Shifter, Short Shifter, modified shifter
 

Ok so I recently acquired 2 additional shifters, reason: I don't know really, I like to buy Porsche parts:confused:

Anyway, I am wondering what the best setup is for my 77 and what the differences are. So my car came with what I thought was a standard shifter. I have come to find out it has a short shift kit installed. Not sure how different that is from a stock 915 shifter. I see base plates floating around on ebay for the "short shift" kit, but mine does not have that. My only info that it is a short shifter is that it has a welded ring below the shift knob and when I posted a pic someone told me it is a short shifter. I then acquired this one off ebay:

https://www.ebay.com/itm/1974-86-Porsche-911-930-Robotek-915-5-amp-4-spd-Gated-Shifter-Assy-VGC-NR-/113429077999?_trksid=p2047675.l2557&ssPageName=STR K%3AMEBIDX%3AIT&nma=true&si=xJjEf9ftrzCEykpNQf8FFh YyjzU%253D&orig_cvip=true&nordt=true&rt=nc

Not sure what all these parts added to the standard 915 are for and if they actually make the shifter better. This one has an additional shift plate at the bottom.

Then I picked up this one to possibly use parts off of:

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Porsche-911-Carrera-915-Shifter-Assembly-/233037689262?_trksid=p2047675.l2557&ssPageName=STR K%3AMEBIDX%3AIT&nma=true&si=xJjEf9ftrzCEykpNQf8FFh YyjzU%253D&orig_cvip=true&nordt=true&rt=nc

This one look very similar to mine in that it has the welded ring close to the shift knob which leads me to believe it is also a factory short shifter. Are these short shifters better than the stock 915 shifter? Why is there a separate base plate? I can only assume this is to make the shift throw even shorter by raising the shifter up. Is this plate to turn the stock shifter into a short shifter?

I am hoping to install a shifter that rids my car of a rattle when in 3rd and 4th. I have replaced all the bushings in the shift assembly. It seems like the rattle lies within the shifter itself and needs new shims/bushing internally to rid it of the rattle. I can make the rattle go away by putting very light pressure on the knob to the left when in 3rd and 4th. If I stop touching the knob the rattle comes back.

Anyway, any help in the 915 shifter mystery would be helpful.

Sell them all and buy a Wevo

- regarding the noise in the shifter tower -

There is a tension adjustment on the front of the tower. It consists of a nut locking (22mm) and an allen (6mm) set screw. It controls the tension on the rod cradle. I suspect yours should be tightened up.

Also since the car is a 77, the three throttle rod plastic bushings inside the tunnel could be completely gone. The rod is long, and will vibrate at a certain frequency while driving.

Bill K

^
x2

Here's the factory stock vs factory M241:

https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-62sE4qqlP...0/IMAG0582.jpg

Changes the pivot point for the fore / aft plane only, which makes the stroke shorter. Side to side is identical, final shifter position is identical.

Here is my install blog post.

While the factory shortshift kit is a good 1st step to improving the 73-86 shifter, it doesn't do anything to resolve the vagueness between/among first, second, third and fourth. Over time you sort of get used to how you have to move the shift lever to get whichever of these first 4 gears you want to select, but more modern cars will typically have the gearshift lever spring-loaded to reside between 3rd and 4th.
A step up from (and after) the factory shortshift would be something like the Seine (or I presume that Robotek) which would add a springing mechanism to get the shifting lever to reside between 3rd and 4th gears slots.
There are other more expensive (and sophisticated) options that might be worth exploring depending on you budget and need for more precision in your shifting. Serious racers would most likely be installing those.

You could probably put together a happy compromise with the parts you have plus some additional mentioned above but with a good bit of trial and error. As it stands, adjusting your coupler (factory or PSJ) is a black art and requires a special Zen state of mind. My experience with the Wevo has been good once I got the whole system dialed in. There is a benefit to starting fresh with a complete system like Wevo or other. I would also do the bushings and change gear oil and call it done. Just my 2 cents.

I have the factory short snifter and am having the Seine Gate installed. The only other mod I would consider is the change the shift lever angle to fit my driving position better (further back)

Added a factory short shift kit. Not a big improvement for me. Arguably a step backwards. I am actually going to extend my shift rod length on my current build. Someone here used to make the extender. I grabbed one when it popped up for sale. Granted, I sit all the way back on the seat sliders and use a hub extender.

The spring centered shifter (like the Seine or the Secret Shifter) may also help by holding the shift lever in the center plane.

Love my Rennshift. Buddy’s love their Wevo’s. We all love our Stromski couplers.

Love my wevo shifter & coupler

...amazing how many responses show up here that have nothing to do with the OP's original request.....
- just sayin'

Bill K

As Bill K (bkreigsr) suggests, the threaded pivot pin in front (late 915 shifter) can be adjusted to remove any excessive clearance at that location. If the 3 bushing areas have also been addressed with no other shifter wear, the noise may be transferring from the gearbox.

The first shifter linked is fitted with a Weltmeister short shift kit. It consists of a different shift lever (longer pivot arm) and spacer block. The shift throw reduction (34%) is greater than the factory M241 short shift kit (20%), but does so, in part, by using an abnormally short shift lever, okay if your sleeve length is at least 36", comfortable with reaching and can tolerate increased shifting effort. This can be remedied with an extended shift lever with a slight loss of throw reduction.

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1545499915.jpg http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1545499915.jpg

Sherwood

The 915 is finicky and rattly. Short shifters don't seem to help, particularly if the issue isn't the shifter.

I eliminated the 3rd-4th rattle in my setup by replacing a worn solid rear shift coupler with a fresh factory rubber one. The rattle was coming from the shifter, not the tunnel, and it went away with slight pressure on the knob.

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/porsche-911-technical-forum/896143-rattly-wevo-915-a.html

I also like the factory short shifter in my 89 Aniversary Car....but no comparison to my Rennshift

Tremelune is bang on...its the entire chain that must be tight,,,from the busing and lubrication, to the coupler. Adding the Seine etc to me is just the next step along with the same extension sherwood shows (which I provided to Seine to also install along with the gate)

Once all the pieces of the puzzle are together...I believe I will have peaked for a non racing car.....

or will "while I M in there" grab me again?..

Wow!

Can I just say thanks a lot to everyone who posted info (well except for those guys that just said buy a wevo ;) lol j/k)

Anyway the additional pictures and info helped to understand more of what would take several years of trial and error to reach.

So the two things I have to check are the plastic brackets for the rod in the tunnel & my coupler. While I did replace the other 2 bushings I forgot I did not replace the shift coupler bushings as the coupler showed no play when I checked it. I'll replace the bushings/check into the coupler listed above as a fix for the rattle OR just live with it since it's not broken.

Also note, the shifting in my car has never been an issue, just the annoying rattle. Since I don't race my car and just drive it almost every nice day I can, I should be fine with what I have in there now.

Merry Xmas all!