Wevo Short Shift Kit Installation for G50

[Cutlersport]

When the stock shifter in my 1988 911 became too loose and sloppy for my liking, I decided to install a Wevo short shift kit. So I ordered one to install on my car.

When I opened the package which contained my new Wevo kit, I was impressed by the workmanship of the new assembly. However, I was less impressed by the lack of suitable installation instructions which is why I decided to write this post. My hope is to make it a little easier for the next person who wants to do this project.



The Wevo short shifter kit awaiting installation. There should be the shifter itself, the shifter rod bushing, two smaller bushings and a thin brass retaining nut (not shown) in your kit.



The center console has already been removed from the car and the shifter cap has been gently pried up and removed using a small flat blade screw driver so as not to damage the leather shifter ball. The Ellen bolt has now been exposed and is ready for removal. Note the deteriorating state of the cloth cover over the current assembly.



Remove the bolt/washer which retains the shifter knob and then pull the knob straight up.



The cast shifter housing will be reused with the new short shifter. Mark the perimeter of the housing on the transmission tunnel so that it can be reinstalled in the same place upon reassembly.



Remove the bolt which connects the original shifter to the shift rod.



Removed the three bolts which hold the shifter casting to the center tunnel.



With the old shifter removed, this area of the center tunnel can now be cleaned with a vacuum. In my car the cloth cover which is under the leather shifter rod cover had deteriorated and much of it was in pieces in the area and had to be vacuumed out.

Also, clean the old grease off of the shifter rod.



In my car the old bushing at the back side of the shifter was broken and in pieces. Note the notch to the left side of this picture. When you install the new bushing, this notch will be facing down so that you can get it past the shifter rod without damaging the bushing.



With the old shifter assembly mounted upside down in a vice, removed the large nut which holds the shifter arm to the rest of the assembly with a 17mm wrench.

Also remove clip which holds the retaining pin which holds the white bushing to the casting.
Note that this clip has already been removed in this photo. It’s located on the right side of the white nylon T-shaped coupler

[Cutlersport]

The bolt has now been removed exposing the larger of the two bushings between the shifter and the white nylon T-shaped coupler. Also, not the clip mentioned in the previous slide.



Here is the backside of the old shifter bushing awaiting removal. Pry it out with a small screwdriver. If your is like mine, it will be stiff with age and will break apart as you attempt to remove it.

Also note the debris from the old cloth shifter rod cover. Thoroughly clean the casting prior to reassembly.



Now the reassembly begins! Clean the white nylon T-shaped coupler. The smaller of the two round bushings from the new kit will be installed into the groove shown here.



Apply a small amount of wheel bearing grease to the groove and then press the little bushing into the groove.



Turn the casting upside down on your bench and install the new shifter rod bushing using a small amount of wheel bearing grease to lubricate the hole into which the bushing is pressed. Note the orientation of this bushing. It should be facing up on your bench so that it will be facing down when you install it in the car. This will allow room for the shifter rod to go into the hole in the bushing.



Reinstall the white nylon T-shaped coupler into the casting with a small amount of grease on each side. Here the retaining pin is ready to be passed through the white part and the clip is ready to be placed on the other end of the pin.



The pin has been reinstalled and the retaining clip is in place and properly positioned. Note that all of the excess grease has been cleaned as well.

[slow&rusty]

Looks great!

I did the same a few years ago (notice the date on the picture) and really like the shift and feel. I also installed their PSJ coupler at the same time. I actually modified my WEVO shifter as it was contacting the Rennline ebrake handle, so had to modify the travel.

Most performance companies will not incl. installation instructions (unfortunately) so WEVO is no exception.

[Cutlersport]

The larger of the two bushings awaits installation onto the white nylon T-shaped coupler. With the shifter assembly on its side apply a small amount of grease to retain this bushing around the groove which is located at the base of the pass-through bolt in this photo.



The larger bushing installed on the white nylon T-shaped coupler.



Insert the short shifter assembly through the large hole in the housing. Its attachment hole will go around the bolt seen in the previous picture.



The small brass retaining nut will retain the new shifter rod to the white T-shaped part. Tighten the retaining nut and bolt.



