Okay.
I'd love to put a short throw shifter on my 1994 Cavalier. I like short throw shifters on almost any manual transmission, and think it'd be a nice place to start modding.
However, I lack one little piece of knowledge... Does anybody actually make a short throw shifter that will fit a '94 Cavalier? Somebody on a forum specifically for manual transmission enthusiasts told me that a short shifter for a 3rd gen Cavalier might fit my transmission. I'm not so sure about that.
I was also told (by somebody who' s done it, although not for a Cavalier) that, if I can't find a short shifter to fit it, I could take a stock shifter, and do some cutting and welding to make my own short shifter. He couldn't instruct me as to how to do that on my car though.
So, does anybody make a short shifter that will fit my car?
If not, can anybody instruct me on how to modify a shifter to make my own short shifter?
This is off-topic, but, here are the other mods that I'd like to pop the cash for.
cluster swap, to a cluster with a tachometer
changing the bulb color of the bulbs behind the cluster
swapping my IAC
CAI
gear oil swap to either AMSOIL, or Redline (If I can use it with my transmission. Always important to check that)
high quality spark plugs.
That's the list.
For any assistance or advice that I receive on the short shifter question, thanks in advance.
"Would you go with me, if we roll down streets of fire?
Would you hold on to me tighter, as the summer sun got higher?
If we roll from town to town, and never shut it down?"
-Excerpt from "Would You Go With Me", by Josh Turner
um... i don't really know about short shifters for a 2nd gen- I drive a 3rd gen. However, I just cut about 1-1/4 inches off the top of my shift lever yesterday with a die grinder fitted with a cutting wheel. the difference is amazing. my shifter feels so much sharper now, and the shift knob is at a more comfortable hight (for me). everyone i tell just immediately starts bashing on it, but they bash on my car anyway, so i don't care. you might like to start with cutting a small amount off first, and then go shorter if you like (you can always cut shorter, but you can't cut it longer!). It might be a nice start untill you find a "real" short shifter. that's my plan anyway.
just remembered... i think the transmission in your car is a getrag unit (you might wanna check...) the third gens use an isuzu transmission from '95 to '99 and a getrag from '00 to '02 and i would think the later model car would use a different model of tranny from what's in your car. i'm not really sure about 2nd gens though
in that how-to the author said:
Quote:
If you are re-using the stock knob, you'll need to cut some new grooves for the staple. You will see by the location of where these grooves need to be cut to line back up with the knob, that even though I cut off 1.5" from the shaft, the knob can only slide down an additional 5/8", before it bottoms out. So, the shifter has actually only been shortened by that much.
and
Quote:
Since the knob can only slide down so far before bottoming out, the shifter much be shortened by another method than just cutting the shaft. You could cut the shaft down to nothing, and the shifter wouldn't get any shorter, unless you installed a different knob with less height.
(My emphasis)
try getting a shorter knob before going to all the trouble of taking the shifter out and all that mess. You can just cut the thing off in place- just grab the shifter to hold it steady while you cut (you probably want vise-grips since it will get hot if you're using anything but a hacksaw, plus it's more stable), and use a wet rag to catch metal filings (if you have an air compressor w/ a blow gun, that will help with cleanup, but i suppose a vacuum would work too...)
another thing that the author didn't mention is, when you shorten your shifter it will change the balance of it, for better or worse, and the shorter you make it, the more effort it will take to actually move the shift lever from one gear to the next
it's your car- do it your way, these are just my ideas
