datsunlover Posted July 23, 2004 Share Posted July 23, 2004 Well, I did a quick search but didnt turn up anything... I know that there are 'short throw' shifters out there for my 4 speed (I'v seen them in VB and MSA I believe..) BUT; I think I may have found one in a parts car.. and I have a few Q's; 1. Would the shifter from a 72 fit in my 75 280 trany? IE; are there major difrences in the trany/shifter handle from the 240 to the 280? 2. How can I tell if it IS a short throw? The one I'm loking at (in a 72) has two slight bends in it(one going back, then it goes back up straight), sort of like the stock shifter in a Stang...wearas my 75 has a straight shifter, with no bends.. and apears to be a few inches taller. Anyone have some info? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JMortensen Posted July 23, 2004 Share Posted July 23, 2004 The distance from the bushing hole to the ball on the bottom of the shifter determines the throw. The longer the shifter on the bottom, the shorter the throw. The longest shifter you can find is from a L4 engined Nissan truck. Unfortunately the shifter is about a foot long. Get one from a jy for $5, then cut it and bend it to fit, use a universal shift knob or grind the shaft down and cut threads on it, and you will have a very short throw shifter for practically $0. I also saw an article years back in Grassroots Motorsports (I think) where they cut the shifter below the pivot and welded a spacer in between the pivot and the ball to lengthen it. Seems a little weak to me. The 72 and 75 shifters will interchange, but I don't think there is any difference in the throw between the two. You could check it really easy, just hold them up next to each other. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
datsunlover Posted July 23, 2004 Author Share Posted July 23, 2004 Hmm.. well, I think this 72 parts car has an aftermarket shifter in it, which is why I ask about the interchange betweel 72-75... It just doesnt look stock to me with the bends n it... Something else I was curious about.. will I be able to use all my 'hardware' and whatnot from my 75 to instal this other shifter? (assuming it IS and aftermatket short throw) Or would it have different parts/shims/??? than a stock Z? Sorry if this sounds stupid.. but If you make the space between the ball and pivot longer, (yes, I understand how this makes the actuall throw shorter) do you not have to raise the pivot point UP so the ball will still make contact inside the tranny? Or are the 'fingers/shift linkages' ( what ARE they called.. ?) in the trans long enough to have the ball end of the shifter stick down more than the stock one? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JMortensen Posted July 23, 2004 Share Posted July 23, 2004 Some of the shifters were straight, some were bent. You might have a 510 shifter in your Z, or vice versa. I think they also go straight or bent based on year. Early Z's were straight, later Z's were bent IIRC. Doesn't really matter though, as long as it is in a comfy spot for you. The hardware is all the same (same bushings, shaft, retaining clip, boot) until you get to the ZX, then you get these tan plastic inserts in the shifter with a weird spring thing in there. Still haven't figured out what the big plastic thing is for, but I know I put my truck shifter in a ZX trans and it worked. Also worked in a B type 4 speed no problem. Didn't have to change anything with regards to the shifter rails either. Just plug and play. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JoshB 240Z Posted July 23, 2004 Share Posted July 23, 2004 The ZX shift lever is pretty much straight with the tan plastic inserts like jmortensen stated. If you want a "short handled" shifter the ZX lever is best but requires some bending to work well. The reason I think it's the best to start out with is because it is shorter than the earlier Z's lever to start with and once bent to fit the earlier car it stands up even less. Some people prefer this to the longer lever of the earlier cars and it reduces some of the throw and gives the shifter a more modern look. As for the aftermarket kits, some of them have two tabs that you bolt to the existing holes where the pivot pin (not the proper term I'm sure) goes through the transmission in order to raise the pivot point up quite a bit. The area on the lever between the pivot point and ball is extended. I believe the tan plastic inserts and spring in the ZX are there to allow some give in the shift lever as the lever is moved through the arc when shifting gears. I'm not sure if this was ever a problem but it's my guess. Josh Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
datsunlover Posted July 24, 2004 Author Share Posted July 24, 2004 Well, as for the hight inside the car, I'd like a bit less.. but I can deal with the stock hight..I can always cut it down easily enough. I just wanted a shorter ACTUALL 'throw' ie; less distance needed to shift to the next gear. I'll see what happens tomorow (Im goin to pull some parts from that 72) and decide while Im there if I can determine if its a short throw, or just a stock handle. Thanks for all the info though guys! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
technicalninja Posted July 24, 2004 Share Posted July 24, 2004 The Motorsports kit I installed on a customer's car had two sideplates which bolted into each ear of the shift mount (very narrow heads to allow the shifter to clear them). This moved the shift pin point up 25 mm. The kit included a new Nissan shifter out of ? and a weighted shift knob. This kit shortened up the pattern too much and it increased shift lever force to the point it was annoying. This mod only changes fore and aft stroke and does not "narrow" pattern right to left. This kit fits all 4 speeds and the before 80? 5 speed with the short ears on the shift mount. Later 5 speeds have extended shift ears which this kit will not fit. These extended ears allow you to redrill the shift pin hole higher up yourself. Two styles of extended ears were made. Short extended ears which will allow a hole 10mm up (79-81?) and the long style which can probably stretch a 25mm gain (82-83). I one I have built I drilled at 10mm up (limited by shift ear) and I cut the shift lever just below the "ball" section and added a 10 mm spacer (used dowel stock) which I had welded in. This shortened the pattern some and the shift lever force was fine. I think 15 mm would be a better choice but it requires the long ears. The shift mount tube must be removed from the tailshaft housing and the new pin holes drilled with a drill press all of which is somewhat difficult to do. 77-83 shift mount tubes will interchange. The Motorsports kit had a small amount of slop (shifter was floppy) in it as the ear extensions could move around a little. the redrill set up felt like stock Nissan with a shorter pattern. IMO the redrill set up is superior to the Motorsport kit as it is stronger cheaper and requires no added parts but the Motorsport kit can be installed by just removing the console. The redrill requires at minimum a tranny removal. You can put a slightly longer shift lever in the stock position (3 or 4 mm) but the 10mm stretch I built really needed a bit more so I don't think you would notice a 3-4mm stretch. If you have the early short ears the kit is your only choice. The "shortened" shift levers that are commonly sold (see one on E-bay all the time) just shorten the upper section which does work but by the time you get it short enough to make a reasonable difference the shift lever is too low in the console. Hope this helps Rick Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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