Short Throw Shifter

[spdkilz02]

bob do u happen to have pics of the mods that need to be done to the 4 spd tranny to make it a short throw? i was looking through this thread and found the pic of what part u need to modify but that was it...

[RallyBob]

bob do u happen to have pics of the mods that need to be done to the 4 spd tranny to make it a short throw? i was looking through this thread and found the pic of what part u need to modify but that was it...

Nope, no pics, never took any.

[spdkilz02]

ok, well maybe someone took a pic of theirs when u did it for them..

how hard of a mod was this? is there a lot involved in doing it?

[RallyBob]

ok, well maybe someone took a pic of theres when u did it for them..

how hard of a mod was this? is there alot involved in doing it?

It has to be precisely located, and TIG welded or brazed. The shift tower is cast iron, so using a mig welder won't hold up too well. And I use that expensive M400 nickel welding rod too, and preheat the parts to 450 degrees before welding.

[spdkilz02]

is there any possibility that any who has done this or even u bob if u have time could start a new thread and do a step by step as to how to go about doing the short throw shifter?

[RallyBob]

is there any possibility that any who has done this or even u bob if u have time could start a new thread and do a step by step as to how to go about doing the short throw shifter?

Not any time soon, at least not by me. I've had such bad luck with cars in general lately, I tried selling all my Opels/parts/tools last weekend. Major brain fry! I got talked out of it, but not without resistance from my end of things.

[deaner]

Not any time soon, at least not by me. I've had such bad luck with cars in general lately, I tried selling all my Opels/parts/tools last weekend. Major brain fry! I got talked out of it, but not without resistance from my end of things.

WOW! That's a major step. I can understand taking a break and getting "burned out" I almost did the same thing, kinda of took a break from Opels. When I was racing them it was a second full time job. That and a lot of other things on the plate. Since I don't race Opels now, it is time to sort out my Street Manta and start driving it more. I'm glad you didn't sell out. Just so you know your products and knowlege about Opels has made my car go faster. I would hate to see you ride off into the sunset.

[azopelnut]

Bob
I know that I speak for many on this forum when I say that your ideas inspire us to work on and restore cars that most other car collectors ridicule or belittle. I have no idea of what could bring you to the brink of getting out of Opels but do what ever is necessary to stay with us..take a break but DO NOT CASH OUT! You are needed and you are valued!

[spdkilz02]

Not any time soon, at least not by me. I've had such bad luck with cars in general lately, I tried selling all my Opels/parts/tools last weekend. Major brain fry! I got talked out of it, but not without resistance from my end of things.

well hopefully someone will be able to chime in and give some insight as to what all needs to be done...

[Paul]

Adam,

In order to shorten the "Throw" of the shifter, you can do one of two things.

One would be to lenghten the cast? arm linkage. Bobs method appears to be welding two together to add length. Here are pictures of where someone achieved similar results by bolting these two halves together. However, this method is not a pretty as Bob's solution, but should get the same results.

The other way would is to shorten the length of the lever arm on the shaft on the side of the tranny. You can do this by drilling a new hole closer to the center line of the shifter shaft and moving the stub shaft. Thought I had a picture of this as well, but can't find it.

As Bob mentioned, the result of reducing the travel of the shifter is increasing the force required to move the shifter.

HTH

[RallyBob]

I have no idea of what could bring you to the brink of getting out of Opels but do what ever is necessary to stay with us..take a break but DO NOT CASH OUT!

Not just Opels, cars in general. Just prior to Carlisle I was driving my daily driver Nissan Sentra down a state forest road (broken asphalt). I caught a stone under the car, thanks to the grass in the center crown of the road hiding the stone. No biggie, I didn't feel an impact, just a bit of scraping noise. A few days later I notice some oil in my driveway. I take a peek...the oil pan is bashed up almost 3"! Thank God it was steel! Anyway, I ended up dropping the exhaust, removing the pan, straightening the pan and the pickup tube, welded a new drain nut (that's where the leak was from), and bolting it all back together. Maybe 5 hours of labor. On my way home I notice a new smell from the car...hmmm, antifreeze. A quick check shows a stress crack in the radiator, most likely from the oilpan impact since the leak is directly in line with the oilpan. A new radiator is almost $500. I bought a VW Scirrocco one instead ($100 new), adapted it to fit, and bought some new silicone radiator hoses since mine were crumbling as I removed them anyway. So now all it good, right?

Well, the second day after Carlisle I'm driving my Sentra...the car becomes hard to shift. Hmmm, when I push in the clutch while in gear, the car still moves under it's own power. Turns out the input shaft needle bearings are junk, and it's basically locking the tranny. I guess the metal from the failed 5th gear 50,000 miles ago is finally making its way around! I get a used tranny from a friend, and tear it down. It needs 5th gear (they all do), and new bearings and seals. It costs me $489 (credit card of course...I have no cash). Thanks to my friend Craig at the dealership for the price break, since list price on these parts is $859! And you thought Opel parts were expensive!

