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Shifter production almost finished. If anyone wants to see machining vids let me know and I'll share some. Its not too often that the parts I make, for other industries, are able to be shared. Many are covered by Non Disclosure. Because these are mine I can share machining vids, that is if anyone wants.
Here's the first half of the stock off the bandsaw. From solid billets of 6060 Aluminum and 316 Stainless steel. I'll post more vids as I get a chance to upload them.
I gotta say, I love this 5%reduction shifter. I havent been driving my car for about a month, its been in the body shop, and in the last few days I've been excited to shift gears every time ive gotten in. The 5% reduction shifter, although it is not really shorter luke the 20% reduction shifter, it is super easy to move, crazy smooth and precise.
So, the 5% shifter isn't shorter than stock? I don't want too short...it's threaded for an aftermarket ****? I just got my lower box back from you.
So a lot of people have been asking this same question so here's what I'm doing.
Everyone who's ordered a shifter and anyone who orders one in the next few days will have the option of any height they want. I'll see what the most popular heights are and I'll offer two options going forward.
The purpose of the 5%er is to retain a stock feeling, without all the negative aspects. I made it a tiny bit shorter just because that little bit doesn't make it harder by any noticeable amount, but it does make the throw a tiny bit shorter.
Here are the shifter height options compared to fsctory C5 and C6 shifter assembles. Minus One Inch
Minus Two Inches
If you would like something different, different height or different overal height of the **** itself you can let me know when ordering for the next ten orders. I will be taking custom requests at no extra charge for the next ten shifters.
Here are the two available shaft heights compared to the factory C6 shifter.
HEIGHT A HEIGHT B
A Height is a little lower than factory, B Height is lower than that .
FACTORY *****
I'm going to make a shaft tonight to run a factory C6 **** on my shifter. I'll put a couple hundred miles on it tonight and let you know how it does. I think I over emphasized the fact that it spins, it's just different and I wanted to be clear about it. It doesn't spin, it's just able to and you can always just turn it back facing the right way if it did. I'll take a video and let everyone know how it goes. Honestly I overlooked it because I don't like the lopsided **** at all personally.
Some of us like the fac **** and OE look. I'm one of them. Your next step should be to 'clock' the pivot ball so we can run the stock ****. Just press a hardened needle brg through the pivot ball. A precise pivot with your improved box would be sweet.
I installed my lower box this evening, and in the process discovered an un-disclosed mod on my car. A hurst shifter.
that said after installing the new lower box, 1st and reverse and waaaay more positive and easy to find, the gears are all very precise and overall quite a bit more smooth. The car almost shifts itself. It’s wonderful.
I got my box back this week and was able to install it this morning. Install is quick and easy. My approach to make lining up the box-to-tunnel bolts perfectly / quickly is to put the stick in 3rd to get the lateral, cinch it hand tight, then work 3/4 a few times to get the box centered. Done in 2 minutes.
Shifter Setup: MGW with Ripper **** on TMODcustoms Z06 hard mount box.
Clutch/Drivetrain: McLeod RST, Fidanza, Tick master, Anti-Venom mod (1 ring)
I thought I had the ultimate C5 stick setup until I installed the box. Instant and notable difference in smoothness and ease of shifting. My chassis has 77k and I thought the box was fine. When I pulled it out today the seal at the rear had blown out, so this upgrade was timely. Shifting is now even lighter and is very positive - which equates to improved speed and confidence. The overall improvement of feel has made driving that much more fun again. Great mod and product!
I was one of those who labored over the decision on types of bushings. Then I realized I had received a Z06 box from the guy who sent it to me on the parts forum here (I sent that one in instead of the stock one from the coupe) and that one is just hard mounted to the tunnel. As the "harshest" option of the three, it can be said without reservation that there is nothing harsh about it and there is nothing to labor over on the bushing decision. You can't go wrong with any option.
Tom, I’m not hijacking this thread. I’m a former Industrial Arts-Metals teacher and your innovative approach and workmanship is excellent. With all the time I spend on this forum, I didn’t see this thread till now. I recently installed a full boat MGW in my C5 and can attest to the improvement, which is similar to yours.
