I just bought a Hurst short throw shifter. How hard is it to install, do you really have to drop the exhaust? Any tips you can provide will help.
96 LT4

Thanks,
Doug

 

Exhaust is really in the way - I think it's probably "possible" to do it with exhaust in place, but it would be pure misery. You'll spend less time and have less cuts, if you drop the exhaust. That's the easiest part of the job.

Tough parts:
Console trim disassembly if you've never done it before
driving out the roll pin in the linkage assembly
lining up the linkage upon reinstallation, for re-inserting the roll pin
getting the rubber bellows back over the flange after inserting the roll pin - this is especially difficult if the bellows has lost a lot of its flexibility, and is stiff. May need to order a new bellows, as I did.

 

Yes, unless you're a midget contortionist magician, I doubt if you could install it without dropping the exhaust. First you'll want to be familiar with how to remove the shift ****. Carefully pry the shift pattern plate out of the top of the ****, then you'll find a little metal wedge that is holding the **** tight. You'll need to drive or wiggle that wedge out. Some very small needle-nose pliers may help. Mine was a bitch, it was in pieces by the time I got it out (never bothered replacing it). One of my biggest struggles was getting the rubber gasket loose from the underside of the console - they had applied liberal amounts of some nuclear bomb-proof adhesive to it at the factory. You may want to use some wire or bungee cords to hold the bellows back out of the way from where you are connecting the shaft and roll pin. Some folks have trouble driving the pin out - I lucked out in that department. I'd suggest wearing some blue nitrile gloves - the shifter mechanism is a greasy mess. You may want an assistant to move the shifter around a bit while you are lining up the shaft. Take your time - it's like anything else, if you get frustrated, walk away for a bit. There's not a lot of room to work, so it takes some patience. Good luck!

 

The easiest way to get the wedge out of the shifter is grab it with some small Vice grips and tap the VGs with a small hammer while pulling up on the VGs.Ive got the Hurst shifter an would like to install it but dont have access to drop the exhaust.

 

With lots of pics too!

http://forums.corvetteforum.com/c4-z...r-install.html

 

Only need about a foot of clearance with jack stands to get the exhaust out of the way... lift not required.