Short Shift Questions

I have just recently purchased a 72' 911T Targa. I am interested in changing out the shifter unit. I find that is very sloppy and am interested in either a short shift kit or replacing it with a unit from a 73'. Can anyone tell me which might be a better change, or is the 73' unit like the short shift kit. From the Haynes repair manual, the 73' kit looks to be a more solid unit.

the best advice is to avoid short shift kits and try to keep your ride as original as possible. 911's are not dragsters and it's simply the "nature of the beast" that 911 are a little sloppy when starting out in first, then to second or vice-a-versa. my suggestion is to have your first and second gears checked, re-worked or replaced. if that honda accord wants to go at it, take it out to the highway, not the main drag. ;-)

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'84 911 carrera cabriolet

I think you would be much better off with a '73-'86 shifter assembly in the long run, and , of course, short shift kits are available for the '73 and later assemblies, too! The unit your car came with never impressed me as being one you could do much with. My '73 shifter has been disassembled once, and had a couple of shims added to compensate for wear, and lubricated with silicane grease ... big improvement at almost zero cost! That, and switching to SWEPCO 201 lube in the transaxle makes it better than new, in my opinion. Four new motor/transmission mounts helped some, too! Just a few things for you to consider ...

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Warren Hall
1973 911S Targa

i had also considered a short shift kit for my '68 911 but i must agree with jeff. why try to make the car something it's not. it took me weeks to get use to the sloppy shifting but i couldn't imagine the car now with a -40% throw. let the rice rockets have their stoplight victories. they're still a dime a dozen without any character.

Well, I'm going to weigh in with a dissenting opinon. I have '78 930, though it's pretty heavily modified. It's supposedly a "supercar", or at least was when it was built. IMO, no "supercar" should have a throw like the stock throw in that car--long, rubbery, loose, etc.--feels like a V-Dub bus. A Weltmeister short shift kit did the trick just fine--throws are shorter, but even more importantly to me, they are more precise. You need to muscle the stick a bit more, but not beyond reason.

Thanks to all of you. I was not trying to make it a faster shift, I was only thinking about the less sloppy shift I might get with the Short Shift kit. I have looked at the 73' shift and think it would be more solid but was not sure whether it was as easy to replace. Some times the fact that all components look like they will fit does not always mean they will. I don't care about short shift as much as removing the sloppy feal. I did change the bushings ans it helped some.
Thanks again.

The problem you are discribing is chronic to all SC and earlier 911s. Porsche just plain did a bad job with these shifters. As previously stated, any world class sports car should at least have the crisp shifting of your average Geo Metro. For a few hundred bucks you can put a racing shifter in your car a be done with the slushbox forever. Pano and Excellence both advertise these units.

[This message has been edited by Brian B (edited 01-06-2000).]

IMHO The early 911 without good busings and a short shift kit is someting I don't want to put up with.

The week after I bought my 1973 RS I bought a Weltmeister kit from Pelican Parts. I also bought the ball bushing, the rod bushing and the coupler bushings. The shifter took about 1/2 hour to install and the bushings about another 1.5 hours. The difference was amazing.

If you want your long throw shifting, at least spend $20.00 for bushings and invest 1.5 hours in cleaning up the sloppy shifting.



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Dick

I have replaced the busings and it got a little better. I have a 72' and was looking at the 73' components and think they would be a more solid shift. As I said, I am more interested in making the shift more solid and true than shortening the shift.

I have a '72 car (3.0 RS replica), which had a short-shift kit fitted to the standard 915 box when I got it. The short-shift kit was developed specifically for the four speed turbo box, and fitting it to any five speed box will damage the synchromesh gears over time. If you can, stick with the 915 box - it's casing is magnesium and a considerably lighter unit than the one that replaced it. So, on the advice of the engineer who's just built me a new 2.8 RS lighweight engine, I had him remove the short shift kit, and rebuild the box using '82 SC synchromesh gears. The action is now as positive, fast and direct as you like, and I'd defy any JapCrap driver to challenge me from the lights! (Although having a 250+ BHP lightweight engine behind me certainly helps here too...)

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Neil Barnden
74 Carrera 3.0 RS

[jvmcnair]

I've read comments in this thread with interest. One Q; is not the 73 shifter different than the 65-72? Next about "sloppyness"; some is built in because even new bushings in the "U-joint" found in the access panel by the rear seats have an elongated hole which allows the shift lever some fore-aft movement. BTW I also think there are several reasons for a S/S besides speed of shifting.
Now to my problem/question: I just bot a Weltmeister short-shift kit (P909888) for my '71 911S. This kit has the handle welded right into the ball rather than the kits where you must epoxy the original handle into the new ball (note below). Seems great BUT the new handle is 4" shorter than the stock one. Apparently this is intentional on Weltmeister's part. Has anyone run into this? If you went ahead and installed it do you find you must hunch and reach to shift?
(note: This old S/S which I installed in about 1982,caused me problems later as the shifting got worse over the years. It turned out the aftermarket ball was not hardened and the plate in the shifter is very hard and cut it's way into the ball. I went back to stock but with new seats it is hard to move the shift pattern enough to keep the handle off the seat edge.) jvm

[James Brown]

The short shifter changes the mechanical advantage to move the shift lever faster. Now, if you have a old 915 this exacerbates the speed that the syncros move together. So if you have a worn transmission, it will still be hard to shift maybe a little worse. If you want a better feel, go with a Rennshift or WEVO unit and change all the bushings and the coupler. It still won't fix the gearbox but if every component is rebuilt/replaced, shifting will be greatly improved. It's costlier but is the only thing to do.

[Bob Kontak]

Originally Posted by James Brown

this exacerbates the speed that the syncros move together.

+1

Not only that, it increases the speed the synchros move together.

Regards,

Gilligan

[James Brown]

Yeah, what Bob says.

[nesslar]

OK, but does that really matter with normal, everyday driving? I mean, you mesh things together at a certain speed, but the big difference it seems to me with the short shift is you just don't reach as far to get it done?!? It's a shorter throw, but how would a proper, smooth use of the clutch and shifter make a diff.?

[James Brown]

Not much your right so why do it?

[nesslar]

I take it that you mean, "Why go to a short shifter?"
Well, actually, I didn't. It was always there, ordered/bought as such. All I'm saying is that I am very happy with it, don't have to move around/lean over in my seat to get to 5th even. My synchros are great, the tranny is solid and smooth, I can get into 1st at over 20 MPH, and even though I have my seat moved back rather far, which is great for that arms-straight-out sports car driving position I like, I have no problem comfortably shifting, accurately, up, down, or whatever.
I am sure that if I had to add an inch to the throw from 4th to fifth (standard shifter) I would not be so pleased. Then, undoubtedly, I would make the change.
I believe I am blessed to be built just as I am for my setup; sport seats, 930 wheel, short shifter....it really suits me, no doubt. Good fit, all just dumb luck I reckon.

[James Brown]

Well the cars are built for those big German bodies! If it is working for you that stick with it. Lots of people try the short shifter to "fix" there bad tranny. It won't do that.

[nesslar]

Yeah, I hear ya about the tranny thing. I am quite happy that mine is solid, to say the least I am happy. Only a tiny portion of German here, though, courtesy of my maternal Grandmother's side, but big? Not. ...just Porsche tough....
Again, I say I'm lucky. My car was pretty well taken care of in its early years; and is now.

[Joe Bob]

I bought a WEVO so I would not miss a downshift. It just happened to be a shorter throw. I upgraded the bushings first.