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I bought the same one for my 01 NB8B last week, haven't got time to install it yet. The Shop emailed me a short instruction. You need to remove the clip near the gearbox housing, apparently its quite easy...
Has anyone done this before to their NB8B?

cranky_smurf wrote:is it possible to have a shorter shift tho?

I'm writing a lengthy reply as we speak. Give me 10.

OK, first of all, it WILL fit.

In the picture, you will see the thick alluminium ring that goes around the short shifter. This ring needs to be modified. In the NA gearbox turrets, there is a pin that sticks out to act as a guide for the gear stick. On an NB, there are 2 pins that stick out.

That alluminium ring sits inside the turret and has a groove that locks into this pin. All you need to do to accommodate the extra pin in an NB is grind a groove directly opposite the existing one on that thick aluminium ring.

Once that is done, it will all slot in place. That is the only difference.

Also, I always thought the short shifter would make the gear stick lower. One thing I had to get my head around is that the short shifter actually sits HIGHER than the standard shifter. This is because the pivot point of the gear stick is raised, reducing the leverage of the stick. Once I got that into my head, the installation made alot more sense and I was able to do it quite quickly.

It will be REALLY stiff, but loosens up after constant use.

It is well worth it though. It is literally about 5cm between shifts.

Thanks for the explanation Bevan.
BTW the aluminium ring is quiet thick, I guess you need dremell to grind it?
Is it possible to remove the pin rather than grinding the aluminuim ring?
Thanks.

No problem.

I used an angle grinder with a grinding disc. It is almost the perfect width. Then I just finished it off with a file. It was late at night though so I accidentally kept filing the wrong way which was sooooo obvious, but I kept going the wrong way for some reason!

I'm not sure if a dremel would have enough grunt for it. It is only soft aluminium though so worth a try.

And no, you can't take the extra pin out unfortunately.

Oh, and ignore the way he has all the bit sorted in the photo, they are totally wrong.

bevan i learnt that the hard way.. countless hours trying to figure out what was going on and why mine wouldnt fit

I'll soon be posting my I.L. Motorsport shortshifter up for sale soon. either here or Ebay if anyone is interested. Need funds for turbo project.

Slugoid wrote:... use the original plastic cup (at the bottom of the shifter) cos I one that comes with those eBay short shifters are rubbish . Or maybe get a new original one....

Or upgrade to a Wheelspin metal shift bush.

Anyone tried this on a post 97 6-speed...?

I got one off ebay, without really reading the description well enough (like where it says for 5-speeds...).

All looks the same on disasembly, with the exception of the bush at the bottom of the lever. My original 6-speed shifter's ball joint and bush is a larger diameter... Obviously this results on the short-shifter slopping around unacceptbly.

Weird thing is, looking at other pictures on the net (and ebay), some of short-shifter kits look like they have this larger ball and bush...

In fact, the picture Okibi has posted above looks the same as my original lever, yet the ebay kit has a smaller ball and bush...

I think Benny has one in his SP.

You might have to sell the one you have and get one designed for the 6 speed box.

sharaleo wrote:Question about 6-speed model...

Have you read my post? It's 4th from the top. Good place to start...

Okibi wrote:

Slugoid wrote:... use the original plastic cup (at the bottom of the shifter) cos I one that comes with those eBay short shifters are rubbish . Or maybe get a new original one....

Or upgrade to a Wheelspin metal shift bush.

Hey Okibi,

Do you have a link to this product? I wouldn't mind getting one..

cheers
Ryan

Leslie@Wheelspin.com.au would be your best bet.

I think they still have some in stock.

I have the IL short shifter in my 2002 SP, and I love it.

It was fitted for me by David at Mania and the only thinig that was a bit tricky was the plastic bush on the bottom.
He had to get a big drill bit and gently work away at it so the shifter was a good fit inside.
The one that came with the kit was too tight and so, he opened it up a bit.

The shifts themselves are now about 40% shorter than they were originally, and while the shifter was a bit on the tight side for about 2,000k's, after that, it was like a hot knife through butter.
I can now rest my hand on the handbrake, and shift gears using just my thumb if I like!