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I finally had time today to install my "rebuilt" shifter box from TMODCustoms https://www.facebook.com/tmodcustoms/ After removing my old one (with only 33K miles) I could see immediately the difference between the plastic part at the front and the billet version on the TMOD version. Also, mine was kind of "sticky" feeling even though there was a good .015" or more radial play in the shaft at the back of the box. I didn't have a gasket to put between the shifter and the box, so I just sealed it up with Permatex 3H. I'll get the gasket and next time I'm in there I can clean off the Permatex with a rag and brake cleaner and I'm good to go.
The good stuff: I should really say the GREAT stuff. I never imagined that the stock shifter could feel this good. The gate spacing is perfect and it feels like the throw is a little shorter - probably due to the Delrin bushings used instead of the stock style rubber ones. Speaking of which, I went to the local hardware store and bought two 5/16" 1.5" extra thick fender washers to spread the load out over the entire bushing and they fit perfectly. I have to say that it almost feels like the shifter is connected with heim joints. It's crisp and very mechanical/solid feeling - like the MGW shifter I had in my C5 but without the high-effort short throw and without the too-narrow gates of short shifters. I see now that the stock shifter felt pretty loose and rubbery compared to this. This shifter box is certainly the best $125 I've spent on the car! Tom told me when I inquired about ordering that he didn't have any cores at the time and would let me know when he did. A week or so later he did that, I paid the $125 plus the $100 core charge and the box arrived a couple of days later.
The bad stuff: That I didn't do this the day I bought the car. There simply is no down side to doing this, other than perhaps the time involved. But I took my time doing it anyways and still got it done in about an hour - not including the trip to the hardware store.
IMHO - ANYONE with an MN6 C5 or C6 should do this mod regardless of the shifter you're using already. A good shifter on a worn box still isn't working the way it should. I'm not affiliated with Tom or TMOD in any way, just giving credit where credit is due.
So happy to hear everyone's great feedback. Fixing up the shifter box does wonders for any M6 or M7 car. We got over 100 boxes out in the wild now, happy campers all around!
Delrin bushings the lower box will help if the bushing in it are worn out (or just replace the OEM lower box), but is not going to solve the problem of the upper shifter pivot points instead.
So lets say on the MGW shifter box, since even it's replaceable Delrin bushings will wear over time, and if needed, you can buy the new Delrin bushings from them to swap them yourself when the time comes.
Now lets get to the heart of the matter, and it really the upper shifter OEM linkage that is the weak link instead.
If you grind the 4 rivets off the plate so you can remove the top plastic plate from the steel lower plate, and here is where you get the rude awakening. The fit of the top plastic pivot points to the shaft notches induced a great deal of slop to begin with, gets even wider from use of the shifter, and this is compounded more by the ball of the shaft just begin sistered in between two cups of rubber, which loosens up over time isntead. Combine this to the less than stellar fit of the end of ball cup to not only the ball that will have worn to the ball itself, but the socket on the lower box channel receiver opening, and any improvements that you may have done to the lower box to tighten it back up, will be far outweigh by the worn OEM upper shifter and end ball cup instead.
Bottom line, we can guild the lily all we want on rebushing the lower box, but it not just tighten the lower box back up/ replacing it with a new box on the cheap, but will not get a OEM shifter even in the same school distract as the MGW shifter instead. Hence the problem is and always will be, that the OEM shifter is produced as cheap as possible, and because of this, it's the shifter pivot points to the upper shifter plate that is the weak link instead.
Hell, take the B&M shifter for the C6, and is not really an upgrade, since it has the same problem as the OEM shifter, being sloppy pivots points of the shaft to the top plate to start with, and which they wear even slopper about as fast the stock OEM unit as well.
The bushings that mount the lower box to the tunnel is one of the points I changed in my shifter as well. The Z06 has the shifter solid mounted and has a better feel than any sub-models, so I took that to heart when I solid mounted the lower box on my GS. I removed the rubber "washer" and the metal guide, and found a washer that fit in the slot top slot (with a slight bit of sanding/dremel'ing). The feedback felt noticeable, but was not a game-changer.
The big game changer was the Hinson short-throw shifter, but I'm not here to advertise, thread-jack, etc about that.
Everyone who sits in my car and plays with it hates my shifter with a passion... ("OMG how do you shift this thing?!? How do you know when it is in gear?!?!?") until they drive it, then their tune quickly changes ("Wow! That shifting is crisp, definite, and I know when I am in gear for sure!").
Going to poly bushing over the OEM rubber ones will stiffen the shifter box up the torque tube, without having the vibration problems of the solid z06 box bushings to torque tube brackets instead.
As for Hinson short-throw verse the MGW, prefer the adjustable in **** height in the MGW unit since I run race ***** for road course work, not shifter ***** for strip work instead.
In short my box addresses most of the problems, the problems that are common and the problems that account for the most undesired effects. I can truthfully say that it makes a "night and day difference" in a car with only 30,000 miles on it. This has been attested to by numerous people, some with even less miles. It's my opinion, and more importantly, the opinion of many of my customers, that if your driving an M6 or M7 corvette, upgrading your lower box is something you'll be glad you did.
Delrin bushings the lower box will help if the bushing in it are worn out (or just replace the OEM lower box), but is not going to solve the problem of the upper shifter pivot points instead.
