Installed my Short Throw Shifter
 

Installed a B&M Short Throw shifter today. I know there have already been plenty of posts about how to do it, so I won't go step by step (B&M's installation manual is very helpful and includes step-by-step pictures, so no need to repeat what they've already done).

I thought I'd share my experience for others out there like me who might be concerned about how big of a job it is. I'm a pretty handy guy, but I haven't worked on cars much until I got my Boxster a few months ago. In other words, I'm confortable with tools and disassembling/reassembling things, but not necessarily cars. That said, I did not have any trouble doing this install by myself (along with my father, who is a lot handier that I am, but he really let me do it all). The install took about 2.5 hours, but that was going very slow (we wanted to make sure we kept track of where every screw came from, etc.). Cutting the bushings on the stock shifter was the most nervous part for me, because it's sort of the point of no return.

We removed the center console panels and got the center console up and out of the car pretty easily. You need to be careful with all the sharp plastic edges as you drag them along your leather seats, but ultimately it wasn't that tough. Removing the plate that covers the shifter cables, marking the cables, unhooking the cables and removing the shifter assembly followed with equal ease. After that came the brushings (yikes!) and removing the stock shifter. One note: for my 2002 986, you do not need to locate a screw or use channel locks to take the knob/leather off the shifter. You just have to pull really hard. Unfortunately, we cracked the top of my shifter knob trying to do it the wrong way, but I blame my father, and he already bought me a new one on eBay.

Getting everything back in was as simple as pulling it out. I took it for a test run before putting the center console back in, just to make sure everything was working OK before I couldn't get to it again.

The result: a much shorter throw! B&M says it reduces the throw 40%, but I found it to be at least 50% if not more.

One recommendation: be sure to use a magnetic torx, as we dropped a couple of screws and had to fish them out with needle nose pliers.

In a nutshell, don't be afraid of this install! B&M makes it very easy for you, and if you're at all good with tools - and if you're confident enough to remove your entire center console - you can handle this job!!

I hope everybody is off to a good '07. Thanks for all the tips on the B&M - so far I am very happy with it and it makes driving much more fun!

DC