Installing Sherwood Lee's Gate Shifter Kit

[GIBSON]

Our own Sherwood Lee introduced his Gate Shift Kit for 915's this weekend at Cambria. The kit looked so simple and well designed I could not resist. As soon as I got home I installed it and took these photos. Sherwood, an automtive technical writer, includes instructions with each kit. I thought it might be nice to have a few extra views to make installing the kit even easier. Some of my photos are a bit on the dark side, still, I think they will help.
Takes about an hour, start to finish, and is well within the reach of most Pelicans. My car is a 1973 so it has the earliest version of the shift housing (this kit won't fit the 72 915 housing).
The goal of the kit is to provide a more positive feel in shifting the 915, something most would agree is needed. It is not notchy but does feel more precise. If you can imagine the shifter with the same spring-loading coming out of the 1st-2nd gate as you have coming out of the 5th-reverse gates, you've got the idea.

1. The first step is accomplished with the shift housing still in the car. I assume this is due to the need to stabilize the housing against the pressure of the 5th/reverse springs. The new Carrier plate must be installed first, the main trick here is to apply downward pressure on the factory carrier plate as you loosen the nuts fore and aft that hold it down. This photo shows the 2 nuts that must be loosened to place the new plate on top of the old one.
The main thing here is to realize that there is strong pressure on the factory plate from the springs below it. You will never have both nuts off at the same time. Remove the first one and it's washer, slide the new carrier plate on and tighen the nut down. Then remove the other nut and washer, still keeping downward pressure, and slide the carrier plate over the other nut.




With the front nut tight, remove the back nut and place a wave washer (supplied) over the stud and place the nut back down. Now do the same for the front nut. (Sherwood's instructions say to use the flat washer, I think he ment to indicate the wave washer here..). Here's the new carrier plate installed:

2. Now install the gate shift arm onto the shift lever. Sherwood includes a worm gear to hold it in place, while this works, it seems that welding this arm in place later would be the best idea. The worm gear allows adjustment but may not be the best method of attaching the shift arm in the long run.
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http://www.pelicanparts.com/ultimate/image_uploads/gate4.jpg[/img]
Adjustment just insures that the arm slides evenly around the carrier plate tabs. You may have to slide the carrier plate laterally to allow for correct movement of the gate arm. This photo shows where I placed mine:

3. Shift into neutral and remove the housing from the car.
Check the condition of the ball socket and bushing, this is a good time to replace the bushing if worn.
Remove the 2 lock rings which retain the existing pivot pin. This photo is poor but you may be able to see the red arrow pointing to one of the lock rings. They come out easily with some long nose pliers. Clean them and set them aside for use in a minute. Now slide the old pivot pin out. Here's what they look like:

Slide the new pivot pin in (temporarily) so that the retaining ring grooves line up on either side of the fork. Now check the clearance for the pivot pin. Mine looked like this and I did not adjust the housing for more clearance:
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http://www.pelicanparts.com/ultimate/image_uploads/gate8.jpg[/img]
With the factory short shift kit you will have to remove some of the aluminum above the pin as it sits higher. This is an easy job.
4. Assemble the gate shift tension assembly. Here's what it looks like assembled:

Place the gate plate on the housing and line up the tension bolt with the pivot pin. It's important to get the bolt right on top of the pivot pin. There is a recess in the plate which aligns it with the top of the housing. When you have it lined up, mark the housing where you will be drilling holes to mount the plate.

I stuffed the inside of the housing with rags to keep metal shavings from entering, there's probably lots of grease in there and you don't want these shavings mixing with the grease.
Once the holes are drilled, attach the plate with the screws provided. It's a bit tight but you'll get it.


Now attach the pivot pin with lubricant and slide the lock rings into the pin. Later model shifters with the 1-piece fork (77 and later?) require a spacer on the tension bolt.
Set the clearance between the tension bolt and the pivot pin at 1.5mm. Lubricate the contact surfaces.
5. Now, install the shift housing in the car. Test drive the car to verify the tension on the spring. Also, check the boot for intereferances, mine seemed to affect the spring tension slightly but not enough to matter.

I don't know how this works with a short shift kit but without it, it is a nice improvement. Not too notchy, an easy assembly for a good improvement in shifting.

[Colby]

Sweet! Where to order? How much?

Colby

[GIBSON]

I don't know how Sherwood plans to market these (Pelican?) but you can contact him at Seine Systems, Seinetalk@yahoo.com or www.seinesystems.com

[dickster]

GIBSON


great write up/pics.

now, what is it like to use?

[GIBSON]

I only have about 80 miles on the car with the gate shifter installed. 1st and 2nd now feel like 5th/reverse feels in that the spring-loading feature gives a definite positive feeling pulling the
lever over into first. The 1st/2nd shift is more positive, as you go into 3rd the lever wants to move toward the middle of the shift pattern due to the spring action. It will help missed-shift syndrome, no doubt. It does take some getting used to but I think it's going to be a plus. I do not have the short shift kit installed so I can't comment on how that feels. I may install a factory short shift kit in the future, we'll see how that changes things as well.

[RSupdate]

Awesome write up!. I am very interested in Sherwoods latest idea, I am wondering, as I have the factory short shift installed, if it will work... Only one way to find out!!

[Leland Pate]

Well.... what's the scoop here....
Sherwood????


I do NOT want to EVER miss a shift again....


Are you planning on marketing these bad boys???


Very interested.

[pbs911]

Leland, I installed Sherwoods gate shifter a couple of weeks ago. I really like the product and would recommend it. I haven't tested in out on the track but the street driving tests are favorable. Do a search for Sherwood and click on the link in his signature. That will lead you to the site to order.

