Custom shifter, would it work?

[Plays_with_Toys]

I'm curious, I know a guy with a lathe, and I was thinking of making a delrin shifter (delrin is a high strength plastic that is super easy to machine). Anyway, I want to make it a long shifter, but it'd be hollow almost all the way down, and then the very tip would be threaded. This would make the top of the shifter much lower than a stock shifter, and even my current one, while giving it a short shifter appearance (until I get a kartboy). Is there any reason why having a shorter shifter would be a hindrance? I know it won't really affect throw hardly at all, other than the fact that I can grab lower, and therefore my hand won't travel as far. I could also get a lip machined at the bottom for clipping the shift boot up.

[/random thought]

[Wiscon_Mark]

just for your reference:

http://www.legacycentral.org/library/li ... diy_ss.htm (http://www.legacycentral.org/library/literature/diy_ss.htm)

[strat81]

you'd have less leverage going into each gear... which may make throws harder...

[Wiscon_Mark]

shifting on a subaru tranny is pretty easy unless its way below zero out. I wouldn't worry about that at all. However, you don't want to make it too short.

[Reason]

I have a B&M short shifter on my CRX. It is 10 times better than stock. I wish I got the shorter one of the 2 they made for it. I only lost 3 inches of the shifter. I didn't make shifting any harder than it was, if it did I didn't notice. It's one of the best mods (IMO) you can do. I'll tell you this, that plastic won't last long. I seen aluminum snap with a nice hard shift. Get a stainless steel shifter and you will be straight. I would go with B&M, the quality of the shifter is GREAT, if you can't afford it get Kartboy that is around $40 less.

[strat81]

an actual short shifter changes the pivot point in addition to shortening the shifter allowing you to maintain the leverage you have on the stick. I love the b&m i have on my cavalier as well... they make great products.

you could cut your stock shifter but you'd find that the shifts will be harder. even if shifting is fairly easy with the stock shifter, it will get harder as the lever becomes shorter. i've driven a car with a cut shifter and it's harder to go from gear to gear (it wasn't a subaru but the mechanics of it should still apply)

[Plays_with_Toys]

whoops. I'm an idiot. I meant simply a shift knob, which would seat super low, so I'd still be using the stock linkage, but I could grab much lower. So it'd be like taking off your shifter, pulling the boot all the way down and driving it like that, only with a bigger thing to grab hold of. I've tried this and like how it is shorter overall and shifts take less time.

[strat81]

grabbing lower on the shifter would effectively be the same as shortening the shifter stalk. it lessens your leverage on the shifter itself because you have a smaller lever to change gears. (aka closer to the pivot point)

have you noticed any increase in input to change gears?

[dropdfocus]

I also highly enjoyed the B&M shifter I had installed in my Focus ZX3. It was so awesome compared to the factory shifter. Much smoother & exact shifts also.

[Plays_with_Toys]

Ahhhhh I'm a ricer!!! I sold out and went to an auto store. I bought an APC shifter that I could bore out all the way to the top so I could sit it as low as possible. Woah is me. Until I realized the one I bought was bored all the way as far as it could go, and the fit was ultra tight. The boot slips over the bottom of the shifter. So my shifter is now about 1-2" shorter. Feels GREAT. Now if I get a kartboy or B&M, it'll be even more swift.

[Wiscon_Mark]

I would like those shift knobs if they didn't say "Type R" all over them...they look and feel nice besides the damn ricer print (Type R).

[Plays_with_Toys]

This one is totally blank. Its just polished. Its like a piston with the rings but the top is really rounded off. I could stand for a bit shorter shifter and throw, but I like the change so far. I'll get a pick next week when I get my camera back.

[Wiscon_Mark]

sweet. What auto parts store did you go to? I inhabit Advance all the time (they always treat me well, great service) and their ricer section seems to be smaller than Autozone or Checker. But they didn't have this knob.

[ivwarrior]

You know a guy with a lathe. How about getting some aluminum shift knobs machined up for us? With the groove for the shift boot. I imagine it wouldn't be real tough with some accurate measurements.....

[Plays_with_Toys]

Mark, I went to Advance auto as well. They're customer service is bar none around here. Anyway, the knob in question was....
http://www.partsamerica.com/ProductDeta ... ber=604104 (http://www.partsamerica.com/ProductDetail.aspx?categorycode=3349&mfrcode=APC&mfrpartnumber=604104)
I didn't reattach that little screw on collar that covers up the allen screws, instead I simply slid the boot up around the threaded part. Its a tight fit, so the boot shouldn't slide off. Its a bit bright for me, I have to think of way to change the color without it coming off on my hands (maybe that duplicolor wheel paint would do the trick). Oh, and they're on sale this week for $10, which is the reason I picked it up to see if I could modify it. I also picked up a new fuel filter ($15, checkers wanted $25 :shock: )

What style knob? It'd have to be a consensus. Personally I love small low profile piston shaped, which would be easy to machine. The guy I know is a glass blower, so he uses the lathe for that, but I do know another person in a much more manufacturing oriented way with a machine shop. I imagine a custom threaded aluminum knob would probably cost on the order of $35 atleast.

I could make a poll and see if that interested people

[drano]

i have one of those shifter knobs, but in gunmetal grey. i bought it in hopes that i would be getting a MT, so if anyone wants it just let me know.

i didnt really specify which one it was

http://www.partsamerica.com/ProductDetail.aspx?mfrcode=APC&categorycode=3349&mfrpartnumber=604104

its that one but in gunmetal grey

[02LGT]

Right now...i own a Greddy shift knob...right when i replaced with my stock one...i found a alil improvement.

On my previous car...integ Gs-r...had a S2k titanium knob...which was super awesome!

Btw..."Type-R" is not a ricer...if it's on a "Integra, civic, NSX TYPE-R"

haha It definitely is a ricer...if its on non of the above OR...on an american car. :lol:

[Wiscon_Mark]

There was an STi Type-R too, to be honest.

Now if it's a Corvette with a VTEC sticker....:lol: