I'll be damned if i cant seem to find any short throw available. Anyone have any sources? I'm not going to be really picky about which one, but the tower shifter has to go. I'm tired of fighting the drinks for 6th and reverse is impossible with anything in the holder.

 

A lot of posts on here speak highly of the ZF Doc short throw shifter. The only other ones are the B&M and the hurst. Both are hard to find. I have the B&M on my 92 6 speed and don't like it, but I can live with it since it was on the car when I bought it. From my research the B&M is the shortest throw of all the ones out there. It takes a lot of effort to shift. None of my gears grind, but since it is so short it takes the most effort. I was concerned something was wrong with my trans until I searched several posts where others that had perfectly good transmissions installed the B&M and stated that it made it too stiff to shift comfortably. I do like that it doesn't have a reverse lock out. I didn't even know that was a thing, but am glad I don't have to deal with it. I have never had an issue going from N to 6th and hitting R by accident, or 5th to 6th and hitting R.

 

Zfdoc is still around. I sent my entire shifter assembly to Bill earlier this year and he did his short shift mod while retaining the lift ring. He also freshened the assembly with new parts to tighten it up. I like it. You can also buy outright just his shorter shift rod if he has one rather than send your existing assembly. Just give him a call with what you need.

It is hilarious how the cup holders are completely useless on the manual cars with the stock shifter.

 

Yeah this is my daily driver I can't really pull the whole thing out all at once and send it to him or I would. I do want to keep the reverse lock out this is going to be for my 16 year old son next year and I want to make sure he doesn't accidentally slip it into reverse. me I used to drive four-speed crash boxes with no clutch. we used to take the sincros out and file every other tooth off. then you just grab it and yank it into gear and don't let off the gas. does tear the transmission up eventually. And all of my 98 plus f bodies with six speeds I took the factory stick out and took about an inch out of the stick and rewelded them together and you talk about a wrist flip to change gears especially with any type of short throw shifter to go with it 😁. The ZF shifters are a little more complicated and I don't have the facilities to machine or cutting weld anymore so I'm getting too old for that crap I'd rather just get the unit put it in and be done with it. I do appreciate the replies I also was reading the ZF short throw shifter thread that was in here as well and there's a lot of good information in there. So far this forum has been one of the best for technical information I appreciate it guys

 

No problem! Again, give Bill at ZFDoc a call, he can sell you just the shortened shifter rod, then when you are ready, you can do the swap and send your existing as a core. You can choose whether you retain the lift ring or not when you talk to him.

http://www.zfdoc.com/S6-40ShifterOptions.htm

I have not done this "in car" as I did it during my clutch job so the transmission was pulled and everything was accessible. My understanding is it is doable in car just tight and I'm sure not the most fun job.

 

I just bought one from core shifters, apparently it’s a reproduction of the hurst shifter, I think they even use hursts old tooling to make them.

 

That's really interesting because I was looking at them the other day and I've never heard of them before. I ended up calling ZFdoc and inquiring about his shifters. It was a pleasant conversation and he was a very knowledgeable guy. I recommend him.

 

Seems like Hurst stopped making the C4 short-throw 10-15 years ago. Someone bought their remaining stock (back then) and sold them (on ebay?). Maybe he also had the plans OR sold one to core shifters to continue the line? Or maybe he started a biz with other products? Anyway...many, many Hurst owners have been happy over the years.

I can vouche for the ZF Doc's units as I've had one since 2010. Bill (the ZF "Doc") added a hair more length below the fulcrum point to make his version land between the Hurst and B&M shifter. I've never felt the B&M though I saw a vid long ago. They have their allure IF you like being aggressive with your shifting. If you like it to be easy (and shorter!), I can recommend Bill's units. Will the Hurst design doesn't include the pull-up-ring-reverse-lockout, Bill can modify one from the correct year to keep YOURS intact. Or...the same style if you choose to send in yours after-the-fact as a "core" return. IIRC, it has to be in good condition to be rebuildable....and eligible for a core refund. As such, you can probably keep your OEM unit if desired?

At the time I bought mine, he didn't have any lift-ring unit's in stock. I kinda hated it because the ring "buzzed" every now and then. So, I bought one for a later year (which doesn't have the lift ring). FYI The "crash through" function was added to the trans itself...eliminating the need for the internal rod to release the lockout. I've had mine on an earlier unit for 12 years and never accidentally hit reverse. You better believe I never forget to THINK about what gear I'm in...and where I'm going tho! That MIGHT be a good thing since "lazy-minded" shifting is how you miss gears.

Good luck -- which ever you choose. Next to my modded engine, it's probably the best mod on my car! LOVE IT!!!