So lets say on the MGW shifter box, since even it's replaceable Delrin bushings will wear over time, and if needed, you can buy the new Delrin bushings from them to swap them yourself when the time comes.
Now lets get to the heart of the matter, and it really the upper shifter OEM linkage that is the weak link instead.
If you grind the 4 rivets off the plate so you can remove the top plastic plate from the steel lower plate, and here is where you get the rude awakening. The fit of the top plastic pivot points to the shaft notches induced a great deal of slop to begin with, gets even wider from use of the shifter, and this is compounded more by the ball of the shaft just begin sistered in between two cups of rubber, which loosens up over time isntead. Combine this to the less than stellar fit of the end of ball cup to not only the ball that will have worn to the ball itself, but the socket on the lower box channel receiver opening, and any improvements that you may have done to the lower box to tighten it back up, will be far outweigh by the worn OEM upper shifter and end ball cup instead.
Bottom line, we can guild the lily all we want on rebushing the lower box, but it not just tighten the lower box back up/ replacing it with a new box on the cheap, but will not get a OEM shifter even in the same school distract as the MGW shifter instead. Hence the problem is and always will be, that the OEM shifter is produced as cheap as possible, and because of this, it's the shifter pivot points to the upper shifter plate that is the weak link instead.
Hell, take the B&M shifter for the C6, and is not really an upgrade, since it has the same problem as the OEM shifter, being sloppy pivots points of the shaft to the top plate to start with, and which they wear even slopper about as fast the stock OEM unit as well.
Dano - Maybe you just had a crappy one to start with? I did try to see if mine had any play while it was out of the car and even with significantly more pressure applied to it that I would ever use in shifting the car there was no slop or movement. Considering that I bought the car used, I guess it's possible one of the previous owners had already replaced the stock upper portion with a Z06 shifter - I'll have to look at it more closely the next time I pull the console apart. As long as your clutch work is good and you don't try to ram the shifter through the firewall on the forward shifts and rip it out of the box on the pull shifts I really don't see any problem with this setup. With the large fender washers covering the entire box mounting bushings, there is no movement whatsoever in the box - or in my case in the shifter at all.
I'll see if I can do a video this week of just how nice the shifter moves now.
Oh, and as I said in my original post - I did have an MGW in my C5 before and didn't like the felt vibration, the rattles between 2K-3K rpm, the overly close gates, and the increase in shift resistance (needed a lot more hand/arm power to shift than before.
Lots of people prefer to stay away from the reduced leverage required from all the short shifters. I'll be dropping something for these folks soon, something besides the box of course. .
On the MGW shifter, you adjust the top shaft up or down for the shifter ****, to decrease or increase the distance of throws,
So if you want a shorter than OEM throw, thread the shaft all the way down and lock it off with the jam nut.
You want OEM or longer throws, then adjust the shaft higher before locking the shaft odd with the jam nut instead,
I installed an MGW in my '02 coupe. (I have an
'11 GS also). I didn't like the higher effort or the harsh feel of the solid shaft .... so I adapted the OE isolated shaft to it. It's perfect for me now. I intend to do the same on my GS.
I might try the rebuilt lower box on my GS instead of going straight to the MGW setup. I understand how replacing the box to torque tube busings can firm things up. But I don't believe this is the best application for needle bearings on the shaft since there is rotational and axial motion to manage. Seems like an engineered plastic (like Garlock) or sintered bronze (impregnated lube) would be more appropriate. And what benefit does the billet cap provide? These are observations more than criticisms so for $125, I may give it a try.
The MGW really shines when your shifting fast on a road course, in everyday driving, I can see where people find it "tough" to shift. Both my camaro and c6 have a mgw and I love the feel of it.
I've also had the privilege of installing a mgw with a z06 lower box and the current revised mgw with a replacement lower box. The lower box really does eliminate a lot of slop in the shifter feel although I did not note any vibration in 2k-3k range for either version.
Lots of people prefer to stay away from the reduced leverage required from all the short shifters. I'll be dropping something for these folks soon, something besides the box of course. .
Looking forward to it. Feel free to send me a test sample
Every single time I read about a shifter box, it makes me want to get one. But I'm saving for headers right now...
*voice in the back of my head* "But it's only like $200!!"
Every single time I read about a shifter box, it makes me want to get one. But I'm saving for headers right now...
*voice in the back of my head* "But it's only like $200!!"
If you don't want to spend $200 .... and like to experiment, and your bushings are good, try this : Take the lower and upper plates apart (they 'sandwich' the pivot ball), and add an additional wave spring washer or just shim the existing washer. Then also replace the rubber isolators between the box and torque tube with urethane ones. Clean and lube everything in the process and put it all back together. I think you'll like the result.
If you don't want to spend $200 .... and like to experiment, and your bushings are good, try this : Take the lower and upper plates apart (they 'sandwich' the pivot ball), and add an additional wave spring washer or just shim the existing washer. Then also replace the rubber isolators between the box and torque tube with urethane ones. Clean and lube everything in the process and put it all back together. I think you'll like the result.
Okay...I'm listening.
Is there a write-up on this somewhere? How will that change the feel of my shifts?
My .02, did the TMod box, and it is a noticeable improvement in crispness of gear changes. Should've taken pics of the old box, the bushings were ground to almost nothing, & the shaft had incredible amount of play in all axes as a result. Worth the $125 in my opinion.
07-05-2018, 01:46 AM
frikin' AMAZING mod/repair
