Ordered a shifter from Vintage Speed

finally got around to modifying mine.

 

i got in touch with vintage speed and asked how they would recommend modifying it.  they said just bend it.

 

carefully wrapped in cotton and tried to bend (combination of vice holding it secure and pipe bender.  shaft material looks exactly the same as the stock one.  it shattered again.  it's clearly solid steel, but jsut really poor quality steel (although plenty good for a shifter.)

 

anyway - worked out very well. i just cut it off with a saw where i wanted it, chamfered the end after wrapping it in tape to protect the paint

 

cut off the threads on the shift nob side and chamfered those threads too.

 

adjusted my welder setting to be as 'tig-like' as possible (high power, low feed)

 

welded it on - while keeping it cool (to not wreck the paint)

 

filed the spot welds down and bobs-your-uncle.  done.

 

while i was in there, i took it apart and loosened it up a bit and lubed it up with grease. (shifter movelment and reverse trigger)

 

very happy with it now.

 

(BTW anyone who installs a kafer bar will need to adjust the shifter back ~5mm.)

Sounds great, Mango; pics? And pardon my ignorance, but why did the kafer bar installation affect the shifter position? Al

I'm curious about that myself. Don't seem to remember that being a problem with my VintageSpeed shifter.

Of course, I'm old and forget things easily...

Because the trans tie in mounts go between the trans hurdle (that has the engine mounts) and the frame horns.  Essentially, the thickness of the lower mount.

I also have a kafer bar.  I just moved my shifter around until it smoothly engaged all the gears.  Mind you, the engine wasn't in the car, so I haven't been able to drive the car to test the shifter.

let me try to clarify this on a non-smartphone with auto correct.

 

the kafer mount is inbetween the frame horn and the rear trans gurdle.  this pushes the trans gurdle back the thickness of the kafer mount.  it was enough for me to not be able to get my trans into a solid 1st.  i could feel the gears, but it was not enough.

Thanks for the info. 

here is a pic of the modified shifter:

 

add some heat to keep it from shatering then quench it to harden it so it dont bend. then have re powdercoated. Im still thinken on what to do with mine as far as shifters go.might get the angled scat dragfast, or one of my angled bugpack/empi/berg types.not sure yet, probably wont know for a long time.

mark - you should really look at these.  the quality is TOP NOTCH

 

re: bending & heat.  i wanted to keep the paint and not re-powder coat it.

 I just dont like the look of them at all. but thats me&I'm a bit different

Kinda looks like what I had in my '57 VW Oval Sedan.......

Here's mine

 

 

 

Here's a photo of my CSP and Vintage shifters

 

.

 

Those knobs need some polishing! 

To be done in the privacy of your home.

gigidy

  there are quite a few bent & "s" shaped shifters on the samba.add the knob of your chioce then shift your little heart out.. I always thought the shifter was too far forward on these cars, if mine didnt have a nice new shiney chassie I would put it where I want it.I still may have to, but havent even sat in the drivers seat yet.

That's why I had Vintage customize my shifter.  My CSP was always a bit of a reach for 1st and 3rd.