The car I'm driving in the meantime (Pathfinder) has progressively gotten worse...cracked exhaust manifold and broken studs. Estimated time to repair is 9 to 17 hours, depending on how rusted the broken studs are! But one manifold is cracked and the other is warped. And the exhaust is falling off. Another $1500 in parts, so that will have to wait. It will be cheaper to build headers and use an aftermarket catalytic converter. But it's loud and annoying. Then there's the right rear shock that literally rusted and fell off. And the right front that blew out and left a puddle of shock oil on the ground. And I think the left front is going too. It's downright scary to drive with both right side shocks gone! Needless to say, more money needs to be spent on the 'temporary' vehicle I'm driving, which costs $50 in gas to fill every 5 days. Ouch!

So yea, I'm just venting. Right now a new VW TDI sounds great, plus my bicycle for local trips. I just don't want to work on any cars for another 200,000 miles...

[opelwasp]

Bob, thats the story of my life. It only gets better when you are under the car at 1 AM trying to get the tranny in before work the next day so your not late to your crappy job and get fired.

[neuropel]

Bob,
You SHOULD find an older VW diesel TDI! With your skills, you could fab up your own waste oil system and the thing would get you over 100 miles per purchased gallon of fuel. I'm on my way to doing that for a daily driver. In summer I'd like to burn waste oil, and for winter I've assembled the pieces for a biodiesel brewery that I can dilute with "dino-diesel". At $50 every 5 days, it doesn't take long for one's efforts to begin to pay off, not to mention the feeling you can get telling Exxon and all the others to kiss your royal patootie!

Hang in there!
Todd

[soybean]

Not just Opels, cars in general. I just don't want to work on any cars for another 200,000 miles...

Amen to that and equipment too. Fix 1, tear up another. Sorta like bananas, comes in bunches. Jarrell

[Paul]

Adam,

Here's a pic of the other method. I tried this and have since put it back. I relocated the hole too close to the centerline of the shifter shaft, netting a little more than a 50% reduction in travel and a little more than 50% increase in effort. The effort was too great. Unintendedly, I moved the hole a little more than past the half way mark toward the shifter shaft. I think that reducing the travel and increasing effort by 25% would be a usable solution.

I know it's not a how-to, but I hoped I've helped.

[jordan]

I went ahead and made a short throw shifter linkage for the 4 speed. The linkage itself is thick wall 6061 T4 aluminum that I cut to 8.25" and then reamed the ID to a "Q" (.3320") and tapped one side with a 3/8" 24 right hand tap and the other end got the same size, but used a left hand tap. The heim joints have 3/8" 24 studs and a .251" hole in the ball. Since I used 1/4" hardware I turned a bushing out of 304 stainless (only because I had a piece) with a .4565" OD and I reamed up the cast shifter yoke to the same size and pressed it in. For the attachment point on shifter tab I carefully hammered out the old pressed in serrated pin with a chisel backing it and simply drilled a 1/4" hole directly in between the original pin and the transmission shaft. I had to grind a lot of the head off of the cap screw so it would clear when it was shifted into reverse. I don't suggest anyone doing what I did to the cap screw because it's integrity has been quite compromised and a washer also was not able to be used as the reason I ground it in the first place was for clearance.

[jordan]

Here are the finished pictures, I adjusted the link to the stock length. This is the reason for using a left and right hand heim joint together, the overall length can be adjusted with out removing one of the ends, all you have to do it loosen the jam nuts and turn the tubing.

[RallyBob]

Jordan, it looks good. Perhaps a bit overkill (me like overkill ), but the details are nice. Locknuts, LH/RH threads to allow for adjustments, the stainless bushing. All good.

One question however (you just knew this was coming, right?). Given the tight confines of the GT tranny tunnel, have you checked for fitment with the shifter rod (both in the fore and aft position)? I see that shift rod is not only unbent, but it's spaced 'out' appreciably at the shift tower attachment point in order to clear the rear corner of the transmission case when shifting into 2nd or 4th gear.

Bob

[jordan]

Check for fitment? I'm not that good. I was thinking the same thing as it was going together. I figured that it may need some type of bend in it and/or possibly putting the the shifting yoke heim joint on the other side of it if it will clear. If there is an issue with the forward part of the linkage I may try and use a slim jam nut with loctite. But as always I don't expect problems, they just happen when I'm not looking or paying attention.

As my gt is very much so in pieces could some one check to see how much clearance is between this shaft in question and the tunnel in 3rd and 4th gear?

[hrcollinsjr]

This may have been addressed in another thread but could some of the short throw shifters or adapters for BMW's be used with the Getrag's? There are all manner of short throw shifters on eBay for BMW's.

Harold