Poor man's short shift

[BSkinner]

Would cutting 3-5 inches off the top of the stick and re-threading for the shift knob be similar to the BD short shift kit?

You would reduce the shifting arc and lessen the vibration of the lever when traveling rough roads.

Might be a problem for those with short arms.



Bob

 

[wawazat]

You need to modify the other end

to reduce the throw distance. The distance from the pivot point to the end inside the transmission needs to be lengthened to reduce the distance you feel in the cab.



Todd

 

[rmcnamee]

Unfortunately no. Here is why:

1). Reducing the length of the upper shifter won't "shorten" the shift because the pivot point would remain the same and this is where the modification must be done to reduce the throw (i. e. shorten the shift). The BD kit doesn't shorten the upper section of the shifter, but raises the pivot point on the lower section. This is why they include the spacer piece that mounts between the top of the transmission housing and the bottom of the shift tower assembly.



2). The upper shifter is, for the most part hollow, with the upper end being solid and threaded- this is how the knob screws onto it. If you cut the threads off the upper section, you would have to insert a solid rod into the upper shifter, weld it in place and thread the rod, so that the knob can be screwed on. This is easy enough if you are good with a mig welder, but there is a catch. When I installed my Fuller shift knob, I simply cut the threaded section off, cut down the shifter and inserted a piece of 1/2" rod and welded it in place. What I didn't think about was vibrations. After cutting the shifter and inserting the rod, I would get a slight, but still annoying, vibration when I ran up the RPMs or lugged the engine a little. I was gonna take it all apart, drill a small hole in the lower end (below the shifter boot) of the shifter and inject expanding liquid foam to insulate the slight gap between the inside wall of the shifter and the outside edge of the inserted rod. This may have solved the problem, but I decided to remove the Fuller knob for now and reinstalled the stock knob.



Really the only way to shorten the shift (a. k. a. "throw"), you either have to buy the BD kit, or have a machine shop machine/fabricate a custom lower shifter, which would be expensive and risky. If you get a lower shifter made by a machine shop and do not get the dimensions (of the lower shifter right), you'll ruin the transmission.





Good luck.



Ryan

 

[Fireman]

You won't have a short shift, just a short shifter



Sorry, I just couldn't resist that one.



Honestly, I think in the long run buying one would be cheaper and easier than trying to have one fabricated. Making the kit is not a simple process and that is why they cost so much, and making just one would be alot of trouble and not cost effective. It is BTW a very nice addition to the truck if you can afford it.



Fireman

 

[BSkinner]

Re: You need to modify the other end

Originally posted by wawazat

to reduce the throw distance. The distance from the pivot point to the end inside the transmission needs to be lengthened to reduce the distance you feel in the cab.



Todd

Todd,



Can't you lengthen the distance below the pivot point (BD) or shorten the distance above to accomplish similar results?



The reason I thought of this is because I shortened the control stick on the airplane I built which pivoted on a bearing. The degrees the stick moves is the same but the travel at the top of the stick is less with the shortened stick.



Anyway, I drew some lines on paper with a pivot point, etc. and the distance your hand would travel is less with the shortened above the pivot point stick. Makes sense to me but maybe I have "brain fade".



Bob

 

[BSkinner]

Originally posted by rmcnamee



2). The upper shifter is, for the most part hollow, with the upper end being solid and threaded- this is how the knob screws onto it. If you cut the threads off the upper section, you would have to insert a solid rod into the upper shifter, weld it in place and thread the rod, so that the knob can be screwed on. This is easy enough if you are good with a mig welder, but there is a catch. When I installed my Fuller shift knob, I simply cut the threaded section off, cut down the shifter and inserted a piece of 1/2" rod and welded it in place. What I didn't think about was vibrations. After cutting the shifter and inserting the rod, I would get a slight, but still annoying, vibration when I ran up the RPMs or lugged the engine a little.



Ryan

Good to know about the hollow shift lever and the problem you had. I wonder if a guy could find threaded rod that would fit snug and put JB weld on the threads to glue it in place? What are your ideas on my comments to wawazat ?



Thanks,



Bob

 

[rmcnamee]

Wawazat and I are basically saying the same, just he simplified everything better than me. .





Ryan

 

[bighammer]

I chopped about 6" off the stick in my old truck. (it was more to get the shifter out of the way so a child seat would work on the middle seat) I like it. It does reduce the throw a bit too. I cut off the threaded part then cut some length and welded it back on with my stick welder. I was able to do a pretty neat job and keep the weld concealed by the "skirt" on the lower part of the knob.



Throw is proportional to the square of your shifter length. (I think... If not, it sure SOUNDS good )The BD kit changes the length by about 5/8" but it's just a couple inches from the pivot point. Cutting off 5 or 6" nearly 2 feet away should have a similar effect. It also makes you reach for it too. The advantage of the kit is that the knob stays close to you with reduced travel.



I'll try to get some pictures of it.

 

[BSkinner]

Originally posted by bighammer

I chopped about 6" off the stick in my old truck. (it was more to get the shifter out of the way so a child seat would work on the middle seat) I like it. It does reduce the throw a bit too. I cut off the threaded part then cut some length and welded it back on with my stick welder. I was able to do a pretty neat job and keep the weld concealed by the "skirt" on the lower part of the knob.



Throw is proportional to the square of your shifter length. (I think... If not, it sure SOUNDS good )The BD kit changes the length by about 5/8" but it's just a couple inches from the pivot point. Cutting off 5 or 6" nearly 2 feet away should have a similar effect. It also makes you reach for it too. The advantage of the kit is that the knob stays close to you with reduced travel.



I'll try to get some pictures of it.

I've considered the kit. A few folks have had some leaking problems and then there is the question of warranty. I don't intend to do anything that would compromise warranty.



I also thought a shorter stick would be less likely to shake violently as mine does when traveling on rough, wash board gravel roads. I generally grab the shift knob to keep this from happening.



Anyway, thanks for confirming that I was somewhat correct in my thinking.



Bob

 

[crebelein]

if you want a bd sts and want to save some cash just buy mine. i have it listed in the classifieds. i'm hoping for $160 (shipped to your door) but am willing to negotiate. send me a pm if interested.

 

[bighammer]

#ad




OK, the truck is a mess. Not driving much any more, so it's a good place to store some things.



The knob doesn't quite cover the weld like it used to because I put in a lighted rocker switch in the place of the shift pattern. (for the PacBrake)



#ad

 

[scbroder]

Originally posted by bighammer

Throw is proportional to the square of your shifter length. (I think... If not, it sure SOUNDS good )

Actually, shifter throw is equal to shifter length multiplied by angle. Therefore, shifter throw is directly proportional shifter length. If shifter length is decreased by 10%, shifter throw will also decrease by 10%. Likewise, if the length of the portion below the pivot point is increased by 10%, the shift throw will decrease by 10%.



Hope this helps.

 

[bighammer]

ooops, BRAIN FART.



You are right. I was thinking of the pi x r squared for the circumference of a circle.