IIRC), lube with olive oil and screw it onto the shaft.

Steve

vrg3 · Post by **vrg3** » Thu Jun 17, 2004 1:47 am

Oh, hmm, so some cars had a stub there and some have them as one piece then I guess?

At one point I was planning on doing a ghetto short shift on my old Impreza... I was gonna just take a hacksaw to the shifter stalk to shorten it and then use an M12x1.25 die to cut threads into it so the stock shift knob would fit back on. I never did get around to trying it though.

entirelyturbo · Post by **entirelyturbo** » Thu Jun 17, 2004 5:27 am

I drew up a quick diagram of what I'm talking about, thanks THAWA for hosting it (looks like photocabin.com bit the dust

)

The shift lever was coming loose off the stub (black because it's wrapped in rubber), and then it came off completely, and all you have to shift gears is the stub. This is what Douglas is talking about.

BAC5.2 · Post by **BAC5.2** » Thu Jun 17, 2004 5:32 am

You'd have to reach DOWN into the console, and that has nothing to do with the relocation of the throw-points, the actual point of a short shifter.

Reducing the height of the shifter, and changing the linkage location is what makes a short shifter what it is. Just reducing the height of the shifter won't allow a crisper shift, just a shorter throw.

vrg3 · Post by **vrg3** » Thu Jun 17, 2004 1:56 pm

subyluvr2212 - Thanks, that makes it clear.

Phil - Why wouldn't it make shifts crisper?

The only things any kind of aftermarket shift lever can do are stiffen bushings and change the lever arm length, right?

I thought the reason most aftermarket short shifters adjust the linkage location is so that they don't reduce the height of the shifter too much.

tris91ricer · Post by **tris91ricer** » Thu Jun 17, 2004 6:26 pm

"At one point I was planning on doing a ghetto short shift on my old Impreza... I was gonna just take a hacksaw to the shifter stalk to shorten it and then use an M12x1.25 die to cut threads into it so the stock shift knob would fit back on. I never did get around to trying it though." --vrg3
I was thinking of doing this as well.. what are the disadvantages to this? will it work as long as you get the threads back right? I want a short-er shifter, but i like the setup i have now.. the throw is really just fine, it's just the lever is longer than what i'd like (aesthetically)
Would that "ghetto" method work?

tris91ricer · Post by **tris91ricer** » Thu Jun 17, 2004 6:45 pm

"To be frank about it, the whole shifter really felt like a limp wang" haha.. two penis jokes in one sentence!

tris91ricer · Post by **tris91ricer** » Thu Jun 17, 2004 6:49 pm

"At one point I was planning on doing a ghetto short shift on my old Impreza... I was gonna just take a hacksaw to the shifter stalk to shorten it and then use an M12x1.25 die to cut threads into it so the stock shift knob would fit back on. I never did get around to trying it though." --vrg3
I was thinking of doing this as well.. what are the disadvantages to this? will it work as long as you get the threads back right? I want a short-er shifter, but i like the setup i have now.. the throw is really just fine, it's just the lever is longer than what i'd like (aesthetically)
Would that "ghetto" method work?

vrg3 · Post by **vrg3** » Thu Jun 17, 2004 6:56 pm

Well, it would work if you could get the threads cut right. It does look, though, like the shifter lever isn't just a simple rod -- it gets larger in diameter towards the bottom. That might mean you'd have to toss it on a lathe or something to get the diameter down to the appropriate size.

As far as I can see, the effects would be a lower shifter knob, less mechanical advantage in the shift, and shorter throw. I don't know if the stock boot would fit properly anymore, but the stock boot is so bad for feel it'd be silly to use it anyway.

scottzg · Post by **scottzg** » Fri Jun 18, 2004 4:03 am

i put a alfa romeo shift knob in right after i got my car. It had the top of the shifter integrated into it, so i had to cut it down to make it work. I accidently cut too much, and so i have t3h Ghe770 $41f73r (i was never good at the nasioctalk) I used 2 part epoxy to put the knob on (it works fine)

Since i changed the knob at the same time, i dont have perfect results, but i'd say that it feels sharper and its a bit more effort to push from gear to gear. In all, not worth the trouble, unless you are changing your shift knob, which is WONDERFUL. I hated that stock knob.

BAC5.2 · Post by **BAC5.2** » Fri Jun 18, 2004 4:12 am

I thought the reason that aftermarket shifters relocate the pivot point was to modify actual throw.

Take the COBB double adjustable (which doesn't fit our cars apparently, I called and they said no). You can drop the pivot (or raise it) to be an effective short shifter, but keep the knob height the same (the throw will be shorter, but the height will be constant). You can also adjust it so the knob is lower, but the throw is effectively the same. At least that's how I think it works. They warn against shifting to fast for the synchros (which you can do if you hamfist the stock shifter).

A shorter shifter wouldn't "click" into place like a modified lever would. If you read the Subaru Drive Performance magazine, it explains the STi short shifter.

vrg3 · Post by **vrg3** » Fri Jun 18, 2004 4:16 am

Riiight... relocating the pivot point allows for a different relationship between knob height and throw distance. Right?

I don't have access to Subaru Performance Drive... could you give us some idea what makes an aftermarket shifter "click" into place better?

douglas vincent · Post by **douglas vincent** » Fri Jun 18, 2004 7:45 am

Well, apart from the specifics of a true aftermarket shifter, just whacking off the top, or losing the rubber top as I did, I did get a shorter throw shifter.

The distance of throw changes by 1 1/2 to 2". I measured the top of the throw of the stub and from 1st to 2nd the throw is 2 1/2". With the old shifter clamped to it the throw is a tad over 4". Since I grip the stub at the base vs at the top like a knob shifter the difference might be a bit more.

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Did you know you already have a short shifter?

Did you know you already have a short shifter?