GUTBAG questions.

[89dudney]

My stock 90 shifter handle was straight and I heated it up and bent it over...now I feel it twist everything when it goes into gear. Can a guy take a shift tower from a later model Getrag and bolt it to an older transmission? I know they changed the shifter design in 91.5 IIRC.

[CumminsPower59]

Bend it back???

[89dudney]

Im not really a fan of punching the glove box for fifth gear........

[Tacoclaw]

Mine was bent when I got it, I heated it up then bent it back straight. It made the shifting feel really sloppy the way it was. However, once I put it back straight, it pit the shifter really close to the dash, so what I did was heated the steel part that's connected to the ball in the top of the trans, the piece that the handle screws onto. I soaked a shop rag in water and layed it all around the shaft, then hit it with the big boy torch so it would get hot fast. Pulled it back where I liked it, then cooled the shaft down as quickly as I could so I didn't get anything hot that wasn't supposed to be.

I like it a lot, as nice of shifting as can be expected and it stayed strong. I recently broke the threaded "nut" out of the rubber that's supposed to dampen vibrations. I welded it back in solid, so there's no more cushioning there, but it's not too noticeable.



Maybe unscrew your shifter and weld the nut-part to the rest of the shaft? It'll get rid of the rubber isolator deal built into it. That may be an easier step to try before all the above crap.

[CumminsPower59]

Im not really a fan of punching the glove box for fifth gear........

Don't be a wuss

I guess it must be different from the 92 I owned before....sure, it had a long throw, but nothing uncomfortable. I'd do what Tacoclaw said, heat up and bend the stub.

[PToombs]

Does the shifter screw onto the stub? If so, find a shifter out of a 2nd gen with an NV4500. The shaft is 2-3 inches shorter than the stock one and it shifts a little faster IMO. Plus it's not long enough to hit the glovebox.

[89dudney]

Okay I may have exaggerated a bit, but yeah, I do think I will do that. It sounds like it would be better than the shifter bent half way up.

[PToombs]

I have never been a big fan of bending the shifter. When you do it wants to twist when you shift and it wears out the gates and the ball on the end of the shifter, causing missed shifts and stuck in gear issues.

[89dudney]

One of my (highschool) friends who I hang out with quite a bit has the theory that the harder ya bang her in gear, the longer it lasts because its going in fast and not sliding on everything......So maybe Ill just do that and start saving for parts.

[CumminsPower59]

Sounds like you need new friends, but who knows, he might be able to help you go through the top cover and fix the bent and busted shift forks on that 'ol Getrag

[Tacoclaw]

The theory is sound, shifting like that should definitely cut down on synchro wear at the very slight expense of destroying every moving, hard part in the trans. It's not like synchros were put in these things as a wear item, so I'd definitely go for it.

Ike, we all know that guys like that are plenty of help when you're bang-shifting every gear and they're enjoying the ride. It's tracking them down later, once you've applied their knowledge and need help fixing the problem, that's when they're so tough to get ahold of.

[89dudney]

He's a good buddy...and he has a 4 cylinder Ford ranger with a 5 speed so I guess his theory is okay for his truck....itll fall apart soon enough anyway. And Im thinking that maybe Ill just ben the shifter back straight and then rework something for it.

[PToombs]

A 4 banger ford doesn't have enough ass to spin the tires, let alone hurt the inside of his trans. Try that with more torque than the number of miles he's driven since he got a license and see how long it lasts.

[89dudney]

Hey now...it is a one wheel wonder...its left plenty of black marks around town....

[dpuckett]

I can't say for certain without looking at it, but it sounds like your vibration isolator at the bottom of the shifter may be the culprit for the mushiness. I have owned more of these than most, and bending the stick in and of itself has not caused any issues for me. The one I have now has been welded to the stub, and has a little slack, but nothing excessive or mushy.

Your arms are long enough, hitting the glovebox should be a non issue for ya.