The short shift kit is now installed to the housing. This photo shows the shifter rod coupler and both the hole through which the shifter rod will pass and the bolt hole through which the shifter rod retaining bolt will go.



Completed assembly ready to go back into the car.



After cleaning / vacuuming the center tunnel and shifter rod, apply a small amount of fresh grease to the shifter rod. Then push the shifter rod back to be able to pass it through the bushing in the shifter assembly.



Insert the shifter assembly into the center tunnel. Note that the shifter rod has been passed through the shifter rod bushing. The hole in the actual shifter can now be placed around the shifter rod so that the retaining bolt can be installed.



Insert the shifter rod into the shifter coupler hole and then install the retaining bolt finger tight. Then reinstall the bolts which hold the shifter casting to the car. Make sure that you line up the casting with the markings which you made previously. Then go back and tighten the shifter coupler bolt.



A new cloth cover has been installed over the entire assembly and the center console is ready to be reinstalled.

That’s it! You now have a 911 G50 with a Wevo short shift kit installed!

[porschenut]

Thanks for a great write-up!

[jlex]

Yes, nice write-up, but what's your impression on how it shifts..... The G50 shifts pretty darn good to begin with... is the improvement worth the cost of a short shifter kit or would just replacing the broken nylon bushing have been all that was needed?
I replaced the broken bushing on my '88 about 3 years ago & it's been great ever since.
Also, what gear did you place the transaxle in at the start of the project?

[Cutlersport]

Well, I used to race Miatas in the SCCA and so I was used to a car with a really short throw and very precise shifting. My impression of the worn G50 shift which I had was that it didn't shift well at all. It shifted like some of my past pickup trucks.

I haven't driven one with a rebuilt stock shifter so I don't know what a good one feels like.

I just decided to go straight to the shortest throw option which I could find and hence the Wevo. After the installation, it made a world of difference. The throws are noticeably shorter and more precise.

It's been a while since I took the pictures but I believe that I put the shifter into third when I removed the linkage bolt.

[jlex]

Thanks for the reply. Yeah, mine sounded like a door knocker when I shifted so I was forced to replace the nylon bushing. Drove a 915 for about 15 years beforehand, and the bushing repair on the G50 really enhanced the Porsche experience for me. Enjoy the short shifter!

[famoroso]

I have an '88 cab with 59k miles, and new shifter bushings in the last 6k miles. The shifting is sublime. Every shift is satisfying and makes me smile.

A year ago, I acquired an '87 coupe that was in need of new shifter bushings. I opted for a Rennshift, all new bushings, including a new white nylon T-shaped coupler and the Rennshift PSJ mod (hard plastic piece that replaces the factory rubber on the coupler between the shift rod and the transmission). It's a lovely setup, especially for the coupe with more sporting intentions than my cab.

In addition to marking my transmission tunnel with a sharpie, I placed neodymium magnets around the perimeter of the cast housing to act as a precision guide for the cast housing upon reinstallation.

I also disconnected the shift rod at the rear coupler (as part of transmission coupler install) and that made the cast housing removal and subsequent reinstallation EASY.

[jlex]

Good comparison from famoroso who has one of each.... lucky.
I can see where the short shift kit would make for quicker shifts if you're tracking a car. I had read something a long time ago that the short shifter may be harder on the synchros but haven't really heard anything more about that, so it's probably not a real issue.

[danco_]

Originally Posted by jlex

Good comparison from famoroso who has one of each.... lucky.
I can see where the short shift kit would make for quicker shifts if you're tracking a car. I had read something a long time ago that the short shifter may be harder on the synchros but haven't really heard anything more about that, so it's probably not a real issue.

I have heard this from different shop owners, but they only say this about the 915 box.

I have a g50 trans with over 271k miles on it and it shifts perfectly. Never been opened either. I've had the WEVO kit with PSJ for the last 6k miles and if anything, it's only gotten better. Imagine that.

[Evan Fullerton]

The relationship between a short shift kit and transmission wear is directly related to the driver. All a short shifter does is allow the driver to push the syncros harder if they use the same hand speed durning a shift as they would with the standard shifter. Less distance, same speed, faster shift..... but harder on syncros. The other side of it is higher shift effort due to less mechanical advantage on the shift rod and thus shift forks. All a short shifter does is move the pivot point on the shifter up so that you have less mechanical advantage on the shift rod.

