29 replies to this topic

[LXCHEV]

Anyone know how one goes about getting hold of a short-throw shifter for a Supra 5 speed (W55/W57/W58 era)??

Is it possible to modify the standard shifter, or are there aftermarket ones available?

Any info would be great.

As an example, I found this on Ebay, but it's to suit later model stuff by the looks:

http://cgi.ebay.com/...sQ5fAccessories


Cheers.

[TerrA LX]

Is it possible to modify the standard shifter, or are there aftermarket ones available?

Any info would be great.

Cheers.

In general, with any manual shifter, if you shorten the stick it shortens the throw but the shifter you have listed in the link is engineered differently to give more leverage to shorten the shift.
These were available on some high performance models AFAIK and there are a few aftermarket manufactures doing them, maybe try dellows or castle.

[dirtbag]

Shortening the stick shortens the distance the gear knob moves, but it doesn't really make it a quick shift.

What you need to do is raise the pivot point of the shifter and lengthen the stick below the pivot point the same amount as you've raised it. Does that make sense?

When I put the V8 in my hilux I made a quick shift for the stock G52 gearbox. I cut 2 pieces of 10mm (I didn't have any 20mm plate, but 2 bits of 10mm works fine) alloy plate the same shape as where the shifter plate bolts to the gearbox, with a hole inside for the shifter to pass through, then cut, heated and welded 20mm into the stick below the pivot point, where the ball is at the base of the stick, effectively changing the ratio of the shifter. It's like a new car to drive now, and cost me about $10 for alloy and longer bolts. It was made even easider by the fact I could easily remove the stick from the mounting plate and get it away from the plastic bush in the pivot itself. Don't want to go melting that.

Hope that's of some help????

If you can't find an aftermarket solution, I can modify your existing shifter the same as I did the hilux one, if you can live without it for a week or so while it gets posted here and back.

Just an option anyway.

Edited by dirtbag, 10 August 2010 - 12:35 AM.

[76lxhatch]

I mucked around with the standard shifter for a bit but it was always horrible. Getting rid of the rubber damper for starters helps, but a proper short shifter is required to gain much improvement. I have one of these:
http://www.trademe.c...n-308247701.htm
http://cgi.ebay.com....W-/260645117112

Not cheap but not bad considering Toyota's prices for new bushes which come with. It is a proper short shifter as the pivot point has been altered and I'm quite happy with it, vast improvement on the standard shifter. And the icing on the cake is it was developed by a guy who runs a Supra box in his Targa Torana

[LXCHEV]

Thanks for the replies guys.

dirtbag - You're an ideas man! Yes, I totally understand what you're saying, and cheers for the offer to modify one for me.

But now that I've seen the aftermarket ones (thanks for posting 76lxhatch!) - that's the exact thing I'm after... a bolt-in solution. Then I can keep my standard shifter on the shelf too. It's a bloody nasty price-tag, considering the whole box itself only cost me $500, but that's exactly what I want. It's very good to hear positive feedback about it too. Would you say their claim of a 50% reduction in throw is pretty accurate from your experience with it?

PS. Totally agree, the fact it was designed for their Targa Torana, it must be a good thing

Now to save some cash....

[76lxhatch]

I would say at least 50% and the one I got is definitely a quality item

These days I don't spend money so freely and would probably lean towards something cheaper and more home made like what Dirtbag is suggesting. At the time though, the shift was absolutely awful and I decided to chuck some money at it, worked out well.

[greens nice]

the dellow short shifter makes the shift pattern incredibly tight, but the stick is mighty hard to push. i wouldnt use it on a daily.

[76lxhatch]

do you have problems with the synchros not keeping up on quicker shifts?Im sure it would be a problem with a worn box etc.

Yeah, its still not a high performance gearbox and the shift quality in general does leave a bit to be desired. The worst thing I've noticed with the Toyota box is the lack of positive feel especially in that it doesn't follow the H pattern nicely. Its not too bad for what it is though, and having a shorter throw actually gives a little more control to have it where you want it at a moment's notice. Also shifts nicer if you don't completely disengage the clutch.

the dellow short shifter makes the shift pattern incredibly tight, but the stick is mighty hard to push. i wouldnt use it on a daily.

Mine's a lot stiffer but that was one of the things I was aiming for, it was just sloppy and had such a dead feel before, no feedback. I don't find it difficult to use though, it matches the heavy clutch...

[LXCHEV]

I'm hoping so. With my current Supra box, the speedo reads a fair bit lower than what it should. One day I'll get around to investigating this more.

Edited by LXCHEV, 21 August 2010 - 09:00 PM.

[76lxhatch]

I found the attached spreadsheet somewhere online, it has the different gear ratios and tooth numbers along with part numbers. I'm not sure if its complete but those are the common ones and I couldn't find anything tall enough for a 3.08 diff (tallest diffs are in the Supras but not quite that tall). Toyota charges the earth (and then some) for these parts anyway so I wasn't going to order them without being certain. I'm going to put it back to the 3.9:1 diff at some stage anyway which by pure fluke reads right with the speedo gears I have.

Attached Files

•  tirespeedocalc.xls.zip   7.47K   17 downloads

[LXCHEV]

Cool, cheers for the handy reference. Will have to I.D. my current driven gear and see what options I then have. Maybe wreckers could be a possible source of alternate gears at a better price than Toyota?

[Heath]

Is the shifter the same for all of the W-series boxes?

[greens nice]

Is the shifter the same for all of the W-series boxes?

not quite, there are a number of shift locations, some forward more some backwards more, one of them should come close to lining up with the orig shifter position in your torana.

the actual gearsticks will interchange though, if thats what you wanted to know.

Edited by greens nice, 21 August 2010 - 11:24 PM.

[76lxhatch]

^ And all you get with an aftermarket short shifter is the stick and pivot, so they will fit all of these boxes (possibly T50 etc too?). You generally want the rearmost shifter position for the W55 etc.

[TerrA LX]

Is the shifter the same for all of the W-series boxes?

the actual gearsticks will interchange though, if thats what you wanted to know.

I thought the part inside the box, where the ball of the end of the stick engages, is different between the centred shifter and the rear most shifter, or is that only for the W50?
Also the W50 steel case shifter will not fit the (W55???) W57 and on alloy case AFAIK.

Edited by TerrA LX, 22 August 2010 - 02:19 PM.

[Stinga]

TRS shifters, they are a new zealand mob( they have a facebook page... TRS shifters) i have one in my steel case 5 speed, its a long stick with a short throw. i reckon its great. they do shifters for
W40, W50, W55, W57, W58 and the 5 speed R154
you can contact them via email
[email protected]

[Stinga]

sorry i think i posted the details of the mob people are talking about earlier in the thread. still, its a good shifter i reckon

[Stinga]

probably best to send them an email as i bought mine about 5 years ago, prices may have changed. i think from memory it was around 300. i will definately buy another one if i end up putting my spare toyota box in the uc

[email protected]

they are also on facebook trs shifters

[76lxhatch]

Seems expensive until you realise that the cheapo shifters for T5s etc are the same price and much lower quality, decent shifters for T56s and the like are more than twice that

[rexy]

I bought one of the Kiwi short shifters. It now sits back in its box.
The shift is short for sure but the extra weight rendered it unuseable for daily transport. I even cut up an old spare stick to get the factory top clamping plate which is much better contoured and smoother than the supplied one. Minor improvement but still too stiff.
After the bursitis set in I changed it out.