Installed a Steeda Sport Shifter Kit Yesterday

QWKYNUF · 08-09-2006, 10:49 PM

I like it so far, but I thought I would share a few thoughts on the install process.

Best part? It lets me keep my stock shift knob and boot!

Drives really nice. Much more positive gear engagement. Shifter effort is noticibly increased, but not unpleasant.

Installation took about 2 1/2 hours in my driveway, but I could do the next one in under 2.

&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp I have read where others have removed their factory shifter assembly up through the hole in the floor, without unbolting the driveshaft from the transmission - good luck with that, it wasn't happening here. I wasted at least a half hour trying to find an angle that would let me remove it through the passenger compartment - It took me 5 minutes to remove the 4 bolts from the driveshaft, and the shifter dropped right out.....Live and learn.

&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp The instructions suggested having the car up on jackstands. I felt lazy, so I backed the rear wheels up on ramps. I ended up having to jack it up off the ramps and put it on jackstands anyway, because I needed to rotate the driveshaft to remove all of the bolts - another wasted 10 minutes!

&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp This kit is not for the faint of heart, because you have to disassemble the factory shifter pivot - which involved grinding off 4 retainers on the upper pivot bracket. This means that there is no "undo" if you screw it up or just don't like it. If I were to do this again, I would probably buy the other option, which is this kit pre-installed on a factory shifter rail - you just swap the whole assembly, like you do with the Hurst.

&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp The kit installs a bushing in the lower pivot assembly, which raises the pivot ball approximately 1". The overall length of the new shift lever is slightly shorter than the stock one, to compensate. Driving the bushing in requires either a hydraulic press or some enthusiastic hammering (I chose the latter), so again, not for the faint of heart.

&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp Installed, the top of the shifter knob is the same height as the stock one - 5" above the boot bezel in neutral. First gear is 1" farther from the dash than stock. Second gear is 1/4" closer to the dash than stock. The 1-2 shift is therefore 1 1/4" shorter than stock - 3 3/4" vs. 5" - which represents a 25% reduction in 'throw'.

&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp The kit doesn't have centering springs, so it's relying on the transmission linkage to find the 3 - 4 gate for you (same as stock), but due to the reduced width of Neutral and the shorter throw, I have not even come close to missing third.

&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp The stop bolts are kind of a pain to adjust, because there is not enough side to side clearance to tighten the locknut with a standard 1/2" wrench. You can get the wrench on the nut, but you can't swing the wrench.

The basic steps of the install go like this:

1: From inside car, remove shift knob and boot.

2: Support car on jackstands or hoist.

3: Mark position of driveshaft in relation to transmission output shaft, and remove 4 bolts from driveshaft. Driveshaft will rest on exhaust.

4: Remove nut securing shift linkage to shift lever. Detach linkage from shifter and let hang - do not lose bushings in the shifter - they will be reused.

5: Remove the bolt attaching the front of the shifter assembly to the transmission.

6: Remove the 2 nuts attaching the rear of the shifter assembly to the body.

7: Gently pull the shifter assembly down and out of the car, being careful to not tear the large rubber boot, which will be re-used.

8: Carefully remove the large rubber boot from the shifter assembly.

9: As you examine the shifter, you will notice that the upper part of the shifter pivot is attached to the lower part by means of 4 metal tabs, which are crimped over a lip on the lower part of the pivot. These will need to be ground off.

10: The shifter can now be removed from the pivot assembly.

11: Carefully remove the plastic pivot cage and rubber boot from the factory shift lever. Do not tear the boot, as it will be re-used.

12: Grease the pivot ball on the new shift lever, and install the pivot cage and boot on it. Set aside

13: Clean and lightly lubricate the pivot cup on the shifter assembly.

14: Drive or press the bushing from the kit into the pivot cup until it bottoms out - this takes more effort than it seems like it should.

15: Install the new shift lever in the pivot assembly

16: Install the new upper pivot from the kit, securing wiith the 4 Allen screws in the kit - make sure that all 4 Allen screws catch UNDER the lip of the lower pivot - you will have to apply downward pressure to achieve this. It is recommended taht you use Loctite on the Allen screws. Also, make sure that the stop bolts are in line with the mounting brackets (this makes sense when you are looking at it).

17: Reinstall the shifter assembly in the car. When reattaching the shift linkage, install the bushings from the old shift lever into the new one. Note that there is an offset in the bottom of the shift lever - if you can't easily start the nut on the linkage bolt, slide the linkage arm back out, rotate the shift lever 180 degrees, and try again. When it's correct, the shift linkage should be parallel to the driveshaft, not angling toward it.

18: You can reinstall the driveshaft and lower the car, if you like.

19: Adjust the stop bolts. This is fairly straightforward - put the transmission in 3rd, adjust the front bolt until there is a slight gap between the head of the bolt and the shift lever. Put it in 4th, same thing. Try all gears, making sure that the shifter is not touching the stop bolts when you are in gear, but not touching the lever.

20: reinstall the large rubber boot - this is a big pain - the new upper pivot is significantly larger than the factory one, and there is limited space to work with inside the console (taking the console out seemed like too much work to me). You have to be very careful to not tear the boot on the ends of the stop bolts.

21: Reinstall the shift boot and knob - note that the threads are slightly different on the new shifter, but the plastic threads inside the shift knob 'adapted' just fine.

&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp Anyway, I hope this is helpful to someone - feel free to ask questions, if something wasn't clear. It really wasn't as hard as the many steps listed above would seem to indicate.

&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp Sorry I didn't take pictures of the process, but i did take before and after pics - I will have a look at them soon and see if they would add anything to the discussion.

QWKYNUF