I also experimented with my standard box, shortening the stock shaft 2”, 1 inch each from the bottom and the top and my off white shift **** used to look like an egg in a ‘basket’. After driving a friends c6 with the MGW, I finally realized the limits of my experimentation. You went even further and the results are great. Congrats.
Someone earlier asked about return to center force. My MGW only requires a nudge, like I see in your videos.
I also agree about using a symmetrical shift ****. I made my own out of unusual plastics, from penmaking websites. Due to the ‘bar’ style, and that I make them long (4”) effort is almost a non issue.
Here’s a pic of my latest **** in my car:
I installed my lower box this evening, and in the process discovered an un-disclosed mod on my car. A hurst shifter.
that said after installing the new lower box, 1st and reverse and waaaay more positive and easy to find, the gears are all very precise and overall quite a bit more smooth. The car almost shifts itself. It’s wonderful.
thanks so much for this amazing upgrade.
Thank you buddy, I'm so glad to hear that, it really makes my day!
Tom, I’m not hijacking this thread. I’m a former Industrial Arts-Metals teacher and your innovative approach and workmanship is excellent. With all the time I spend on this forum, I didn’t see this thread till now. I recently installed a full boat MGW in my C5 and can attest to the improvement, which is similar to yours. I also experimented with my standard box, shortening the stock shaft 2”, 1 inch each from the bottom and the top and my off white shift **** used to look like an egg in a ‘basket’. After driving a friends c6 with the MGW, I finally realized the limits of my experimentation. You went even further and the results are great. Congrats.
Someone earlier asked about return to center force. My MGW only requires a nudge, like I see in your videos.
I also agree about using a symmetrical shift ****. I made my own out of unusual plastics, from penmaking websites. Due to the ‘bar’ style, and that I make them long (4”) effort is almost a non issue.
I am deciding between the 5% reduction shaft, the -1" and -2" that TModd makes, but I am looking for more feedback/opinions on the feel and difference on the height. You said you've experimented with different heights. Could you provide a little more detail about your experience with each?
I am deciding between the 5% reduction shaft, the -1" and -2" that TModd makes, but I am looking for more feedback/opinions on the feel and difference on the height. You said you've experimented with different heights. Could you provide a little more detail about your experience with each?
*please note that I did the 1 washer Anti-Venom mod on both cars.
I’ve had 2 C5’s, a Z and my current coupe. I shortened the stock shifter on the Z 1-3/4” and liked it very much. Since the actual fulcrum is unchanged, one would expect effort to increase but it was not that much to think about. The actual distance did decrease, but I still dealt with the OEM mechanism and slop.
On my pewter coupe, decided to ‘go for it’ and took a total of 2” like I said before, hence my “egg in a basket’ appearance. It felt great, especially with a Hytrel 1-1/2” ****, which, tho’ difficult to thread had a silky almost velvet like feel and enough weight to make shifting pleasant. Shifting with such a short shaft was great, which leads me to the reason I finally went for a new shifter:
About a month ago a friend of mine threw me the keys to his c6 GS to try, with the MGW shifter. Immediately I was convinced that the improvement of the internal mechanism was more important than what meets the eye, especially since the c5 shifter was one of the few I’ve ever dealt with. Tom’s improvement of the c5 mechanism is top notch, and removes probably all the slop one feels in the stock unit.
If I were buying Tom’s unit, I would buy the shortest one he offers, with the 5% reduction. The change, to me is worth it. The precise feel added to the reductions in distance is just great.
There are people who say talk is cheap, but I'm not the kind to blow smoke....If I knew about Tom's shifter, I might have purchased his with all the mods he offers.
Here's my 'ball bearing' **** on the 2" removed shifter:
*please note that I did the 1 washer Anti-Venom mod on both cars.
I’ve had 2 C5’s, a Z and my current coupe. I shortened the stock shifter on the Z 1-3/4” and liked it very much. Since the actual fulcrum is unchanged, one would expect effort to increase but it was not that much to think about. The actual distance did decrease, but I still dealt with the OEM mechanism and slop.
