Have many people done this yet? I know Drop Top Dave settled his issues with this. I am just getting around to it now because I wanted to wait to do it until after the birthday bash.

For starters, the adapter itself appears to be drilled too deep. I can just about get "PARK" disengaged inconstently in its shipped form. I dropped a copper BB into and covered it with locktite to fix that issue.

But now that it functions, it lifts off way too easily even with the boot back on. I tighten the set screws to a point where it doesn't come off easily, but then the release mechanisms don't move very freely.

I've now just rigged up this...



Basically, I put a washer at the top of the shifter base. I just put some silicone adhesive by locktite on the washer to keep it in place. It's drying now. My goal is to not have the shift adapter capable of just being lifted off. I figure if I have washer at the top, the set screws won't be able to get past it and it will not lift off very easily. It would be preferrable to have something a little more permanant to really secure this. Any ideas? It's not completly round all around, it looks more like a parenthesis ( ) But I'm not going to do any welding in there. I tried a dab of solder but it won't stick to the steel (or maybe its aluminum). Maybe the adhesive will hold it satisfactorily.

Anyone have any ideas on this? I have a call into CAU, waiting on a call back. I can't imagine it's supposed to go like this.

My car is a 1997 built in 6/97 if it helps.

JT

 

JT-C5

As we discussed, you seem to have it working now. If anyone else is having any problems you can contact me directly at 800-236-2582

Jim Booth / Corvette Accessories Unlimited http://www.CAU-LLC.com

 

I was just about to order an adapter and flameball myself. So did you get the problem resolved? I ASSUME my 98 will be the same as your 97.

 

I have no idea if the issue has anything to do with a 97 versus a 98 or any other year. So far, I found a tiny bit of a sweet spot to make this work. I'm still not 100% convinced that I have the thing adjusted properly.

Here is the issue, the adapter basically looks like a standard bell that you would just ring in your hand. The handle part would be partially hollowed out to accomodate the transmission release pin.

You basically put it over top of the shifter and tighten set screws along a shaft to keep it in place. The issue is that those set screws can't be too tight or too loose. If they are too tight, the shift release button doesn't come back up easily which allows gears to be moved without depressing the shifter. This will also prevent the vehicle's key from being able to be removed from the ignition. If it is too loose, the spring action just about lifts off the shifter assembly with little effort. This would be highly undesirable as well. I found that tightening it somewhere in between is somewhat adequate. However, the shifter can still be lifted off too easily.

I used silicone adhesive to glue a washer to the top of the shafter to prevent easy lift off. I don't really think this is a great long term solution, but I'm going to try it out for now and see how it goes.

All in all, it looks awesome, but I must admit honestly that I spent around 6 hours doing all of this yesterday and I don't feel super confident. I did talk to Jim as he stated who said that the set screw adjustments are key. However, there really is nothing preventing the whole assembly from just being lifted off with some force.

I'd like to find something more permanant that I could put at the top of the shifter base. There's got to be something better than using silicone adhesive. Soldering or welding would be idea but I can't get anything to stick to this while also keeping in mind that the shaft has to remain at its same diameter for easy operation.

I'm not positive I can 100% recommend trying this yet. I would like some others to try it and tell me how they made out. Maybe I'm doing something wrong. But it sure isn't for lack of trying. I really want this to work.

 

Thanx for the info. Maybe someone else who has done this can chime in.

 

hmmm I hope someone else can chime in ... BUCKMASTER?? I think he has this mod. I know a few others do... I was contemplating it soon (B-day gift) but if it is this much trouble I won't bother. it sure is :cool: so someone lay light to this install

 

On my installation I found that keeping a slight pressure on the spring was needed to help it pull the pin back up so that you could shift and remove the key, I had to add a little grease to help it all move and tighten the set screws in just the right place to get it all moving up and down freely, maybe I got lucky but it didn't take very long for the whole procedure and I was able to tighten up the set screws tight. I had my biggest trouble with the boot which I tore a little trying to get it loose from the console. good luck, it looks great when done :seeya

 

I had the whole console off in order to get the shift boot off cleanly and to work this magic. Now that the wire is done, I can do a lot of adjusting now that the car is all put back together. I just need to pop off the retaining cap and pull the boot down to get access to the screws.

I do have the spring around the collar. Perhaps a slightly stronger or taller spring might help bring the shift back up when the set screws are on tight.

Right now, it's a done deal. I should send some pictures up. It looks good. My silicone adhesive and locktite is good and dry after 24 hours now. I'm just mildly concerned about how long those set screws and shifter will operate consistently. Right now, after 1 day, I've had no issues.

Maybe a little grease on the shifter might help move things a little more consistently. If I have to make another adjustment, I'll try that as well.

I do think this is a lot of trouble, but would love for others to try it. It can be done. It does look great. I think the process needs refinement, which is what's great about this discussion. I also sent an email to Drop Top Dave to ask about his setup inviting him to post on this thread.

One more tip, the CAU instructions indicate that you should connect the flameball to the orange wire on the traction control connector. The problem is that there is no orange wire. The connection needs to be made to the brown wire and the brown with white wire.

 

I believe that the wires depend on the year, and traction control. Would appreciate some feed back, so we can adjust the instructions.

Jim Booth / Corvette Accessories Unlimited http://www.CAU-LLC.com

 

JT,

Got your email.

I too had a bit of trouble with the whole set-screw set up. Not as much trouble as getting that #$%^*! bulb up in the **** though.

I think you hit it right on the head about the "sweet spot". Too loose, and the whole thing lifts right off. Too tight, and you can't move the shifter. I also had to slightly adjust the prongs of the adaptor by bending them in or out until they were just wide enough for the set screws to fit between them but not too wide for the adaptor to fit properly.

I'm sure that if I exerted enough force on the unit, I could still pull it off, but since I got it all together, I haven't had any issues with the unit coming loose, even with some fairly rough shifting.

One thing I can say for sure, Jim Booth and CAU definitely care about customer service. Jim's suggestions by email and telephone helped me finally resolve my installation problems. That and all the spare bulbs he sent me! :D

I guess my attitude is "all's well that end's well." I'm very pleased with the final outcome. The shifter looks awesome and works fine. I get lots of comments and compliments on the appearance of the shifter and I really love the way it looks at night. Of course, installing it took 10 years off my life, but hey, it looks cool!!! :D:D:D

Dave :cheers:

 

Dave,

Thanks for your prompt reply. Would you clarify this statement...

"I also had to slightly adjust the prongs of the adaptor by bending them in or out until they were just wide enough for the set screws to fit between them but not too wide for the adaptor to fit properly."

Do you mean that you bent the top of the shift base? What do you mean by adjusting the "prongs" of the adapter? I had no problem with the set screws fitting in between the ( ) shape of the shifter base.

I agree with your last statement because I lost almost a whole day doing this job. I had the whole console off which allowed me to do something clever to get the bulb in. I coiled up the cable and wire tied it in a small bundle. Then I shoved it down the shift boot. Next, I put the bulb in the flame ball and screwed it on the base. As the wire wrapped around the shifter, I reached under the boot and helped it spin around. Once it reached the desired spot, I connected the end of the wire to the Brown and Brown/white wires.

I don't look forward to replacing the bulb. But I think I can just pop off the top plate, release the boot and try to persuade the bulb out. Maybe I'll never find out. How long do these bulbs usually last?

 

Yep, the ( ) shape...I had to bend it so that the set screws would fit snugly against the actual shifter rod without causing so much friction on the adaptor that it wouldn't move.

Glad you got it sorted out!

Dave :cheers: