Anyone Cut Shifter ( Done )

artz1731

True Classic
I know no one makes a Short Shift Kit got for an X but has anyone cut theirs? I do realize I would lose some leverage but I have a spare shift rod and was thinking about cutting 2” off and rethreading the shaft.
 
Last edited:
Shortening the upper portion of the lever is different from lengthening the lower portion below the pivot (a true "short shift" mechanism). The first method will decrease the total throw, but the amount that needs to be cut off to make any noticeable difference is considerable. By doing it by the second method, you get a 'shorter' throw without having to change the position of the knob and it is more effective (but harder to do).
 
Yes I understand that. I was just going to shorten the shifter so it sits lower. I know how short shifters work. I was just probing to see if anyone else has done the same and what their thoughts are.
 
We shortened ours 2 1/4" and drilled a "divot" into the side of the shaft for the set screw on the shift knob. Have been very happy with the results. We too wanted to lower the shift knob as well as shorten the throw a bit.
 
I shortened mine about 2” but chose to try and re-tap the thread while the shaft was still attached......cut to the shaft spinning freely and me removing everything to get to the shaft. My inseperience caused the shaft to spin in the plastic piece at the bottom of the shaft thus cracking it. So, if you’re going to cut it short, remove the shaft and cut/re-tap it in a vise.
I find that the shifts aren’t “shortened” much and the shifts aren’t as “positive” as before.....perhaps because of me having to attach the shifter with a hose clamp at the base to keep the plastic piece in tact....opinions???
 
The spare I have is not in the car. But I like the autoricambi version. I don’t expect the shifts to be shorter just a lower shift knob.
Thanks for the replies.
 
One of mine came with a cut-down shift lever. Whoever did it had gone to the trouble of threading the end.

I liked it a lot, enough to transplant it into another X before sending the first one to the big crusher in the sky.
 
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
 
Someone definitely was making a short shifter I got this from an eBay user andreavencl I needed to replace the centre bearing as it was too stiff with the original bearing but that was simple enough. It’s a well made short shifter.

B66DE9C5-3532-4D70-A435-D3E31E567B69.jpeg
5D1082D5-FD5E-4C5C-946A-1541267F481B.jpeg
 
I have seen a true short shifter offered on a site recently.
I believe it was from eastern europe.
 
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.
 
I'm sorry i don't have photos to add to this comment, but I have two X1/9s. On one, a PO shortened the shift lever. It is very short...like maybe an inch or less above the boot. it has a classic Fiat/Ferrari (ha) ball shift knob and honestly I've not had the nee to remove it so I don't know if it wash re-threaded, the ball epoxied or what. It does not feel anything like what Carl described, it's tight, exact & if anything a little notchy. I don't have particularly long or short arms, but the ergonomics feel fine (good, even) to me. What it is not is "faster" necessarily...for reasons of the nature of the transmission itself as described above. I'm fine with it and may not change it.

On my other X1/9, the PO shortened the lever in two ways. He raised the pivot ball on the shaft a bit (1"? more? nothing shocking) I think by heating it up & pressing it. Then he cut a bit off the top, though the cut may have been more for fitment with a taller, Momo, shift knob. It's funny...after a couple years driving the first one, this one seems a little tall to me. Go figure.

All that said, my other, earlier-owned X1/9 was an '81 in the full original trim from bumper to bumper that Fiat put on the cars in their waning years....so it had the beer tap shifter, which I thought was heinously ugly, but remarkably comfortable & ergonomically correct.
 
Well I’ll play around with it. The previous owner epoxied a Bullet type Momo knob on that I don’t care for.
Maybe I’ll just replace it with the stock length shaft. I need to remove the current one and see if it was already cut down. Maybe I already have a shorter one and I don’t know it.
Now I need to decide in a replacement knob.
 
I cut mine (approx 2") not long after I got the car, around ten years ago now. I didn't bother to rethread, as the aftermarket knob I bought had no threads anyway - came with a piece of foam. At the time, I was like, WTF??? however, it works. Wrap the foam tightly around the shaft, and 'thread' the knob on. The foam binds and holds the knob securely in place. Had that up until about a year ago, when I finally broke down & bought a momo knob from one of our vendors. New one uses set screws.

DallaraPaint00212.jpg


I just wanted the shifter to be shorter. Since I have a reduced OD steering wheel, distance from wheel to shifter is further increased over the designed distance. I can't say it's ever been a concern. As Bernice pointed out, rapid shift changes are not worth the damage to the trans. If it takes a few additional split-seconds for my arm to travel to and from the shifter during changes, I can't say it's ever been a concern for me.
 
P_20190204_215938.jpg
I'm really sensitive about steering wheels and shifters. My shifter felt like a VW Bug - really sloppy. The very first thing I did when I got my '86 home was take 55mm off the stock length shifter. I decided on 55mm because it just seemed the correct length to allow a slight gap above the molded bellows and seemed "right" from an aesthetics viewpoint. The stock length always seemed too tall and ergonomically awkward to me. I did not bother rethreading because my Bertone came with a comfy Nardi shifter knob that slips on with set screws. After shortening the throw I found it was easier to shift because the travel was shorter and the effort was slightly higher. That last part I think is especially important because these transmissions are delicate, like a mechanical watch. You need good timing when shifting and the shorter throw removes the sloppy feel and increases precision, at least in my experience.

On another note, I also discovered i had a torn apart body side shifter rod bellows on the underside of the car. Replacing that part helped to further stiffen the linkage and now my gear selection is even more precise. I am overjoyed with the way my car shifts now. It's been a huge improvement! Momo makes a nice ergonomic shifter called the Super Anatomic that I have in some of my other cars. Unlike a ball, the shape is perfectly molded to a human hand. They can be found on Ebay.
 
Last edited:
Hi Joe, I havn't been on the site for quite some time so i never got to see your finished car. Congrat's and it looks fantastic ! From car did your seat originate from ?

Tyrone
 
Back
Top