On my pewter coupe, decided to ‘go for it’ and took a total of 2” like I said before, hence my “egg in a basket’ appearance. It felt great, especially with a Hytrel 1-1/2” ****, which, tho’ difficult to thread had a silky almost velvet like feel and enough weight to make shifting pleasant. Shifting with such a short shaft was great, which leads me to the reason I finally went for a new shifter:
About a month ago a friend of mine threw me the keys to his c6 GS to try, with the MGW shifter. Immediately I was convinced that the improvement of the internal mechanism was more important than what meets the eye, especially since the c5 shifter was one of the few I’ve ever dealt with. Tom’s improvement of the c5 mechanism is top notch, and removes probably all the slop one feels in the stock unit.
If I were buying Tom’s unit, I would buy the shortest one he offers, with the 5% reduction. The change, to me is worth it. The precise feel added to the reductions in distance is just great.
There are people who say talk is cheap, but I'm not the kind to blow smoke....If I knew about Tom's shifter, I might have purchased his with all the mods he offers.
Here's my 'ball bearing' **** on the 2" removed shifter:
Thanks for the feedback, chasboy! I hadn't heard of the anti-venom mod until you mentioned it. I'll have to look into that too.
You want to go to the ‘TOQUE’ page. A legendary former member of the C5 group who did a ton of work to his beautiful Z06 and documented it with instructions, videos and pix.
Sorry for the delay on the review everyone. I had to finish up the machining on shifters and boxes first and I was dead tired when I was done.
So I put about 450 miles on the shifter with the C6 **** and here's a few things I noticed. After driving sticks forever you know the feeling of a **** coming lose so when I rotates that's your first thought. It's not lose or coming unscrewed, it just spins in the same manner so it gives you that thought at first. It is absolutely more noticeable with an odd shaped or non-round ****. With the round **** of any type I don't notice it once I get over the initial "shock" of thinking the shifter **** is loose. It is odd, that's why I'm making such a big deal out of it, but it was totally out of my mind after a while and I don't think of it much anymore with the round *****.. With the lopsided factory **** it's extenuated because the ball wants to rotate, when your downshifting from 3rd to 2nd aggressively for example. After a while of using it I liked it more when I was driving aggressively, it was like the **** being able to rotate with my hand was a good thing, like it went where I wanted it to go not where I needed to make it go, if that makes any sense. I'm not sure other's will agree with this, when your driving in a more leisurely manner you have to make the effort to keep the **** facing the right way, I didn't like that, but as I just kinda went with it that annoyance went away and I kinda just got used to it. I can't say this will be the case for everyone, it was for me after sitting in traffic for a couple hours. I think it's possible that if your more concerned with keeping the **** factory looking you may be more inclined to dislike it because it's different. I'm not trying to be rude about it, I would simply rather not sell it to someone who isn't going to like it, as opposed to having someone spend their money on it and be upset. That's not what I'm after.
It spin slightly more freely in neutral and between gears. When it's in gear there is pressure on the ball and the bearing so that makes unfortunate sense. I do like the factory **** much better at the lowest setting I offer. I'd prefer it didn't spin, but if I were running a C6 **** the rotation would most defiantly be outweighed by the decrease in slop and increase in precision and all around great feel that the bearing mounted shifter offers, in my opinion. The shifter as a whole is defiantly better with a round ****, that's what I think. I don't know if everyone will agree with me, I bias towards performance and I don't expect everyone to agree with my opinions, maybe no one will. I'm just trying to give the best accounting of my experience, it's how I feel truthfully. At the end of the day I would say that if you want a stock feeling and a stock look this may not be for you, just know that it is significantly tighter and more precise feeling that a factory shifter, even more so while coupled with my lower box. The combination of the two I don't think can be beat, especially for the money.
I did not try the C5 ****, I'm not going to unless people order it that way. I can tell you that because it is directional, but not lopsided like the C6 ****, that it will not be as inclined to spin, it will be much more like a round **** of any kind with the exception that it may need to be manually rotated back to being clocked the correct way (facing forward).
As always, I am interested in everyone's feedback, let me know what questions you have, I'm happy to answer anything I can. Here's a few pics form the machining process.
09-17-2018, 08:39 AM