[Leland Pate]

Done deal Paul... I just ordered one!

I don't know if I was abducted by aliens or what... but I somehow missed all of the threads about his new gateshifter.... well hopefully in a few weeks I'll have it!


Whoo Hoo!

[DANNOV]

It looks just like the Robotek except for the left side gate arm and wing tabs. I love my Robotek but this seems to be an improvement, except for the clamp attachment for the left side arm. There should be a better way to attach that arm, welding is preferred but epoxy might work. I just don't trust the clamp method, that thing could come loose. I would hate to be doing a downshift from 4th to 2nd gear on the track and have a jam up going into the lower gear. But the basic idea is good. The Robotek is rather expensive for what you get, I hope this is a bit more reasonably priced.

Dan
1985 Targa Carrera

[911pcars]

Dan and others,
The most frequent question I get about the Gate Shift kit is, "Does the clamp hold it securely?" The kit contains a Gate Shift arm. Its an offset piece of steel (for 1st/2nd) that clamps onto the driver's side of the shift lever. The arm mimics the existing welded piece on the passenger side of the shift lever (for 5th and Reverse). The mount surface of the arm has a radius to conform to the OD of the shift lever for max. contact surface and the hose clamp exerts a lot of force. The first few kits were supplied with an arm with a flat mount surface and a skinny clamp, but those early customers have been updated to the current arm design and a wider clamp.

Yes, there's a chance the clamp can loosen, just like any other fastener in our cars. FWIW, not everybody's driving style is the same and the Gate Shift kit in my car has only the hose clamp and it does not move. Of course, my anxious moments banging the shift lever aound where it shouldn't go won't be like anybody elses.

The kit instructions recommend this arm be eventually welded. The hose clamp is the simplest method to attach and adjust the arm without my supplying a ready-to-install welded shift lever (I want to make this affordable). Here's what to do: After installing the kit and adjusting it, remove the entire shift housing from the car, take it to a welder and have the arm tack welded (electric welder) onto the lever. It will not move or slide after it's welded.

I've been meaning to do some research on the force generated by a clamp (for those who are hesitant about it), but be that as it may, add a few spot welds for piece of mind. I could show pics of the kit with a weld (w/o a clamp), but I thought this might mislead some people.


Shift lever in Neutral; 3rd/4th shift plane

Hope this helps. Sorry for being so wordy, but I thought my responding might shed some light on "the clamp."

Sherwood Lee
http://members.rennlist.org/911pcars
www.seinesystems.com

[H20911]

I have a feeling that weltmiester (or others) will make this a part of the short shift kit upgrade in the near future and make it out of one plate. the shift rod will be welded with the 2 wings. I hope that you have patented your Idea Sherwood.

[widebody911]

I plan to weld mine on, as well as to add a small weld bead to gusset the tab itself.

I started the installation last weekend, but I got hung up adjusting the rear coupler. I made a pig's ear of the whole thing and had to start from scratch on the shift rod adjustment. Oh, and I partially stripped one of the two screws that hold down the shift plate.

Some days I shouldn't be let out of the house without a helmet...

[DANNOV]

Sherwood
You are correct, it would be a simple matter to use the clamp to get the proper adjustment and placement, and then remove the shift lever (an easy job) and have it tack welded.
Dan

[pbs911]

I was a little sceptical about the hose clamp when I intalled mine a couple weeks ago. With som serious stop and go traffic (read stop, first, second, third, stop, first, second, etc) and some fun runs I found the hose clamp with the newer tab is very sturdy. Welding would be a plus, but in my experience, not necessary.

I am also very pleased with the gated shifitng. I was a little hesitant at first because I do use my car as a daily driver in stop and go traffic, but there is really no more effort required than a standard shifter. FWIW, I installed mine on the Weltmeister short shifter.

[RSupdate]

Hi all...Well I finally decided to get with the program and get Sherwood's Gate-Shift kit and give it a go.

I have the factory short-shift kit installed so I had to enlarge the opening in the side of the shift housing a bit to compensate for the raised pivot point of the shifter itself. Another thing I did was to use larger fender washers in addition to the wavy lok washers supplied in the kit for holding down the top plate with the add'l 1st & 2nd gate tabs.

After reading Sherwood's tech bullitin #003 concerning welding of the shift arm gate tab I became a bit concerned over the real-world, in-use ability of a solitary hose clamp to hold this critical piece in place.
Well, I don't have ready access to a welder, and after thinking about my options and not wanting to have to come back and re-do or fix anything, I decided to use JB WELD epoxy in addition to the hose clamp.

I started by sanding the paint off the shift arm where it was determined that the gate tab should go, cleaning all surfaces with laquer thinner, next I applied the JB WELD to the back of the tab, then reclamping it in the exact spot using the hose clamp. I then rechecked tab position as well as operation of all gears incl reverse.

Then I applied JB WELD liberally yet neatly, all around the edges of the shift tab. Now rechecking shifting operation again, I now crank the hose clamp REALLY tight using an 8mm socket wrench. I rechecked everything once again, all is good!!

As a finishing touch I got out my semi gloss black enamal model paint and touched up everthing, painting over the JB WELD and all sanded, nicked spots. Looks very clean indeed.

I've driven only 100mi. since I did this. so we'll see how my decision to use JB WELD pans out.

Once one gets used to the new "gated" operation, this is really an improvement over the original parameters as well as cheap insurance against an unintentional 5th to 2nd downshift.

Well done Sherwood. I highly recommend this upgrade !!

[Lawrence914]

Is there anything like this available for the early cars (901 tranny's)?

-Lawrence

[RSupdate]

Look in the performance catalog. there is a double spring setup that I believe works for the 901.