How To: Install Short Shifter

[Gratefully Dead]

I got my short shifter in today and everything is great. thanx. theres one slight problome. i hear a rattle noise inside the car it seems to be arond the shifter. has any one had this problome and might know what it is???

You might want to get uunder there and make sure everything is good and tight. Plus you might be your shifter hitting the heat shield.

I just installed mine today and it took about 1.5 hours to do. Mind you 45 minutes was me screaming at the pair of snap ring pliers i broke and having to go buy a new pair. The bushings only took me about 10 minutes. This was by far one of the easiest installs thanks to the multitude of How-To's in the forum.

One slight problem though. I'm not sure if this is normal or not but it seems slightly harder to actually shift 'into' a gear now that I installed it. I'm guessing this is due to the decreased amount of leverage I'm getting with the shorter throw but I just want to make sure this is normal. Maybe I just need to get used to it. Anyone experiencing the same thing?

 

[andy_guerriero]

That's normal. It will break in after a few hundred miles or so.

 

[PepiMartinez]

Throw length?

I'm intrested in the Kartboy shifter, but I just wanted to know how significantly the throw was reduced, and if there was a way to make the actual "stick" shorter, but not lose the longer throw. I like the feel of a longer throw shifter, but the higher shifter just kinda looks silly. By NOT replacing the busshings, does the throw remain the same? Anyway, I hope somebody can get back to me on that. Thanks.

Pepi

 

[uclap5]

if you just want it shorter you can take off the shifter extension on the stock shifter.

take off the boot, heat the sucker up with a blowtorch and twist it off. you will need a new knob or need to thread the shifter.

i believe kartboy said %35 reduction in throw.

 

[PepiMartinez]

if you just want it shorter you can take off the shifter extension on the stock shifter.

take off the boot, heat the sucker up with a blowtorch and twist it off. you will need a new knob or need to thread the shifter.

i believe kartboy said %35 reduction in throw.

Is there a picture of what the shifter extention looks like in the photos previously posted on the page, or is it something that I will see, and something that is fairly obvious? Also, wouldn't rethreading it be fairly costly?

Pepi

 

[uclap5]

youll definatly know it when you see it.

yeah i dont think rethreading is really worth it.



Another option is to buy a shifter from a mp3 or a mazdaspeed protege. Their shifter is basically ours without the extention. However, they are threaded, but have a different thread pitch than our stock shifter.

 

[PepiMartinez]

Thanks for the info

 

[goldstar]

The MP3/MSD shifters are the same and they are both a little more than an inch shorter above the fulcrum point than the P5/sedan shifters. The MP3/MSD shifters have an M8 x 1.25 thread while the P5/sedan shifters have an M10 x 1.25 thread so if you buy the shorter shifter make sure you get either an MP3 or MSD shift knob as your stock knob won't fit.

The shorter shifter will not shorten your shifts as the length below the fulcrum point is the same for all OEM shifters here, but your hand will describe a smaller arc when shifting so it will apparently feel somewhat quicker. On my car, the combination of the MP3 shifter and the Kartboy shifter bushings improved the whole feel of the shifter mechanism by removing excess play and making shifts feel more precise. I highly recommend the combination.

 

[TitanGray03.5]

Which is better TWS or Kartboy?

 

[70]

Which is better TWS or Kartboy?

Kartboy...

 

[alexlitov]

Pictures not worky.

 

[TitanGray03.5]

Why is that? The bushings are aluminum on the TWS you'd think thatd be tighter.

 

[70]

Why is that? The bushings are aluminum on the TWS you'd think thatd be tighter.

The Kartboy bushings are not the same part as what TWM has...

The Kartboy bushings attach on the shifter rod at the tranny. TWM is only a short shifter.

 

[toucci]

Why is that? The bushings are aluminum on the TWS you'd think thatd be tighter.

I just finished installing my kartboy and the stock, plastic bushings are plenty tight. They show absolutely no wear at all.

the cool thing about kartboy is that you can get the shifter, "brace bushings", and knob all together. the bushings are a MUST have for a short shifter, and if you dont like the knob you can get just the bushings and shifter for cheaper than individually

 

[TitanGray03.5]

what is it exactly that the bushings for the TWM do? Also their new kit has a bearing in it as well doesnt that add to the smoothness?

 

[chimchim]

I've been scared off a bit to install a short throw... not because of it hitting the heat shield, but because I heard that it wears out your tranny synchros that much faster... fast enough to be a problem.

Any comments on this?

 

[70]

I've been scared off a bit to install a short throw... not because of it hitting the heat shield, but because I heard that it wears out your tranny synchros that much faster... fast enough to be a problem.

Any comments on this?

No problems here...

 

[toucci]

yeah just dont slam it between gears and you'll be fine

it might change the way you shift by making you more agressive, but it won't change anything else but the throws

 

[lasermp5]

I'm sorry if someone has allready covered this, but why don't the pictures work? Pictures would really REALLY help

 

[anco2001]

I NEED the pictures, I'm going to buy a kartboy shifter and I need them.