Shift knob question
 

I bought a factory short shifter for my 86 cab, along with the coupler bushing, ball cup bushing, and the rod bushing. I also bought the Seine gate system... while I was there. This was to try and remedy the issue my car is having while shifting up from 2nd to 3rd, and downshifting from 4th to 3rd.
Upon disassembly I discovered that the car already had a short shifter, the lower and upper pieces had already been tack welded, and the OD of the lever had also been reduced for better lever-to-fork clearance. Also the bushings were in much better shape that I had hoped for (since I wanted to solve a shifting issue), although they had a bit of wear but were obviously NOT the original ones.

Now comes the fun part: removing the shift knob.
According to the Bentley, for my model year all I had to do was pull (or hammer out) the knob. That didn't work well as the base of the knob cracked, but I found that I could then unscrew the knob. In the first pic you see what is left on the shifter, compared to the new shifter that I bought (but won't use) in the 2nd pic.
http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1262564661.jpg
http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1262564684.jpg
Below are the same shifters from a different angle:
http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1262564775.jpg
http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1262564790.jpg

Questions: Was this the right setup for an 86? Do I need to remove that "thing" at the end of my shifter, or do I need to keep that? Best place to get a replacement knob?
TIA! :p

I will say one thing, short shifters are not a remedy for anything. A well sorted 915 with a Seine Systems kit, or Wevo or Rennshift is really all you need. I really see no need for any short shifter in my car.

The sleeve you have appears to be aftermarket-stock is just a "crush" sleeve which is not threaded in any way. They provide an extremely tight fit for a shift knob.....lots of fun stories of guys pounding them off.

Just to clarify Ed's post a bit, the crush sleeve is the thin circular object with the gap at the 9 o'clock position that is between the shift rod and the metal remnant of your shift knob--you can see it in your third picture. Both parts should be removed and a new crush sleeve used but, obviously, the old one sure held tight!

The top picture is just the inside of the shift nob and the compression sleeve that holds it on to the shift lever. That is the way original shift nobs were secured.

Thank you for the replies!
Ed, the short shifter was just a recommended upgrade from Wayne's 101 Projects book. I bought and will be installing the Seine system on my shifter housing. I read many stories of folks downshifting to the wrong gear and over-reved their engines.

LJ and Widgen, your comments helped me understand that my setup is stock. Somehow I was under the wrong impression that the compression sleeve went inside the shifter and not around it (I never saw one before).

It seems that I now need a compression sleeve AND and knob.
What is the best place to find knobs (stock and aftermarkets)? The sleeves are easy to get.

best shift knobs
 

Zippy,

Try this link. Best damn knobs going.
He made a knob for my 68 Mustang and now he's making one for my 84 Porsche.
Put something like a Porsche crest pin in the knob and watch your buddies drool...... :eek:


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