Took the OBX short throw to a new low

[Signal 12]

I got over having the schlong-esque shifter like so:



So after a bit of cutting and welding from a shop I have this:











The throws feel WAY shorter now plus I think looks have improved (especially with the maxima knob...thanks Mark). I also made a custom shifter bushing out of an electric whip seal. A bit of dremmling and the shifter feels rock solid. Total cost of operation $30 for welding, 0.45 for the seal.

[SATAN]

Looks good, I think it would look better if it sat about 1" taller but thats just me. Either way, it was too tall before for my liking.

[Firehawk]

Looks good. I will try out the feel of the maxima knob if I come across one.

[MikeZ]

Looks really good.

[TurboZkid]

looks good but i bet it grinds into second when shifting hard....? i tryed something like that and with out the weight of the shifter it grinds into gear.

[Neil86t]

I need a short shifter. My 30A feels like a cheap hooker compared to my old B&M T5 set-up.

[Jason84NA2T]

My knob is the set screw type, so I simply cut the threaded portion off the end of the rod... it sits about 1.25" or so shorter and still has the mass, along with being long enough to still shift with relative ease (as far as both force applied and seating position).

Neil86t wrote: I need a short shifter. My 30A feels like a cheap hooker compared to my old B&M T5 set-up.

I went through the exact same feelings once I installed the 30A... that B&M made the T5 so much more desirable than with a stock shifter.

[OR-Zman]

For those that can...B&M is damn hard to beat even considering the price. I tried 2 of the "cheap" versions and went with the real deal...B&M.

For some reason length never bothered me, it was just the throw. Ive driven a couple cars with very short shifters and they just felt odd somehow. Probably just different = odd.

Also, weight in the shifter does help IMO. My shift knob of choice is actually pretty heavy and it feels better than lighter knobs I have tried. For whatever reason the weight in the shift lever/knob seems to make the feel cleaner.

[Jason84NA2T]

OR-Zman wrote: Also, weight in the shifter does help IMO. My shift knob of choice is actually pretty heavy and it feels better than lighter knobs I have tried. For whatever reason the weight in the shift lever/knob seems to make the feel cleaner.

In a synchro transmission, what you are feeling during a shift is first the sleeve moving, and then force of the synchronizer on the speed gear cone, then the dog teeth meshing together is the "notchy" end part of a shift. (Synchronization fails when those dog teeth on the synchro sleeve and speed gear are not going the same speed. The synchronizer is goign to take the same amount of time to complete the synchronization either way, so short-throw shifters really are not any "faster". )The force is transmitted from the shifter, to the internal linkage, through the forks to the synchronizer sleeve. It only makes sense that a lever with a larger mass will result in smoother feeling shifts and less vibrations perceived to the driver. More mass = more inertia.

[CAG8OR]

I was not happy with the stock height of the OBX shifter. For some reason it just looked too high for my liking. I did like the fact that mine was a two piece design that made machining it on the lathe very easy. Here are the reults:




Final product




Original piece before modification




After modification




Closeup





Another angle final product

Note: I honestly felt the car shifted much easier with the additional length, however asthetically, this is worth the slightly increased effort in shifting. I know I double posted this, but I think it is actually more pertinent here. It also looks as if I did the same thing as Jason.

[FlawleZ]

Looks great Signal 12. I think I agree with Satan in that if it sat 1" higher it would look best. But either way it looks 1000 times better than before. I think that's on the to-do list for my 30A as well.

[Damian_Z31]

Hey Signal 12 what are you gonna do with yur old shift knob?

[SKOLJACK]

OR-Zman wrote: For those that can...B&M is damn hard to beat even considering the price. I tried 2 of the "cheap" versions and went with the real deal...B&M.

What is the part number on your shifter?


Which model B&M shifter would you guys prefer?

The one for a Firebird/Camaro:


Or the one for a Mustang: (I'm guessing this would not fit the shifter boot properly, but may allow clearance for a "pop-out" 7" LCD screen?)


This style just seems to be overly engineered":

[Matt89]

the b&m will only work if you have a t-5 transmission. you have to get the one that was made for the mustang. ones for a firebird, camaro, geo metro etc. will not work

[CAG8OR]

I had the "over engineered" Steeda Tri-Ax shifter in the last picture. Actually, I still have it. It is a great shifter, and better than the B & M in my opinion. I had both. As mentioned earlier, this is only good if you have the BW T5. If you have that, good luck! It won't hold up to serious power increases, unless you have had some work done to it, or really baby it. I pulled the T5 out last year, and put in the "bullet" proof 30A. I guess the guy that had it before me used a cannon, because the second and third gear syncros are shot. I will have to pull the beast once again. :evil: