short shift kit
 

The short shift kit that is advertised on this website from vertex for 159.00....
does anyone have it and is it any good...?

I returned it got the B&M off ebay for $199 s&h incld http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=300090872221&ssPa geName=STRK:MEWN:IT&ih=020


Its awesome installed myself same as the vertex but the b&m throw was more my style. (shorter throw)

What is different between Schnell short shifter kit and B&M short shifter kit???Which kit is better?????

a lot of people, myself included, opted for the b&m clone thats on ebay for about 50 bux, its the same exact thing, and gives great results.
i didnt want to spend 3 times as much fomr the same exact part, you just have to take the handle and flip it around and you have a b&m.

but either way, a short shifter should be the 1st mod done to every manual boxster, once you go with it you will kick yourself for not getting it before ;)

I have the Schnell fromm Vertex and I really like it. Install was a breeze. I probably would have gotten the $50.00 eBay clone had it been available when I got mine. After having the short shifter I couldn't ever imagine going back to the standard shifter on anything other than a lazy Sunday driver.

Is installation easy for someone (me) who knows very little about cars?

Ive never done anything on a car...xcept crash 5 and i installed it in 2hours(took me longer because i didnt realize i was supposed to actually break parts to remove the old one)! just make sure ya got the tools and you are set..

B&M (and clone) is more notchy, the Schnell is not quite as much so.

It's easy to do, but takes a while, even for someone with little experience working on cars.

Does part of the install require getting underneath the car or is it all done from the inside?

Download these instructions:
http://www.bmracing.com/media/products/pdf/67.pdf

Everything is done from inside the car. Removing the center console takes almost as much time as installing the shifter. Remember to use a sharpie to mark the position of the cables before you unhook them- very important.
You may or may not have to remove the green colored 'floor plate'. Mine was in the way of one of the cables.

Regards,
derb

I found that I had to readjust the cables after installation anyway so marking the positions didn't matter.

The best thing to do is leave the armrest off for a while and drive the car around to make sure the adjustment is correct. Then make required changes and the put it back together.

I think it's always in the way because the rods sit so much closer to the floor.

blue2000s- I found marking the cables useful. I reinstalled one cable not at my mark and I couldn't shift properly. After I repositioned the cable at the mark everything worked fine. My experience.
Porsche makes a tool that keeps the shifter fixed in the neutral position so marking the cable is not an issue.
Agree on the floor plate. The cables do sit lower and catch on that piece.

Thanks for the help now i getting my schell and Gemballa LeMans Wheels 18".More coming on the way.By the way putting HID on boxster wasnt that easy.HaHa

Just a small note. Buyer beware of the $50.00 b&m knock off sold on e-bay. Make sure it comes with ALL parts. Not just the shifter by itself. Most sold for $50.00 DO NOT COME WIHT BUSHINGS nor the "C" clips. For most sold around $80-$90, they do come with everything. Look at the pictures. What you see is what you get. I made this mistake and had to buy the bushing seperate and then re-sold it on e-bay. :cheers:

Are you sure it's "most"? Mine was $55 from A2inc and had everything.

Pictures
 

Does anyone have any photos of installing the shifter?

Good info on all.

Chris

they all come with everything, you must have just gotten a bad deal fromt he seller or somethign man.
i picked up mine for 45 shipped actually, so thats kinda cool

and for the installation pics, heres the b&m site, works for b&m or clone, except for turning the lever
http://www.bmracing.com/media/products/pdf/67.pdf

Not all of them come with all the parts you need. One ad is selling the short shifter for $25 but without the C-clips, what's the point?

None of the cheap ebay ones come with the lube either. Remember, you get what you pay for.

I'd also check out renntech.org if you're thinking about one of these knockoffs - there is a nice thread on the cheap ebay models. The bushings aren't the same size and while it may seem to fit right, it doesn't.

http://www.renntech.org/forums/index.php?showtopic=11426

Turn the handle
 

What do you mean "turn the handle"?

I think I get the swap
 

Ok, I have seen the pictures of the swap, and it would make sense to me that they are set this way to accomadate the Europeon "right side" models of cars and we swap them around to accomadate our "left hand drive". I think I am going to go with the A2INC shifter for $55.

I will take pictures.


Chris

ny turning the handle i mean when you install it you will notice that the handle is pointing to the driver seat on an angle, so by taking the handle off and rotating it, it will sit in the center not pointing anywher, the other way just looks and feels akward.
once you get into it and do it you will see what were talking about, when i was doing mine i forgot about it and looked at it, and then i figured i missed something and switched it

When you say rotate the handle. Are you talking about un-bolting the shifter shaft and flipping it around and then bolting it back together? Otherwise the pivot ball joint would be on the wrong side and you would not be able to flip the entire part around without doing this first before installing it. Is that right? :cheers:

what about this one, its super cheap, anyone bought one and have some feeback on it?

item # 150111022529 on ebay

That looks like the same thing that a2rinc sells but a different color. By the way a2rinc doesn't even sell them anymore. I would ask the seller who he gets his parts from and see by chance if it is Top Speed out of Addison,Texas(supplier for a2rinc,Che and plenty of other eBay sellers).

if the supplier is Top Speed, is that a good thing of bad?

