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Just bought an 08 c6 z06 shifter w/**** and after reading many threads/links of installation, I think I got it down. My only confusion/question(s) is on the link adjustments and adjusting shift stops. Could someone bring me more clarity on the necessity and procedure of it? Other than that, seems like its pretty much a simple bolt on/straight drop in. Hopefully I can get it done over the weekend. Thanks for any advice!
There are no shift stops... just make sure the bushings are good on the lower box... use the neutral pin to lock things in place while you tighten everything up... make SURE you get the shifter rod clamp TIGHT... don't strip it but IT can NOT rotate on the shaft or it will NOT shift properly... you may have to adjust that a tiny bit also to get it to shift the way you want...
2020 Corvette of the Year Finalist (performance mods)
C5 of Year Winner (performance mods) 2019
if you shift hard the torx bolt holding the shift rod to the box has a tendency to come loose and as mentioned above can cause shifting issues, in my case the shifter all around felt very sloppy... what I found out is that factory header bolts have the same thread pitch and nearly the same length as the torx bolts in the shifter box and they are 10.9 grade on top of that... I had some extras laying around so I used one in place of the torx bolt at the shift rod with some blue loctite and so far it has been working, hopefully it holds up
Ok sweet, this was the type of info I was looking for! I will try to tackle it this weekend and hopefully it turns out nice...Also I read that you should put a bead of rtv silicone on the base of the shifter, is there a specific brand of rtv or just any kind from the hardware store?
Make sure the box is CLEAN...(I cleaned mine with carb cleaner) where the shifter swivels in the neoprene ball or whatever it is...clean it and then put some wheel bearing grease on it ... The little boot on top of the shifter needs to be in GOOD condition or it will let sand, dirt, crap into your shifter box...
Mine as you can see was broke... I used some old 10 spd bicycle inter tube to make my own cover for it...
Also I trimmed off the OEM boot for the shifter and then zip tied it back to the shifter so it looks OEM...
The C6 shifter has a little groove where I zip tied it... then just roll the boot back down the shifter
All done...
Last edited by 73Corvette; May 19, 2016 at 02:05 PM.
FWIW. There is no difference in the lower box between the stock C5 and C6 shifters. If you don't NEED to replace the lower shift box (assuming your current shifter does not need adjusting\centering and if your existing bushings (in the box) are not worn) it's not necessary to replace it; just drop in the C6 shifter and bolt it down. No adjustments needed.
I did this a couple weeks ago and left my existing C5 shift box (and connection to the shift rod) in place, this made for a very easy install (well ... once you get the console out of the way). I just never liked the feel of the (square) C5 shifter; I do like the C6 and feel I have better control in gear selection (and a very slight reduction in shift travel).
I used 73Corvette's procedure for modifying the boot with the exception that instead of "trimming" the boot I (carefully) opened the stitches just enough to allow for the larger diameter C6 shifter. This worked beautifully.
So the shifter arrived yesterday, opened it up and everything looks good. Was going to start working on it today when I noticed there were already tears on the rubber towards the base of the shifter. I contacted the seller and he said that it its just the dust cover and will be covered up anyways with another rubber seal. He gave me a partial refund and everything is cool with that. But I want yalls opinions on whether it would impact my shifting experience or should I just count my loss and buy new? Pictures should show what I mean.
He's WRONG... you'll still get $hit in your lower box if you don't fix that boot...
I already posted the FIX for that... the Z06 box and shifter I got was FILTHY... (should have got a partial refund too)
Anyway...use the method I posted about it worked PERFECT to fix that problem...
here are a couple of more pics...
THERE is NO way to get a NEW boot and get it on over the shifter... I suppose you could jack with trying to get the top separated but, I didn't think it looked like a good idea so I used the inner tube method...
Last edited by 73Corvette; May 21, 2016 at 05:48 PM.
I see! Ok the first post you wrote makes more sense to me now! Lol thanks for that, I'll look for some inner tube and try that out. Just a minor setback then!
Got the first part done, thanks for the advice on the inner tube idea 73Corvette! Will update y'all with further results. Also did y'all put a bead of rtv silicone on the bottom of the shifter? The little black gasket that was there previously came off.
Last edited by Christian327; May 23, 2016 at 02:02 PM.
FWIW. There is no difference in the lower box between the stock C5 and C6 shifters. If you don't NEED to replace the lower shift box (assuming your current shifter does not need adjusting\centering and if your existing bushings (in the box) are not worn) it's not necessary to replace it; just drop in the C6 shifter and bolt it down. No adjustments needed.
I did this a couple weeks ago and left my existing C5 shift box (and connection to the shift rod) in place, this made for a very easy install (well ... once you get the console out of the way). I just never liked the feel of the (square) C5 shifter; I do like the C6 and feel I have better control in gear selection (and a very slight reduction in shift travel).
I used 73Corvette's procedure for modifying the boot with the exception that instead of "trimming" the boot I (carefully) opened the stitches just enough to allow for the larger diameter C6 shifter. This worked beautifully.
So Im just replacing the shifter and not the lower shift box like you did. When I bolt those four bolts down, was there a specific torque? I know if I were to do the whole box, the torque spec for those were 22lbs/ft. But what about just the 4 connected to the shifter, anything?
So Im just replacing the shifter and not the lower shift box like you did. When I bolt those four bolts down, was there a specific torque? I know if I were to do the whole box, the torque spec for those were 22lbs/ft. But what about just the 4 connected to the shifter, anything?
I didn't "torque" them, just used the "by the wrist" method; tightened to "feel" equivalent to what I loosened. Not truly precise, but your not rebuilding something with critical torque spec's.
I didn't "torque" them, just used the "by the wrist" method; tightened to "feel" equivalent to what I loosened. Not truly precise, but your not rebuilding something with critical torque spec's.
Got the first part done, thanks for the advice on the inner tube idea 73Corvette! Will update y'all with further results. Also did y'all put a bead of rtv silicone on the bottom of the shifter? The little black gasket that was there previously came off.
Nicely done bro... yup I used a little bead of black silicone to seal the shifter lid...
Looks crazy right now but I got it in and ready to go! Drove a couple of miles after and everything shifts/feels great! I still will need to drive it a little bit more once everything's back on to give full opinion but so far I like the improvement! Sent my bezel and head unit to Dennis at double D mods, so I may be driving like this for a little longer but I'm glad the install was a success! Thanks to all! Will post pics when everything is complete!
Last edited by Christian327; May 24, 2016 at 11:40 PM.
Cool cool... fyi...
The Anti-Venom Mod
Amsoil Torque Drive Trans fluid
Venting the bell housing dust covers
The Ranger Modified Method (several times)
Lucas DOT 4 fully synthetic clutch fluid...
All added together with the C6 shifter made a big difference in the way our car shifts... the shifter alone was ok... but the other things made it even better...
Last edited by 73Corvette; May 24, 2016 at 11:50 PM.
c6 z06 shifter upgrade