Reducing inertia on the input shaft of the transmission through a lighter clutch disk and or closer gear ratios greatly reduces the amount of work and thus wear the syncros have todo. G50 syncros are a lot more robust than 915 ones but the relationship still exists.

All this said, I am converting my 915 car to a G50 because I want the strength, durability, and longer service intervals. I had a WEVO when it was a 915 car and just bought all the WEVO parts again for the G50.

[jlex]

Originally Posted by danco_

I have heard this from different shop owners, but they only say this about the 915 box.

I have a g50 trans with over 271k miles on it and it shifts perfectly. Never been opened either. I've had the WEVO kit with PSJ for the last 6k miles and if anything, it's only gotten better. Imagine that.

Danco: 271000 miles on the G50 and never been opened.... that's darn impressive. Would like to know what fluid you've used in it. Normal street use or track?

Evan: yeah, I've heard a conversion to G50 can be done but it'll take a bit of doing... maybe some frame welding. If you know what you're doing, I'm sure it'll be worth it.

[cpg123]

Thanks for this write up. It was extremely helpful in me installing the Wevo SS Kit in my car this afternoon. I also installed Wevo's PSJ in my car and can't wait to make sure everything is aligned and then take my baby out for a spin.

[needspeed]

Great thread. I just installed the Wevo short shifter and PSJ in my '87 coupe. After reinstalling the console, the shift boot is very tight (the car came with the small leather shift boot) and shifting actually moves the console fore and aft slightly. Shifting into 2nd pushes the console back into the handbrake enough to turn on the handbrake light. Do you guys have similar problems?

[cpg123]

Originally Posted by needspeed

Great thread. I just installed the Wevo short shifter and PSJ in my '87 coupe. After reinstalling the console, the shift boot is very tight (the car came with the small leather shift boot) and shifting actually moves the console fore and aft slightly. Shifting into 2nd pushes the console back into the handbrake enough to turn on the handbrake light. Do you guys have similar problems?

The Wevo will press into the handbrake in second gear only when the handbrake isn’t all the way down.

[jmd88]

Got my G-50 kit installed this weekend - great parts and holy lovely shifting batman.

I too had the "bumps into the e-brake button" issue. Some slight adjustments and it's not so bad. So, I took the car out for a drive and after about 20 minutes, I noticed the shifter started getting a bit stiffer and thought that it might be a lube issue between the shift shaft and shift bushing. It was not. After a few short miles of stop and go traffic with the car pointed home, I ended up losing access to the forward gear stack all together (R/1/3/5) and had to limp the car home in 2nd/4th... ugh. The stick simply failed to move forward due to mechanical binding. I made it home, pulled the shifter out and found the issue. The part of the assembly that runs through the main shift vertical assembly had seized (galled) itself into the aperture. Reaching out to Wevo to see what they think and will follow up.

[jmd88]

ok. So a few critical bits of info.
1. If you've bought new, don't wipe off or clean any of the lube in the system.
2. if you've bought used (my case) ensure that you've lubed EVERYTHING including packing out the pass-through bit that is a very tight tolerance fit. Not having lube (my case, perhaps due to previous owner 'cleaning parts, pre-sale') which meant I was installing dry parts and didn't realize it.

This resulted in a total failure due to galling of the center shift element and the pass through element.

Lube your bits!

WEVO was absolutely awesome talking through and helping me resolve the issue. Great customer experience - even without my being a WEVO customer directly.

I've since fixed my parts and absolutely LOVE my shifter setup.

10/10 would recommend.

[slow&rusty]

Here are the issues I had with the Wevo shifter contacting my e-brake button \ handle.

Wevo were unwilling to help, so I modified it at home and everything turned out great.

[jmd88]

Looks like you're issue is exacerbated by the aftermarket ebrake handle you have. My button tucks just under the mechanism after my moving the shifter forward 1/16". Having made these changes, do you notice a change in the shift feel/action?
Clever solution!

Originally Posted by slow&rusty

Here are the issues I had with the Wevo shifter contacting my e-brake button \ handle.

Wevo were unwilling to help, so I modified it at home and everything turned out great.