*This is just for the Boxster products that they make.

All they do is clone parts w/ minor changes to the design. Look at their exhaust,the mounting brackets are what seperate it from the GHL. Look at the SSK,all they did was flip the shaft 180 degrees and call it 'their' design. Look at the headers and compare them to ImageAuto's.

I think I may be the only person who is not completely happy with the a2rinc clone, but I don't think it is the clone or the install (I had an indy mechanic install it). I really don't think that anything is "wrong" with it per se, I just don't like how damn notchy it is. Sometimes it feels like I almost have to force it into gear (normal?). The Porsche shifter was long, but very smooth. I guess it may just be personal preference. I don't hate it, but I'm not as in love with it as most on here are.

Shifter Mods
 

I too don’t mind the throw of the stock shifter, but then again I drove 901 series cars for many years and the throw of their shifters were three times longer than those in the 986. In the late 60’s it was common practice to replace the shift lever with ones that had modified fulcrum points in order to shorten the throw…exactly what you’re doing with the after market shifters in the new cars. Unfortunately, over time, the altered geometry put undue strain on the shaft used to transfer the shift motion(s), clearances increased and more frequent rebuilds became necessary.

There’s no free lunch.

None of the cheap ebay ones come with the lube either. Remember, you get what you pay for.

Just use lithium grease. $.02 worth of grease shouldn't be a factor when buying a short shift kit.

I'd also check out renntech.org if you're thinking about one of these knockoffs - there is a nice thread on the cheap ebay models. The bushings aren't the same size and while it may seem to fit right, it doesn't.

I'm starting to think Toolpants got a bad ssk. Many of us haven't had an issue with out kits from a2rinc. My 1st one I installed was snug and fit how it should have been,not loose like his bad bushing was on his kit. I'm installing two more this evening and will check for any play or obvious difference in the bushings.

What exactly on the transmissions did it wear out faster? I don't see how these can be that bad for the car if they are offered as options and are installed at dealerships.

I installed a B&M short shift in an S, a while back. Had to drive it to test it and make sure everything worked flawlessly. I wasn't impressed and half the time couldn't tell if I was in gear or not. I opted not to buy a short shift kit after that.

Some people like the short shift, some people don't. My boss actually told me he didn't like the short shift either. It's a preference that I'm not fond of.

I didn't like it either. I had a real B&M; shift effort and notchiness were really bad. I put the stock unit back in.

Does anyone have pics/URL for the Shifter Linkage Upgrade install?

Blink - you confirmed exactly what I'm saying. The differences between two of the same knock-off SSKs should not be significant, but they are. If you are creating SSKs in a quality controlled environment with the proper equipment, you will see very small variations from one to the next. The example on renntech clearly shows that these cheap SSKs are not quality controlled.

So when I said you get what you pay for you'll probably get something that will fit, but not necessarily perfect and not up the standards of what they should be, that's all.

The clone I bought had a sloppy fitting bushing, and you can see how bad because I measured the bushings and the journals. It has to be a guality control issue because the other bushing was ok.

As I said in the link, when I install a B&M I first check the fit of the bushings. So, I did the same with the clone out of habit. I doubt many people check the fit of the bushings, so maybe I was the first to notice it, or I just got an oddball bushing.

I would not want to put in any shift that may end up rocking a bit due to a poorly fitted bushing. Other than that, the clone is well made. It does the same thing as a B&M and you can't beat the price.

Hi all -

I spent the last hour reading the discussion threads about ssk. Decided that I want to do it too! :dance: I read about the mix reviews but for the amount of $$$, I may be pleasantly surprised with the result. Now, I think I want to buy the cloned version from eBay since it cost so much less. Can someone point me to who I should buy it from? Can't seem to find the one that you guys are talking about on eBay. Or should I spend more and get either the Schnell or the real B&M one?

Thanks all. :)

Be careful buying the short shift kits off of eBay. The last two I picked up DID NOT have the same designed bolt as the ones everyone(including myself) referred to in the past. The new bolt is NOT removable,not allowing you to flip the shaft. Because of this the shaft dangles to the left when installed,not straight up and down like when flipped.

That's for the ones I bought from a2rinc. Some of the other suppliers may have the older designed one with the reversible shaft.

Guys what about the OEM short shift kit? Is it good at all? Anyone that has installed it?