DFJ Short Throw Shifter Ford Escort ZX2 / Mazda 323 MX3 Protege MP3 5 Mazdaspeed - $53
I just installed this short shifter and the Exile 2pc kit yesterday in my Protege5. I was looking for shorter throw and a tight feeling shift pattern that my MazdaSpeed Protege has. I have heard this "DFJ Short Throw Shifter" is a copy of the popular TWM short shifter that is no longer in production, but I have no idea how close it is. I do know it was the only brand for sale that utilized two sealed ball bearings at the bottom instead of the traditional "bar through rubber bushing" style.
The kit appears to come with two or three sets of bushings and attachments, depending on which car you have, so for once, I ended up with extra parts that were indeed extra.
This shift lever was one of very few that uses a pair of bearings as the fulcrum point and it also utilizes a pair of tiny aluminum (?) alignment bushings to keep pressure on the inner race of the bearings. It's a pretty ingenious solution and the end result is extremely tight feeling shift lever.
I won't bore you with install details on how to replace a shift lever, since the project is A) well documented over the last 20yrs B) relatively intuitive for mildly mechanically inclined people. Overall, this is an extremely simple job. Removing a few basic interior trim pieces will allow you to do that DEEP clean in your interior that you've always wanted. I found even more dog hair from the previous owner (I've owned this for almost 6yrs now).
However, my note of awareness about the front captive bushing:
1. it is no small amount of effort to replace the front captive bushing, so if that hasn't failed on you and the rubber bushings are in relatively good condition (mine were at 170K miles and 20yrs of shifting), I think my recommendation would be to save that task for the future after you test the shift lever alone.
2. If you choose to replace the fixed bushing that connects the shift rod to the transmission, don't bother trying to grind the captive ends down, just go straight to using a sawzall with a metal blade and cut it right at the rubber bushing on the inside. I spent about an hour with a dremel cutting from the outside and THEN had to use a sawzall. It took me 6mins VS 1hr. But in that 6mins I cut through the pin, put the sawzall away, put my dremel away, and cleaned up my work area.
3. I think the Exile Bushing kit is a legit offering and here are my suggestions. For a daily driver, I'd recommend only using the 1pc Exile bushing at the front (the easy to replace coupler) and using fresh rubber bushings at the bottom of the shift lever. If you have an autocross car or race car then do all three.
IMPRESSIONS:
I've been driving cars with short shift kits for decades, but this combination of the DFJ kit + Exile brass bushings is the notchiest, most mechanical and direct short shifter I've experienced. Probably it is very good in a caged autocross car. Wondering how enjoyable it will be, long term, in a daily driver. I suspect this is mostly due to the bearing bushing on the shift lever, rather than the Exile bushing kit. Hopefully it loosens up as the pieces start working through grease and getting broken in.
Yes, there is a light vibration in the shift lever at certain RPM. I "think" it can be cleaned up with a urethane bushing clamped under the shift knob. It doesn't really bother me, so I'll update in the future with my thoughts.
The fore/aft shift throw is dramatically reduced (as you can see in my side-by-side photo) and that is exactly the result I wanted. I didn’t realize how comically long the throw was until my kids started driving this car. Even w/ the seat pulled forward it seemed like they were hitting their elbows on the center console.
All in all, I recommend this shift lever. Appears to be readily available on eBay and ZERO details about it anywhere on the internet. For $55, I’m quite satisfied.
I just installed this short shifter and the Exile 2pc kit yesterday in my Protege5. I was looking for shorter throw and a tight feeling shift pattern that my MazdaSpeed Protege has. I have heard this "DFJ Short Throw Shifter" is a copy of the popular TWM short shifter that is no longer in production, but I have no idea how close it is. I do know it was the only brand for sale that utilized two sealed ball bearings at the bottom instead of the traditional "bar through rubber bushing" style.
The kit appears to come with two or three sets of bushings and attachments, depending on which car you have, so for once, I ended up with extra parts that were indeed extra.
This shift lever was one of very few that uses a pair of bearings as the fulcrum point and it also utilizes a pair of tiny aluminum (?) alignment bushings to keep pressure on the inner race of the bearings. It's a pretty ingenious solution and the end result is extremely tight feeling shift lever.
I won't bore you with install details on how to replace a shift lever, since the project is A) well documented over the last 20yrs B) relatively intuitive for mildly mechanically inclined people. Overall, this is an extremely simple job. Removing a few basic interior trim pieces will allow you to do that DEEP clean in your interior that you've always wanted. I found even more dog hair from the previous owner (I've owned this for almost 6yrs now).
However, my note of awareness about the front captive bushing:
1. it is no small amount of effort to replace the front captive bushing, so if that hasn't failed on you and the rubber bushings are in relatively good condition (mine were at 170K miles and 20yrs of shifting), I think my recommendation would be to save that task for the future after you test the shift lever alone.
2. If you choose to replace the fixed bushing that connects the shift rod to the transmission, don't bother trying to grind the captive ends down, just go straight to using a sawzall with a metal blade and cut it right at the rubber bushing on the inside. I spent about an hour with a dremel cutting from the outside and THEN had to use a sawzall. It took me 6mins VS 1hr. But in that 6mins I cut through the pin, put the sawzall away, put my dremel away, and cleaned up my work area.
3. I think the Exile Bushing kit is a legit offering and here are my suggestions. For a daily driver, I'd recommend only using the 1pc Exile bushing at the front (the easy to replace coupler) and using fresh rubber bushings at the bottom of the shift lever. If you have an autocross car or race car then do all three.
IMPRESSIONS:
I've been driving cars with short shift kits for decades, but this combination of the DFJ kit + Exile brass bushings is the notchiest, most mechanical and direct short shifter I've experienced. Probably it is very good in a caged autocross car. Wondering how enjoyable it will be, long term, in a daily driver. I suspect this is mostly due to the bearing bushing on the shift lever, rather than the Exile bushing kit. Hopefully it loosens up as the pieces start working through grease and getting broken in.
Yes, there is a light vibration in the shift lever at certain RPM. I "think" it can be cleaned up with a urethane bushing clamped under the shift knob. It doesn't really bother me, so I'll update in the future with my thoughts.
The fore/aft shift throw is dramatically reduced (as you can see in my side-by-side photo) and that is exactly the result I wanted. I didn’t realize how comically long the throw was until my kids started driving this car. Even w/ the seat pulled forward it seemed like they were hitting their elbows on the center console.
All in all, I recommend this shift lever. Appears to be readily available on eBay and ZERO details about it anywhere on the internet. For $55, I’m quite satisfied.
