cutting shifter

[Dy_]

i intend to cut my gear stick abit shorter to give it that short shifter feel.

and was wondering if theres a tool i can use to retread it after i cut it off?

atm im thinking of using an angle grinder.

open to suggestions!

thanks

[sassy_fit_vtit]

cutting it won't make the throw of the shift shorter. it'll only make the stick shorter. inactual fact you'll make the throw of the gear longer and more difficult for yourself. Invest on a proper Short Shifter

[Dy_]

The tool you need to get is called a die like in tap and die set. You just need to find out the thread size and pitch of your shifter knob to get the right size. Then cut off the part you don't want but then you have to cut the remaining part of the shifter handle down to the proper size to get the die to work. If you work carefully and keep measuring while you work an angle grinder could work.

But you may not have to cut too much as the threaded part of the shifter can be shortened leaving some threads so you can screw the knob back on without doing anything, depends on how much you want to remove.

:thumbsup: thanks.

im only thinking of removing a couple of cms off. i'll have a look tomorrow.

[Dy_]

cutting it won't make the throw of the shift shorter. it'll only make the stick shorter. inactual fact you'll make the throw of the gear longer and more difficult for yourself. Invest on a proper Short Shifter

how does it become longer?

does it not reduce the throwing distance.

[aimre]

cutting it won't make the throw of the shift shorter. it'll only make the stick shorter. inactual fact you'll make the throw of the gear longer and more difficult for yourself. Invest on a proper Short Shifter



haha. your an idiot

[Dy_]

your one too

you're a sickc*nt!

[rayb3na_]

i think what dy tryna say is if the stick shorter hand wont have to move as far? lol

[joey99]

HAHAHAH..... hahahah that's so funny. Although my friend has made a short shifter by cutting the bottom bit off and extending it a little bit by welding an extra piece on.

I got a $38 one off ebay and it's bloody fantastic! the throw is the shortest I've ever had .. it's like little clicks :) very nice.

[Dy_]

i think what dy tryna say is if the stick shorter hand wont have to move as far? lol

lol i dont know what im tryna say. some people just think they're king sh*t and expects people to know everything. [not you]

but it feels shorter in another car that did what i want to do.

[EGB18CT]

lol umm even if u did gut the shifter, u wont be able to thread it cos doesnt the shifter start thin then thicken towards the pivot point? the threaded part is all the same thicknes lol... anyway give it a shot see what happens ahhahah

[dsp26]

haha. your an idiot

how so? shes correct

[rayb3na_]

lol i dont know what im tryna say. some people just think they're king sh*t and expects people to know everything. [not you]

but it feels shorter in another car that did what i want to do.

ahaha all good dude! i also wanted to try this so when u decide to do lemme know and i'll pop by i'll give u a hand or what not as well =D

[V73C]

ok, first of all, you wont be able to rethread the shifter if u cut all of the threaded bit off. because the gearstick goes bigger in diameter as it goes down right ??? which means u actually gotta turn "machine" it down to size.
example lets say the thread for the gear knob is a M12 thread, means that the diameter of that thread is 12mm.
so meaning that if u wanted to rethread the gearstick, the die nut wont fit on because u need to machine it down to 12mm.

but id suggest just go invest into proper short shifter man, sure cutting it makes it feel like the throw is shorter, but ur not actually changing much.

its actually the bottom bit that u have to modify to make the actual throw shorter

[Dy_]

ok, first of all, you wont be able to rethread the shifter if u cut all of the threaded bit off. because the gearstick goes bigger in diameter as it goes down right ??? which means u actually gotta turn "machine" it down to size.
example lets say the thread for the gear knob is a M12 thread, means that the diameter of that thread is 12mm.
so meaning that if u wanted to rethread the gearstick, the die nut wont fit on because u need to machine it down to 12mm.

but id suggest just go invest into proper short shifter man, sure cutting it makes it feel like the throw is shorter, but ur not actually changing much.

its actually the bottom bit that u have to modify to make the actual throw shorter

yeah its kool i get what everyones saying now.

