Raising / relocating 911 shifter

[EarlySport]

I saw a pic of this in the 911 Performance book, where the original tunnel was modified and the stock shifter raised about 4" or so. Has anyone done this? Any experiences?

I'd like to move my shifter up and potentially back, without resorting to a Hargett or similar. I searched the forums but have come up blank.

Thanks all,

[Joe Bob]

What are you trying to accomplish? Raising the shifter and back will put it up into your armpit.....kinda like those old "Rat Fink" cartoons from the 50/60s.

Are you really long legged? Probably a real cheap fix...if that's the case is the old VW van fix....they added a "L" shaped threaded tube that set the shift knob back toward the engine and raised it up...

[TimT]

we have modified a few cars to relocate the shifter... unfortunately I don't have any pics...

we shortened the shift rod, and built a little platform that the shifter sits on...

[chrisp]

if you haven't already look into the Hargett shifter.

[Walt Fricke]

Craig

If you do this, be careful of two things:

1) The tunnel is an important part of the structure of the car. If you cut holes of any significant size in it, you should consider how to reinforce things so you are back to original strength.

2) The plastic fuel lines (if it is your SC you have designs on) run through their own inner tunnel in the upper left side of the center tunnel. Drilling or welding in this area without removing these lines is apt to lead to a leak.

Walt Fricke

[EarlySport]

Good tips Walt re. the fuel lines.

I'm not that tall ( 5'11" ) but when I'm strapped in with my harness the shifter is a stretch. I also run a weltmeister short shift kit. I like the throw and feel of the shifter, but it would be way more ergonomic for me if the shifter was a few inches higher and/or a few inches further back.

I had figured that by constructing a tapered C section from sheet metal to modify the tunnel and shortening the shift rod I could move my shifter mechanism in this way.

I'd like to see some pics of cars with a similar mod.

And yeah, a Hargett would be ideal, but before I spend $600 I'd like to investigate what $20 of material and my time can achieve..

[rlh930]

Try the Wevo shifter with the extended (long) shift knob. I'm 5'11" and it puts the shift knob in a very comfortable position, not to mention greatly improving the feel.

[Porschekid962]

Check out the Gunnar racing thread on the RATT car. They made a pretty slick raised shifter, I think they used an upside down transmission but it can give you some ideas. Also there are pictures floating around on here somewhere of a tricked out 930 sporting a rasied shifter using alu. side plates. Both aforementioned setups use the stock mounting holes and also anchor to the points in the dash where the ashtray is normally. Whatever you do make sure you use quality bearings and dont let the angularity get out of hand.

[911pcars]

I use a tall, Momo shift knob. This allows me to position the knob at various heights. The longer knob sits maybe 3/4" higher than it would if the lever were fully inserted. This provides some improvement in ergonomics. YMMV. A lever extension would bring it even closer. However, a longer lever increases the distance between gear positions. If you start with a factory short shifter or equiv., a slightly longer lever might result in it feeling closer to the standard shifter.

Sherwood

[jester911]

I installed a Rennshift shifter (similar to Wevo) and used a 3" extension that puts the knob closer to the driver and wheel. It works great for the track. I have to say that anyone that tracks their car should invest in one of these two shifters.
They really help prevent the money shift along with the other benefits.

[masraum]

Of course installing taller shift knobs or longer rods will mostly negate his short shifter.

[Porsche84]

I moved my shifter mechanism toward the rear by 2.5 inches. I made an adapter plate with nut-serts and pop rivited that to tunnel. I was having a hard time getting into fifth gear when belted in with harnesses. I used the Porsche short shift and it is so much better than the original set-up. As Walt says: look out for the two fuel lines. I punctured one with my Mig Welder when I was welding in seat brackets. Not pretty!

[Vintage911Racer]

Here is what I am using. I love it. FABCAR shifter.

[EarlySport]

The fabcar looks great Mark - do you have a shot of the area where the shift rod joins thew coupler? I'd like to see how much sheet metal had to be removed from the tunnel to allow the rod to angle upward. Also - does this system use a uni-joint as a coupler, or the stock piece?

I appreciate all the comments regarding RennShift and Wevo's, but, I don't mind the feel of my current short shifter, and as someone else pointed out, a longer shift lever is going to increase my throws, and the forward gears ( 1st,3rd, 5th ) probably won't get any closer.

My ideal is to move it back ( 2.5" sounds about right as mentioned above ) but also up maybe 2". If anyone has any more pics, that would be appreciated. And when I do this mod, I'll be sure to document it here.

[ljowdy]

I had the same problem with my 1973.5, I'm 6'1" and when strapped in it was a reach for 1st, 3rd and 5th gears. I installed a Factory short shift and that helped but not enough so, I cut off about 3 inches from the stock shifter handle and TIG welded it to the Factory Short Shift lever. I then heated up the rod and put a slight bend towards the rear of the car. Once I was done, I ground down the weld, added body filler, sanded and then repainted the shifter with Black Semi-Flat Krylon. Hardly anyone can tell that it was modified but the extra length and bend made a significant difference.

[slammed1000]

earlysport, have you had a chance to look at the hargett precision shifters? in my opinion one of the nicest shifters out there for the money. i have one and cant say enough about the quality...i think pelican now sells them also...

[vntgspd]

I just added a 3" length of steel rod to the top of my Weltmeister shift lever and put the knob on top of that. The "stock" WM piece is a joke unless you have gorilla arms! Mine works great and still has a shift throw that is plenty short.

I am actually in the process of designing an entirely new shift lever that will connect to the WM lever below the boot. I will play with the length and bent angle to get it withing short reach of the steering wheel. Shift throws may increase slightly again but the comfort should be worth the tradeoff.

The "turnkey" stuff that is out there is great but for me, that's about the price of another set of race tires!!

[aston@ultrasw.c]

Originally Posted by EarlySport

And yeah, a Hargett would be ideal, but before I spend $600 I'd like to investigate what $20 of material and my time can achieve..

Reviving an old thread.

Show us your fabrication skills!

[James Brown]

GT3 cup car shifter, sequential gearbox.

[schumicat]

those set ups look cool, but you guys must have T-Rex arms.