Tony D Posted October 20, 2011 Share Posted October 20, 2011 "Has anyone here made their own "short throw" shifter by cutting down a stock one and either threading or mounting the knob in another fashion? I kinda hate paying for something I can make myself with my limited fab skills. " As it's in quotation marks, I'll reply yes, I have. But it's not shortening the throw in the traditional sense of altering the pivot point so the same lever moves less. You simply shortened the lever, lessening the mechanical advantage and the arc it moves. Shifting effort is increased quite a bit doing it this way. The SMC Conversion was REALLY short, but worked well if you mated it with a LOOOOONG shift lever (like a truck) to get the shifter closer to the wheel. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NewZed Posted October 20, 2011 Share Posted October 20, 2011 Very custom fencepost strut bar! What's the modulus of that fence post, and how is it mounted? Are you adding functionality, looks or just weight? Or a place to strap the groceries down? Not an expert, but I think there's a little more involved to body stiffening modifications. The car looks like fun though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
montana280z Posted October 22, 2011 Author Share Posted October 22, 2011 NewZed - the fencepost (aluminum) is flattened, cut and mounted using the studs from the struts (all three). I at least hope I'm adding functionality, 'cause the thing is annoying as hell and my dogs hate it. I have, however, noticed a distinct reduction in interior plastic creaking since install. Noodle - The orange regulator is actually the fmu. I was told to plumb this inline after the stock regulator. I hope this is correct! Tony - Is there an aftermarket short shifter that has a different pivot point for more mechanical advantage? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tony D Posted October 23, 2011 Share Posted October 23, 2011 The aforementioned SMC which from my understanding has been knocked off by MSA. The lever length is the same, the throws are very short. As I said, it works well with a long shift-knob extension and angling towards the steering wheel. I know people who 'miss shifts' as the gating gets VERY short with that shifter mod, but with the extension the throw is longer (like stock) but your hand is never more than hovering difference from the steering wheel. Some discussion on here about cutting down the Truck Shifter which also has a similarly-altered shift pivot point, and by cutting down the shifter you get something that looks stock height with shortened throws (increased effort over what it was in the truck, though...) I'm in the process of converting all my cars to the 240SX transmission as they go out, so I'll use the commercially extant shifters for that when the time comes! Many selections in that arena now...even some showing up in the junkyards now! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
montana280z Posted October 23, 2011 Author Share Posted October 23, 2011 Well... I have just about given up on the MSD 6BTM. I think the unit is faulty and the MSD tech support team is of little help. The car starts and runs, but surges as if only firing on 3 at a time. I have changed plugs, ohmed out mag pickup (607 as rotor nipple passes magnet), and checked plug wires. I am using the 8920 tach adapter - white wire to MSD tach output, red to 12v switched, black to chassis ground, and purple to 280z blue (coil -). The 6btm is wired as per speeders diagram here -> http://rick.thebowersplace.com/pix/MSDZ.gif. I also disconnected the stock ignition and bypassed tach resistor. Ideas? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
montana280z Posted October 23, 2011 Author Share Posted October 23, 2011 I got cranky and rewired stock ign - runs like a charm now. I also installed my wide band a/f ratio gauge - here's what I found: The z was running extremely rich, a fact confirmed by very soot covered plugs. I made some very drastic adjustments to the AFM - spring very tight. My idle af ratio now sits around 10.8:1. As I accelerate off-boost (and cruise) the mixture runs from 13:1 to 15.5:1, as close as I can get to the magic 14.7:1. However, as soon as the boost comes on, the ratio drops to 11.3:1 or so and pretty much stays there until 5500 rpm when the little turbo runs out of breath. I am surprised to find that it is NOT leaning out as I expected it would running a 6:1 FMU and stock fuel pump. Is this rich boost mixture going to cause serious damage? Would an adjustable FMU be a solution until I MegaSquirt? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
montana280z Posted October 28, 2011 Author Share Posted October 28, 2011 More on the Z: figured out MSD - tech support had me use the white wire instead of mag pickup - works now! Got my exhaust done from downpipe out. Made enuf difference that stock n/a clutch (which had plenty of meat) wouldn't hang on anymore. I then installed my turbo clutch and flywheel 240mm and the '82 zx 5 speed. Its nice to have legs on the highway now! Any feed back on my A/f ratios? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Avernier Posted November 1, 2011 Share Posted November 1, 2011 Any feed back on my A/f ratios? In my experience, your afr's sound pretty good. Pretty rich at idle, but that helps keep it smooth, off boost cruising sounds excellent, not lean but not so rich you run into cylinder washout problems, and on boost i always shoot for 11-11.5:1 afr's. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.