[aimre]

you're a sickc*nt!

sorry , i read ur thing wrong. +rep

[aimre]

yeah its kool i get what everyones saying now.

if u buy a universal knob, u dont really need a thread as they have some plastic sleeve.

but with shifters being only $40 on ebay, might be better to get on of them.

try and get one with a bend, thr B&M's dont, meaning the knob sit few cm back than stock. Just means u gott get used to it again

[Dy_]

if u buy a universal knob, u dont really need a thread as they have some plastic sleeve.

but with shifters being only $40 on ebay, might be better to get on of them.

try and get one with a bend, thr B&M's dont, meaning the knob sit few cm back than stock. Just means u gott get used to it again

yeah i've got an aftermarket knob. but i was thinking what happens if i wanna put one on that requires the tread thats all.

i'll look into getting a short shifter. :thumbsup:

[aimre]

and to all the people who think cutting wont make ur throw sorter....

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v47/aimre/Gear_Throw.jpg

i got into this same argument in like 2003, when i made that pic

[dsp26]

and to all the people who think cutting wont make ur throw sorter....

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v47/aimre/Gear_Throw.jpg

i got into this same argument in like 2003, when i made that pic

fair enough.. got me stumped on this one...

the way it was presented to me long ago was regarding the actual pivot ball placement on other cars.. forgot it wasn't movable on the solid Honda ones... +rep

[Dy_]

thats the idea i had in my head and drew the same diagram out when people were telling me i was wrong.

[V73C]

that makes it shorter, but its not the main purpose of a short shifter

[aimre]

When u buy a legit short "throw" shifter, as the ones on ebay and B&M ones, the bit below the pivot is lengthened meaning less throw.

U will retain factory knob height.

But yeah, get one of ebay. Looks nicer too (u can get diff colours).


Though i might cut the one on my rolla

[rayb3na_]

i ahd your back!! =D

[aimre]

that makes it shorter, but its not the main purpose of a short shifter


It purpose is to make the throw shorter. Look at the diagram, by shortening the stick, you also make the throw shorter.

[Dy_]

i ahd your back!! =D

ahaha top stuff!

your the dude that i went on the cruise with. [norah heads]

we were eating maccas while they all wanted to leave.

[rayb3na_]

Oooo Bdkgod?!

[Dy_]

Oooo Bdkgod?!

lmao thats the one!

[Limbo]

i intend to cut my gear stick abit shorter to give it that short shifter feel.

and was wondering if theres a tool i can use to retread it after i cut it off?

atm im thinking of using an angle grinder.

open to suggestions!

thanks

the price of a short shifter is pretty cheap even as low as $50 new, or secondhand can be got for $20. DOn't cut it its not worth the trouble.
I used a hacksaw to cut the corolla one cos they don't have shortshifters easily avialable

[Dy_]

yeah looking into it now and they are quite cheap. although i gotta research on which one to get etc. cause they even have ones for $3.99 on ebay lol.

[Limbo]

i got a cheap ebay one. Only cost me $50 and had it for over 2yrs now no issues at all.
P.S i'd recommend changing the bushes for the shifter if you do it.
THe polyurothane ones go for like $25, JDMyard has them as do online performance, which is closer by

[SHOGUNOVDDRK]

Hmmm.....

Well a guy on a forum im on did a custom short shifter (seeing as they werent in production at the time and atm cost well over $100+)

Another friend of mine gave this ago on his 3rd gen prelude and it felt pretty good actually :p

Anyway have a read...

http://www.redpepperracing.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=20659&st=60&p=208739&#entry208739

Also if you read on later he did a shift extender :thumbsup:

[joey99]

yup ... I got those from JDMyard for my $38 ebay shortshifter as well ... had it for ages .. still going strong and feels very nice... it does say it's from the same manufacturer as B&M.

[DLO01]

Buy a quality short shifter, cheap, quick, easy, no problems. Don't mess with the stock item.

[Dy_]

done deal. who has something i can read up on so i can decide what which one t get.

