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short shifter

2K views 15 replies 8 participants last post by  TomatoSoup 
#1 ·
Thinking of getting the short shifter kit from ddm.
For those that installed it did you find it a shorter throw from gear to gear ? How many man hours for installation?
Just wondering if folks liked it after installing it & what it looked like to the rest of the interior.thanks
 
#2 ·
after the trifecta budget tune it's the best thing I've done to this car by far. Worth every penny. It took me about 2 beers to install with a trip to the store to pick up grease in between.

shifts are short and firm. It feels like a real roadster now.
 
#3 ·
It is a distinct difference shifting from gear to gear. Install took me between 30 minutes to 1 hour. I have the JPM shifter in addition to the DDM short throw. So, mine looks the same as when it was just the JPM shifter. Very happy with it.
 
#4 ·
The JPM is cosmetic; the DDM actually changes the lever ratio and hence the feel of the shift. Recommended.

Still waiting for my new upper lever replacement so I can use a non-stock knob. Dave? Ivy? Anyone out there....
 
#6 ·
I've had mine since they announced them, but just this weekend, a friend got one for his Sky and I helped put it on. Took about 30mins - maybe 45, but we were chatting and so going slow.

You DO need heat to get the stock shaft allen nut off though. Layer around the whole area with 3-4 layers of kitchen foil first to protect the plastic & rubber, then use a butane pencil-flame torch directly on the nut for a couple of mins.

With mine I drilled out the rivets around the bubber boot, rather than cut it per the instructions. But with my friends Sky, you cant get to the rivets, so we cut a slit in the boot (rather than a square hole).
 
#12 ·
Sky installation does NOT require cutting the boot. Pop rivets can be drilled out, boot can be removed from metal ring and reinstalled using number 14 by 3/4 inch sheet metal screws all with the silver console piece in place.
You can install the screws with a screwdriver if you start them by hand. Bit of an angle but not hard. Did it on my Sky today.
 
#7 ·
I didn't need heat to get the Allen nut off. didn't even need a lot of pressure on the Allen wrench.
 
#9 ·
I didn't use heat, just a lot of "motivation".
 
#14 ·
I‘m with you.

First of all, when you pull the shifter with the attached boot, “no way can I get this out of there” without removing the silver console comes to mind. You can work around it with no problem. If you’re afraid of scratching it, use a little painter’s tape to protect it.
When you look closely, you can see all of the rivets are visible even the rearmost one. They can be easily drilled out at an angle-the rivet heads are pretty thin. Separating the boot from the ring and removing it actually puts everything right out in the open. The metal ring just lays on the carpet. There is actually much more room to work-everything is in plain sight. I can’t imagine cutting the boot. If you cut too small, you will fight the lower boot and still not have a good view of what you are doing, especially when you reassemble and are checking for springs, etc.
If you cut too big, the boot will move around (it will in either scenario) and just be a mess-and you’ve ruined an irreplaceable part.
I’ll admit reinstalling the boot takes a bit more time, but for something you’re only going to do once, why would you hurry it? Looking back, if I had just put a bit of soapy water on the boot, the ring would have gone back in place twice as fast. Live and learn
Best part is once you get the screws started, you can angle a screwdriver and tighten them.

I wish they would change the directions and drop cutting the boot as the first and only suggestion.
 
#15 ·
you can also drill out the rivets on the Solstice as well. There are 5 of them and one is hidden near the bottom of the opening. I drilled mine out and then used the 4 bolts that bolt the OE shifter in to bolt the boot down.
 
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