Shift Lever

[reservoirdog]

Hi All - I've recently had trouble with the shift lever coming of the transmission - read some earlier posts and I'm going to get the replacement parts from International.

Having said that, I've seen some discussion on tapping a srew thru to hold everything in place; also I remember some earlier talk about a SHORT SHIFTER but I cant seem to search it out on the site. Also I've heard that a one piece shifter (with all the internal parts) exists but I have not seen it.

Any advice appreciated, especially as to the quality of new parts. My need to be replace for sure.

[rlux4]

The short shifter you've heard of is a product of member mbouse, his Michigan Shorter Shifter is very reasonable and is on my list of things to get. Just do a member search under "M" and you'll find him.
Ron

[So Cal Mark]

the short shifter is merely the upper half of the lever, not the piece that attaches to the shift rail. If yours is coming out of the tranny then you must have some broken pivot parts

[reservoirdog]

sorry, I got my terminology wrong - it is the upper half that keeps coming off

[So Cal Mark]

there is a kit for the upper lever that contains the various bushings and inserts needed

[mbouse]

if you want the stock shifter to stay in place on your shift lever, IAP has the kit you need. it is their part # 36301.

if it is a shorter shifter that you want, you won't need the above mentioned kit. send me an email to:

mbouse at chartermi dot net

[manoa matt]

I recently came across a transmission where the previous owner removed the chrome shifter. Then they actually cut down the shift rod coming out of the trans and secured a shift knob directly to it. It was pretty short but firm.


How long will it take for someone to twist that last comment?

[mbouse]

not long... but, i won't give you my rendition.

do you mean that the guy cut down the chrome part, or cut the black shift lever? i tried setting a shifter knob directly on that shift lever for a couple of days. it took a good deal of effort to actually motate thru the gears; nearly zero leverage left. i cannot imagine cutting that shift lever down further and having any degree of comfort at shifting.

it is amazing what an inch of leverage will do for this assembly...and is prolly why the stock chrome shifter is so long (ease of shifting thru the gears).

[manoa matt]

Mike,

He cut the steel shift rod comming out of the trans, about 2-3 inches after it exits the shift housing. I remember test driving it before I bought it, it was a little hard to shift. I still have the trans, it was from a 80 FI that I parted out. I don't know if I kept the shift knob that came off it. I may take a picture later.

On my car I have a shortened chrome shifter thanks to the inspiration from Alvon (Ventura Ace), still vibrates a little, maybe time for a new shift bushing kit.

[mbouse]

the miata is engineered to have a very short throw, and i like it a lot. our transmission is not designed for this extremely short throw and lack of leverage.

cutting that much off the shift lever must have resulted in quite a bit of effort. which is unfortunate...cuz i think that Mazda really got that one right.

[ROOK1]

Don't mean to revive a dead thread but I have a shif lever question too. I am getting ready to swap transmissions form a parts car I have and I cant seem to get past Haynes step #2. It is the removal of the shift lever extension. The manual says "give it a good tug, that should be all it takes". Anybody have any ideas or tricks?

[rlux4]

Everybody gets to do it sooner or later, and everybody has to ask how. If you use the manual's technique you'll need to follow Mike Bouse's instructions: plant both feet on either side, grasp the knob, look behind you because when it comes loose as you're yanking it off you're going to end up on your butt in the back seat.
A better way; get a couple small slotted screwdrivers, or curved picks. put them up inside the bottom lip of the chrome extension, they will be touching a white plastic "crown" ring. pry a couple of the crown tips inwards and the chrome lever should come off fairly easily. There are rubber bushings up there so watch for parts when it comes loose. If you're putting in a new bushing kit, be aware that it will still be loose. The only way to avoid this is with a set screw, and this is one advantage of Mike Bouse's "Michigan Shorter Shifter".
Ron

[ROOK1]

Thanks Ron! The chrome on mine is real tight, I think. I am just looking to swap transmissions and the manual said to remove this part.

[rlux4]

You must live a good life, and stay true to one wife, Rook, because most of them are at least a little loose. Mine is fairly tight but I still look down and see an upside/down "FIAT" after a while.
Ron

[So Cal Mark]

there really is no reason to remove just the chrome extension when removing a tranny. Remove the entire shifter, it has to come out anyway. Once the driveshaft is removed, remove the triangular cover on the bottom of the shifter housing. Then remove the nut from the bottom of the shifter. The shifter then will lift out from the top