[bennjamin]

It purpose is to make the throw shorter. Look at the diagram, by shortening the stick, you also make the throw shorter.

it will make the throw shorter and increase the effort needed.
So , your shifting will become more difficult. Less leverage.

[bigjo5]

LOL that will only make it harder for you to shift! haha

[Dy_]

LOL that will only make it harder for you to shift! haha

i've tried it...its not that much harder unless you're cutting like 10cms of it off lol.

all in all thanks everyone for their input!

[bennjamin]

LOL that will only make it harder for you to shift! haha

Think of why a truck steering wheel is soo big. < now put a go-kart steering wheel on the truck and see how easy it is to drive lol

[aimre]

i've tried it...its not that much harder unless you're cutting like 10cms of it off lol.

all in all thanks everyone for their input!

Yeah, my mates was so short, it was like just the ball above the plastic surround. It was harder, but it felt good harder. Felt solid, not like some grandma car.

Here my giant stick on my rolla

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v47/aimre/07042008002.jpg

Thats a legit golf ball

[Samm928]

yoyo dy__, go to thangs garage in lansvale. they retread it for you for $10-$20 =) so yeh just anglegrind the motherFKKKER off and then retread it =) he did it for my car ages ago when the past idiot owner cut off too much so then i got sick and tired and just bought a real short shifter for cheap ^__^

[aimre]

The civic stick gets fatter as u go down. Thus u cant just rethread it.

Look at the pic of the rolla, same thing with the civic.

[string]

it will make the throw shorter and increase the effort needed.
So , your shifting will become more difficult. Less leverage.
All short shifters will increase effort, cut or aftermarket.

To get into gear, you have to do the same work on the shift linkage (a force applied for a distance). Regardless of how you setup the lever, your left hand has to do the same ammount of work. No matter how you setup the lever, the shorter the distance the knob moves to change gear, the harder it will be to push.

The advantage of cut stock is less exhaust intrusion. My 3" exhaust has to hang quite low because of my ebay shifter.
The advantage of a aftermarket "double bend" is that they shifter sits at stock height. This means that the lower lever arm must be lengthened to decrease knob throw, causing it to hit your exhaust shielding or exhaust.
I have been using a $40 ebay shifter for the past 2 years. It is the worst of both worlds. Long lower throw, and short upper. Knob is lower than stock, and shift throw is tiny. My syncro's eat major ****, but it's a blessing in disguise. It's really hard to get into gear when the syncro's have to do a lot of work, but when the shafts are at the same speed it's smooth as butter.

If you want to modify the stock shifter, just cut a section out between the thread and ball and weld it up.

[aimre]

turn down?

[fatboyz39]

make your own proper short shifter. Not hard to do if you know how to weld.

[aaronng]

Knob is lower than stock, and shift throw is tiny. My syncro's eat major ****, but it's a blessing in disguise. It's really hard to get into gear when the syncro's have to do a lot of work, but when the shafts are at the same speed it's smooth as butter.

True that... hope people realise that when they go for a short shifter.

[aaronng]

turn down?

Reduce the thickness of the stick.

[aimre]

Reduce the thickness of the stick.

Sounds fun with and angle grinder... I value my finger more than $40

[SHOGUNOVDDRK]

Yeah, my mates was so short, it was like just the ball above the plastic surround. It was harder, but it felt good harder. Felt solid, not like some grandma car.

sounds like my mates old mr2 short shifter LOL

[aaronng]

Sounds fun with and angle grinder... I value my finger more than $40

If you are skilled in the use of an angle grinder, you won't lose your finger. But yeah, if you aren't, pay someone to machine it for you. It's safer. You still want to be able to do this =>:thumbsup:

[NightKids]

You wouldn't wanna get a $40 short shifter anyway cause they're sh*t & not very strong. On the other hand if you want like a B&M one it should set you back $70-$80. My dual bend one which sits closer to the driver set me back $100. So yeah just giving u an idea of the prices. Also check out BuddyClub... heard they're alright.

[string]

You wouldn't wanna get a $40 short shifter anyway cause they're sh*t & not very strong. On the other hand if you want like a B&M one it should set you back $70-$80. My dual bend one which sits closer to the driver set me back $100. So yeah just giving u an idea of the prices. Also check out BuddyClub... heard they're alright.

