I picked up a shift lever out of an '86 Fiero yesterday and decided to chop the snot out of it to see what I could get.

Here's the remains:

On the left is the piece of the shift knob I had to remove so that I could get the threads to even meet on the new shifter.

Before:



After:



Think I'm going to need to make a smaller shift boot...

The shift pattern is so small now that I can reach all the gears without moving my arm at all. I like the height because I'm no longer hanging my hand/arm off the shifter. My whole forearm rests on the center console.

The shift effort is a little higher now, but I'm hoping to smooth that out a little by lubricating the cables and changing to a synthetic gear oil.
Can anyone confirm that Royal Purple was able to help with a smoother shift effort?

This is the first of many changes to occur to my little freebie of a car. I'm enjoying the heck out of it.

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Kendall (Icelander) Whitlatch
'85 Fiero 2M4 - 5spd Isuzu
'67 LeMans/GTO clone 6.5 litre TH400
All the rest aren't Pontiacs, so what does it matter?

Just use the syncromesh in the trans.

I did similar to mine, but made it so that the bottom of the knob meets the welds when fully screwed in. This is the only pic I can find..

quote Originally posted by Icelander: Think I'm going to need to make a smaller shift boot...

You could make one I guess but why bother ? Rodney makes a really nice leather shift boot designed for short shifters. Put one on mine after I shortened my shifter and it looks great. I'd never go back to the old shifter.

[This message has been edited by GT-maniac (edited 10-15-2006).]

Not only does Rodney make a nice boot (it's super-soft-leather), he also makes a short shifter that is.. well, Rodney-like (which is to say, perfect). It's not as short as the ones you total shorty freaks have, but I think it's just perfect.

Redline oil is the best stuff I've found. You will notice the difference right now.

http://www.redlineoil.com/products_gearlubricants.asp?productID=45&subCategoryID=17&categoryID=7

Just another thought on making a short boot.... I did this with a non-Fiero car once... just take the stock boot and hack it to the size you want (from the top), then stitch it in on the sides (take in the original seams) to get rid of the excess material.. I had fun doing that one.

quote Originally posted by Fierotoyboy: Not only does Rodney make a nice boot (it's super-soft-leather), he also makes a short shifter that is.. well, Rodney-like (which is to say, perfect). It's not as short as the ones you total shorty freaks have, but I think it's just perfect.

I would 2nd Rodney's short shifter boot! It is excellant quality and looks very OEM. I bought Rodney's short shifter also but found the offset of the '84 short shifter to be more comfortable for my size/reach/seating position/etc than the straight up design of Rodney's shifter.

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RickN
White 88GT 5spd
White 85GT Auto
White 99 F250SD 7.3PSD 6spd

quote Originally posted by typhoon: Redline oil is the best stuff I've found. You will notice the difference right now. http://www.redlineoil.com/products_gearlubricants.asp?productID=45&subCategoryID=17&categoryID=7

Sounds good. You use MTL or MT 90? Maybe if I ever notice that I need some I will change to that. If I'm able to find it locally that is.

Short shifter looks good, I shortened mine too. I'm probably goin to shorten it even more before long.

lol that was the first thing i used my new welder for.. years ago...
looks good !

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GT just waiting for the conversion

84 Fiero Turbo Vortec 4300 Phantom GT
L35 block, Syclone Intake and ECM
T31 turbine with T04B S3 compressor
super T61 waiting for next winter
www.cardomain.com/id/vortecfiero
Murphy's Constant Matter will be damaged in direct proportion to its value
Murphy's Law of Thermodynamics Things get worse under pressure.
Arthur C. Clarke "Any significantly advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic"

That looks good. I took an 84 shifter and had it cut down. But what I really like is my Ultimate Getrag shift kit which really shortens the throw.

Here is a my cut down 84, a stock 84 and a stock 88

[This message has been edited by jscott1 (edited 10-15-2006).]

jscott,

Why such an offset on the handle? I find that mine is in the exact right spot without the offset.

Kendall

I did one just like that when I had my Isuzu. It works great on the Isuzu because that transmission shifts so easily (especially with Synchromesh). I put in a Getrag and had to switch back to a longer shifter to get it into gear easily :-(.

quote Originally posted by Icelander: jscott, Why such an offset on the handle? Kendall

I thought you might ask that. I originally posted a pic but I didn't want to steal your thread, but since you asked...

My car is not stock, If I have a 64 oz cup in my cupholder I have to reach around. And I just added a satellite radio in the old ashtray spot. I shift it like a sidestick controller.