128 short shifter review

Karfrik

Albert
Have any of you guys had bought a short shifter for your 128?.....any opinions on it??....thanks in advance
 
When this idea last came up here I had wondered if an X shifter would bolt in, they are probably a lot shorter than a 128 shifter. I would assume it would bolt right in. You just need to be sure you get a pre-79 X shifter for a four speed.
 
By no means an expert, but think the geometry has more to do with the length below the pivot point, rather than the arm above itself.

Personally I wouldn't do it, prefer to have more throw, greater accuracy, and greater transaxle preservation.

Also why I like large diameter steering wheels.

Others may fully disagree on this 'non-racey' perspective
 
I actually just made my own out of a spare original shifter- I cut the lower shaft and welded in an extra 25mm section. Then got a 25mm piece of acrylic and made a spacer to put between the top plate and tunnel. Throw went from 100mm to 50mm.
Accuracy improved amazingly especially finding first.
I am a non racey driver- and never crash shift - I live in an area that is tight and windy roads and doing this made the driving experience so much better. I have been running this for 7 years now as a daily driver and have had no trouble with the transaxles.
 
I've had mixed experiences with "short throw" shifters on non-Fiat applications (haven't tried it on a X). In some cases it made the movement of the shifter much too stiff or difficult (due to the decrease in leverage). In other cases it made gear selection very vague or imprecise (perhaps too 'quick'?). Yet still other applications it really did not seem to make much difference. Some of the aftermarket items have a very short lever above the pivot point (to a lesser extent that shortens the distance the knob travels without changing the actual leverage below the pivot) - often too short, making it difficult to reach (not as true for more modern cars where the height of the shifter and seat are closer). But for some vehicles it was a definite improvement. I think my overall impression on them is similar to what "Agnelli" said (and I like larger steering wheels as well). There have been prior discussions on this, anyone have links to them?
 
Yes perhaps someone else that also has actual experience can join the discussion.
Rupunzell:
"Done this several times over the decades of exxe ownership. Each and every time the length of the shifter goes back to the OEM length. Shorter shifter does not reduce gear change time as the Porsche syncro's gear speed synchronization time is not going to change with a shorter shifter. The shorter shifter has an added risk of exceeding the synchro's required time to synchronize gear speed.
While the shifter force is higher for a shorter shifter, the shifter position being increased (longer) from the steering wheel is a negative. The original designed in ergonomics for the distance between shifter to steering wheel and position of the upper body-arm-hand to steering wheel-shifter is good. Part of the feel of driving an exxe comes from this ergonomic choice made by the folks at Berton-Fiat.
For those who decide to shorten the shifter, the threads are M10x1.25. The shifter should be sawed off then the end prepared and threaded on a lathe. Using a threading die almost always results in off axis threads which is not good. There will need to be a shoulder to act as thread stop for the shift knob.. which should be a round sphere.
Bernice"

carl:
"My only experience with this on an X is a friend's 5-speed X. I hated it and the shift action felt very vague, to the point I was never sure I was in gear or not. Let's face it, the shift action on an X or 128 is not that great and shortening your leverage at the ball just seems to make matters worse. However it is a matter of taste and if you have done this mod and like it then who is to argue with that. I think getting a spare shifter is not that hard so if you make the mod and don't like it, it's easy enough to go back to stock."

jrl665:
"I (finally) finished my short shifter. I mostly wanted to reduce the slop in the shifter, but figured that while I was at it I could shorten the throws. I didn't want to cut the lever above the pivot because I like the position of the knob in relation to the steering wheel.
I removed the plastic end piece from the shifter and replaced it with a piece of machined aluminum, with a sintered bearing pressed in. A stainless steel threaded spacer fits in the bearing.
The stock shifter is 65mm from the pivot ball to the hole for the shift rod. I made my aluminum piece attach to the shifter with set screws so I could change the length, but now that I have driven it I am not going to change the length. I have it set for 85mm from pivot ball to shift rod, and I really like it.
Jim"

So where were all of these (and more) replies? ...
There have been prior discussions on this, anyone have links to them?
 
Hi I think we need to find out whether Kafrik was enquiring about a short shifter-- (made by merely cutting the shifter down) as in
-Rapunzells and carl" posts--- which I totally agree with being the wrong thing to do.

Or a short throw shifter like mine and jrl665 describes
and as Agnelli points out here
https://classicperformance-parts.com/product-category/gearbox/short-shifters/
( made by moving the pivot point and leaving the gear knob in the original place)
which in my experience is a far better than the original.

Also a lot of comments state they are relating to X's and not 128s.
I am not sure but aren't X19 gear shift shaft from pivot to knob a different length than a 128 ? I am sure someone can let us know.
If this is the case the geometry, action and fulcrum length would be different and the shifting feel would be totally different in each car. So any comments regarding experience in X's isn't the same as what occurs in a 128?
 
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As noted, this can be a matter of personal taste. I love smaller fatter steering wheels on my Fiats but others above prefer bigger stock wheels.
I had a shorter shift lever on one of my spiders and liked it better than the stock length. I drove a friend's X with a shorter shift lever and hated it, effort was much higher and it was harder for me to find gears. I recently removed the round plastic early shift ball on my X and installed a fatter, leather Abarth knob. This knob fits about 3/4" taller and I actually like it better than the Fiat knob although I don't know why. I never tried an X shifter on my 128s so I don't know if they are a bolt on, the linkage is pretty much the same mechanics as the shift mechanism of an X.

Everyone is different and until you try different ergonomic items you won't know if you like it.
 
I'm working on new improved one with Andrea at Classic Performance over in Croatia.
ShortThrow1.jpg
 
Here's the final version installed! A few things to button up on the carb and it's finally test drive time!
 

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Short shifter works by moving the pivot point. Essentially moving the ball higher up, this moves the lower connection down. On my fairly lowered car, it bothered me how much it hung down under the car. The new design uses a new housing that moves the pivot up so the lower connection is back to the stock location. With the pivot moved up, there is more leverage so the sheet metal floor flexes a bit. I added a reinforcement plate under the floor to stiffen it up. Andrea at Classic Performance took my prototype and made a beautiful Hard anodized final piece, and water jet cut a reinforcement plate out of 3mm steel...
The first pic is the original short shifter compared to a factory shifter. Second one is the new one with reinforcement panel, third is the installed new style. The factory rubber boot would cover this in final installation..
 

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Really nice shifter. I like the new design.

I'm interested to see how you did the reinforcement plate from above. In my case I intend to make one for the X1/9, so no real relation to your application. But on the X the area where the shifter mounts is very weak and tends to crack. So a reinforcement plate is helpful, and I'm considering different designs.
 
My plate was narrower than I would have liked but it had to fit through the hole under the car..
 

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