Matt_Dean said:
Thanks for all the info guys.
I'll see what we can do with lengthening the bottom, but unless there is any real problem with it i think ill still shorten the top some what so my shift knob touches the boot. I was just wondering from those who have short shifters what the throw of the gear knob was reduced by.
Thanks heaps
Shorten the top, but dont do it by much!!! This is only to make it looks kewls!
In a situation where someone makes a short shifter by shortening the top. It may feel short and all, but really your making the arc that gear knob moves alot tighter, and so its less of a flat shift 1>2/3>4 and more like your rolling the gearknob over a basketball.
In a situation where someone makes a short shifter by lengthening the bottom. It will feel the same height as stock, but the throw will be shorter, but on the same arc. So it will also be flatter, which makes its again shorter as the circumference of the arc is shorter.
It may sound like jibber jabber. But its true, i finished modding my short shifter today at work after many attempts (hoping to install tonight), and cutting from the top and adding to the bottom give a massive difference in feel and performance, and performance wise, a 30mm chop in the top is equivalent to about 10mm add in the bottom.
My recommendation is pull out your short shifter. and measure it up.
Then trace the basic shapes/lengths onto card paper or something. Then make ones that are longer in the bottom, shorter in the top + combos. Then pin it to a large piece of card paper, and fiddle with the different combos by swinging them, and tracing the gear knob path. When doing theoretical designs for size like this the only constraint to the motion should be the length the bottom moves (which should be constant), I say theoretical as you are also constrained by getting your shifter to fit without hitting the mount base thing/floor/center console. But you can use your card paper to get an idea of your shift length and how much of an arc is it on.
If you post a pic and Photoshop dimensions of your shifter sitting in its base i can recommend a size???
For reference, when i was doing mine. (Keep in mind mine is 4th Gen, yours is 5th gen, so the shifters are different, but the principle is still the same.)
My first mod, i just chopped about 15-20mm off the top. (It was easy and i didn't have to time to do the rest)
Made it sit shorter, make my throw more arcy, and not much shorter.
The red line is where i was planning to add material.
second mod, i added about 20-25mm to the bottom, and took another 10-15mm off the top.
My 1st>2nd went from about 150mm to about 60mm, it was that short it was a PITA to find neutral and reverse, and it increase the force wayy to much to change gears.
You can see the sections that have been welded in.
third mod (which i think im happy with) i reduced the bottom part so it was only about 15mm longer than stock, and i added abit more to the top so it was about 20mm shorter than stock. I tested it to check that it has plenty of clearance and i like the swing, ( i had to shave a bit of metal of the back of it so it didnt hit the centre console but its ok now)
No Pics as of yet maybe later tonight if your lucky.
Hope this helps.
EDIT:
Or do this [youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-JL2teABU1c&feature=player_embedded[/youtube]
