DIY Project 67

After installing my Shark Adjustable short shifter, I found the shift knob a little too low for my liking. The shaft for the Shark Shifter is 1" shorter than stock and when adjusted to its shortest throw, it is over 2 ½" below the stock level. At the lowest level, the throw was about 4". Any lower than that and the shift cable was rubbing on the shift frame. When I cut away the frame to clear the cable, I was able to get it down to about 3 ½". Any lower and the shaft was rubbing on the chassis. GT Club member Darinordino came up with the idea of raising the shift frame by putting spacers underneath. This would allow me to lower the shift shaft even more to get a shorter throw. To gain access, start by removing the shift knob. On the 04's you can remove the shift boot as well.

Remove the housing by pulling up at the rear then pull it aft. Now you can see the shift frame...

You'll can the white plastic shift frame. From the top, you'll see the 4 bolts holding the frame to the chassis.

I found it much easier to remove the entire assembly to install a short shifter than it is to try to do it in place. To do that, first remove the side cable hitch pin and slide it off the pin. Then remove the 4 bolts holding the frame to the chassis.

Now lift the frame and remove the bottom shift cable by spreading the metal wires apart and pulling the cable down.

One of the problems with the Shark Shifter is that you can adjust it too far. The shift cable starts to rub on the shift frame if you move the shaft too far down. When I installed my shifter, I cut a little of the frame away.

But now with the frame lift, I needed to cut even more away as it was still rubbing. A dremmel tool with a pin router or sanding drum is great for doing this. Now its time to reinstall the frame. I made .2" thick spacers and put 1" worth on the back, and .8" on the front I glued these together so they would stay. Make sure you reinstall the shift cable to the bottom of the shift shaft before putting the frame back in.

Once the 4 Frame bolts are back on, check to see if the shift cable is still rubbing and if it is hitting the sides of the cutout.

If all is clear, reinstall the side cable, and put the housing back on. Now on my setup, the shift mechanism is very close to the front edge of the opening. You may want to only install 4 spacers on the back:

So Now, my shift knob is about 1 1/2" lower than stock and my minimum shift throw is at only 3" I can get it lower than that but the effort to shift becomes very great and getting into fifth or reverse is difficult. I have settled for about 3 ½" of throw. Hope the mod helps all you short shifter installers! - Elantrick