Not very strong? What do you base this on? Have you ever broken one?
I've been running one for over 2 years and it hasn't broken yet... Don't slam it hard into gear - slamming doesn't mean fast. You can be gentle, precise and fast at the same time.

[JasonGilholme]

Don't slam it hard into gear

Fast and furious style yO! :thumbdwn:

[NightKids]

Not very strong? What do you base this on? Have you ever broken one?
I've been running one for over 2 years and it hasn't broken yet... Don't slam it hard into gear - slamming doesn't mean fast. You can be gentle, precise and fast at the same time.

Yes i have flexed one so that's what i have based it on....

[string]

Yes i have flexed one so that's what i have based it on....
Care to give more information than "I have flexed one"? Did it actually break? To even bend a chunk of aluminium that size, consider what damage you just did to your transmission...

[NightKids]

The short shifter actually bent (the aluminium) because it was weak. And this was a straight shifter. No problems with my B&M one now & it's a dual bend so think of the difference in quality. My transmission is still fine but the short shifter isn't....

[Tegzieboi_BAR]

U must have a hell of an arm on u to bend a shifter! Just kiddin man!

I got an integra n the thread on the stock shifter was a good 3cm long so i just cut it down 2 about half a cm with a basic hacksaw. (Dnt kno if the thread on the civics would be quite that long tho)

This actually made quite a difference, feels nice n its a matter of flickng my wrist 2 change from 1/2 or 3/4 now! Its good! Stock gearknob still screws on without a prob as well as my aftermarket 1.

The integra shifters r already quite short tho, so that 2.5 cm that i cut off seemed like quite a bit, not sure if it would work out but i suggest u give it a go n if u dont like it well cut more off or just get a proper shortshifter off ebay.

[JohnL]

So what if it's thicker. He said he was going to use an angle grinder and with that you could "turn down" the section you want to thread to any size you want or need to re-thread it.

Might work, but might destroy some of the Honda levers. The gear lever on at least some of the Honda cable shifters (e.g. CB7 Accord) is hollow below the threaded section (i.e. the tapered bit and shaft below), so if you try to reduce it's diameter you will at least make the wall thickness a lot thinner and may cut right through it. Of course this isn't an issue if the shaft is solid.

I modded my CB7 cable shifter to reduce both longitudinal and lateral throw by relocating the cable to lever attachment points (cutting / welding involved). The shift throw is much shorter and the lever height is stock, definitely a worthwhile improvement.

What I'd really like to do is to lengthen the lever so that the distance from wheel to lever is a lot less, but then I'd have a long shift again. It would be possible to then further tighten the shift throw, but the shift cables would need to be significantly relocated and would end up being above the little odds and sods tray below the CD player (rather than hidden below the tray).

[tezza88]

i'd say watch out for the synchro problem man, if ur not having trouble with it atm, dont bother, cause now, pushing the car and shifting at major speed by smashing it into the next gear, crunching is inevitable. but i figured with MOTUL gear fluid is the best and that has decreased to zero!! HAPPY BOY NOW
(not really pitching my 2c am i? lol, motul rocks) if u get ur hands on a welder, jst cut and weld the thread back on, thats whats on my car

[JohnL]

tezza88,
I've had one of the Motul gear oils (can't remember which) in the old CB7 box for a couple of years. When I changed the oil the shift instantly became noticably slicker, but I don't know whether this was because the oil was synthetic or just because it was new, as opposed to what was probably 15 year old engine oil (not even the Honda MTF).

I do have some slight synchro weakness on third gear, but it's only crunches if I make a careless shift. I now have a long lever (about 100mm longer than stock), but still have a much shorter than stock shift throw. Shift lever is also bent to the right and the shift knob is now very conveniently placed so the left hand just drops onto it with little motion and the shift is 'snick-click'. Shift effort is a bit higher than stock, which is light anyway. I've also replaced the shift cable rubber bushes with metal bushes, I can now feel the metal bits inside the box through the lever!