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-   -   Short Throw Shifter (https://www.mazda3club.com/1st-gen-protege-323-glc-38/short-throw-shifter-24504/)

SteveO April-25th-2003 01:51 AM

Short Throw Shifter
 
Finally after weeks and weeks of searching I have found a short throw shifter for the 1st Gen. Overpriced, but i found one.

Heres my question. Does anyone already have one? If so is it hard to install. I can not stand how long the shift is now and would really like to have this mod.

I also had a friend suggest sawing a few inches off of the factory one. While not making the throw any shorter it seems like it would make it a little better. I tried shifting from the middle of the shifter tonight just to see and its actually comfortable.

Any suggestions? I deas?

hotrod0001 April-25th-2003 02:07 AM

Actually theres about 4 or 5 companys that makes short shifters for the 1st gen, you just need to search a little harder

240SXSR20DET April-25th-2003 02:32 AM

or you can build a short throw out of your stock one for FREE... the metal ball on our shifters is only glued into place, just pull out your shifter heat it up ith a torch, than using a chisel and a hammer, loosen it up with a few good wacks, (note: do your loosening downward as the metal up towards the top of the shifter is flared out wider) now take a grinder and thin down the metal above where the ball was to the same diameter, or close enough to, what the lower part is so that you can move the ball up higher to shorten the throw and reglue/jb weld ETC. back into place. Remember you dont have to move it up that far to drastically shorten the throw, and if you put it to short you'll hit the heat shield. i personally just removed the heat shield on my car cuase it rattled like hell anyway.

RX7_2ner April-25th-2003 02:33 AM

Dude, don't waste your money on a short shifter. You can make your own out of your factory shifter. It's not made like how some ricers do it. ERDT has a write-up on it, but I can't find it. I'll just try to explain it in a few words. You have the shifter out of the car and in a vise. Heat up the ball that the shifter pivots on. It needs to get hot enough to melt the glue that is between the ball and the shifter. When its hot enough, hit it with a opened crescent wrench and a hammer and move it about an inch closer to the top of the shifter. You might want to tack weld the ball into place so it doesn't move around. Then just paint over the bare metal.

RX7_2ner April-25th-2003 02:34 AM

LOL, we posted at like the same time.

RX7_2ner April-25th-2003 01:07 PM

I've never heard of that happening. You can just use a civic short shifter instead. I think it just requires different bushings, I'm not sure. 240SXSR20DET might know.

Bruce95fmla April-25th-2003 03:34 PM


Originally posted by Gro Harlem
Think about it.

Your shifter is designed to stick about 2" out of the floor board. If you legnthen that to 4+ inches the geometry of the shift rod will be altered.

It just so happens if you lower it too much, it is only partially in gear while you are cruising in 5th. This causes continous wear on the 5th gear synchro, wearing it out.

I have a MP3 shifter in my car. It sticks out the same distance as the stock shifter, but the top half of the shifter is MUCH shorter. THe B&M and Kartboy shifters are the same way.

I wouldn't recommend the pacesetter. that is the one I had that was adjusted pretty low. Now my 5th gear buzzes if i try to upshift from 4th-5th quickly. I have to ease it into gear to prevent this from happening.

It is your choice....either 1: be a cheapass and ruin you transmission or 2: do it right the first time and get a kartboy or B&M shifter (or like i tell everyone, get a MP3 owner to sell you their stock shifter)

Wil you can't really tell people the pacesetter is no good... Rember I also have the pacesetter and remeber when I drove your car I told you your shifter was to damn low ... You had the ball all the way on the top ...
My ball on my shifter is maybe 1inch or 2 to 3 turns above where the factory ball is and I have no problems....
You yourself drove my car and you know how my car shifts(at meets we tend to drive each others cars people) lol, ...

SO I have to disagree with you on that one
Bruce

240SXSR20DET April-25th-2003 06:23 PM


Originally posted by RX7_2ner
I've never heard of that happening. You can just use a civic short shifter instead. I think it just requires different bushings, I'm not sure. 240SXSR20DET might know.
yeah it will, and you dont have to buy anymore stuff.. just swap the bolt and the busing fomr your old shifter.. i THINK

RX7_2ner April-26th-2003 01:33 AM

Thems racin' words.

Bruce95fmla April-28th-2003 05:33 PM


Originally posted by Gro Harlem
don't bitch about your transmission sychros when they do start buzzing...

i had my paceshitter shifter adjusted at halfway between the threads.

You wasn't saying that ,, that night in PA on the highway at WOT when you was staring at my taillights ......
I think that's the difference between the G-tranny and the F-tranny


hahaha

sileighty21 April-29th-2003 04:52 PM


I've never heard of that happening. You can just use a civic short shifter instead. I think it just requires different bushings, I'm not sure. 240SXSR20DET might know.
what gen or gens civic can we use?

RX7_2ner April-29th-2003 06:00 PM


Originally posted by sileighty21

what gen or gens civic can we use?

I'm not sure, maybe the 92-95 civics. I know nothing about civics.

mp3wannabe April-30th-2003 01:38 PM

hey guys, i am selling the kartboy short shifters that will fit any year, as groHarlem already stated. all the details can be found here
or if you have some time to kill, you can read through like 800 frickin posts here and get the same info, but have to fight the crowds to get to it.

greenlantern94 February-4th-2004 02:40 PM


Legnthening the underside of the shifter to make the top half shorter will damage the shift linkage in the transmission over time. I guess you will find out the hard way like I did.

Isn't that what all short shifters do?? Change the fulcrom point of the lever?

greenlantern94 February-11th-2004 10:37 PM

nevermind this making your own...nopi has the b&m short shifter for our car for 106$. thats not bad at all. how much is the kartboy, and which is better??


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