@TMODcustoms Hopefully you read this. I will probably send you a DM also.
I took the center console out and I think I found my major issue. The B&M shifter had 3 bolts instead of 4. Probably not the end of the world. The 3 bolts that were in it were loose. I took them out by hand!
They had no lock washer or loctite. When I put this back together, I would think these need something. What to people use?



I have a few question about this in the picture.
1. In the red circle, the gasket seems to have slipped down. Does this gasket matter?
2. At the arrow, this is where people are talking about the shaft slipping on the collar, correct?
3. The rubber bushing where the shifter is held in place have some dry rot. I think you get new ones with the TMOD rebuild.
4. It looks like there is a little adjustment in the mounting position of the sifter box. This one is currently mounted all the way up. I would think I could shift this down some and move the sifter away from my dash a little. This may go the opposite way, I'm not sure. I don't know if the collar has to grab the shaft at a specific spot or not.

From the looks of TMODs web page, I need to get:
https://tmodcustoms.com/products/cop...39401635152006
The description is ISO Shifter Kit (Send-In). It seems like this comes with the TMOD shifter also that would replace the stock or in my case the B&M shifter.

 

Another vote for TMOD Customs. I have the ensemble - lower box, 20% Redux shifter, Delrin ****. High quality all parts.

 

WOW. What a difference tightening down the B&M shifter made. It doesn't take much movement in there to make a difference. Now I can see the movement in the shifter box. I can see that the whole thing needs rebuilt. It's much better getting it into reverse, but it's still difficult.

Is there an advantage to doing the full Billet box over having the stock box rebuilt?

 

Hey @Rob Via I just replied to your DM. If you look at the tail end of the shaft that lives in the box you'll see a little notch, that's where the bolt that goes through the collar on the linkage goes. That will get you pretty close to the fwd/backwards adjustment of the box which will be pretty close to where the box was originally. It doesn't really matter anyways as you'll just want to center the box by eyeball and tighten it down. You'll probably get it right on the first try but you won't have enough envelope to really position the stick closer or farther away from the dash, it pretty much goes where it goes. If you have the box too far forward you'll lose the ability to get into the forward gears; 1,3 & 5 and is a versa if it's too far back. When you get the shifter mounted to the box you want to center it in Neutral, just eyeball it, and tighten that bolt down on the linkage. My parts require a little bit of a break in period, about 1-00 miles or so, so you can expect them to be extra tight and can require more force than you would like to get all the way over to first / reverse. This is normal and as long as you can get into first and reverse without too much force it will break in and be just right after you get some miles on it. After you get the shifter lined up right and confirm that it goes into every gear you want to center the stick one more time, pull that bolt out of the linkage, clean the threads off the bolt and the hole, give it a little bit of RED Loctite and reinstall. It's important that you use Red Loctite and not just try to crank it down your' it will come loose later on. If you crank it down too hard, you want to be 22-25 ft./lbs. not over, you'll crack the clamp. None of the other bolts need Loctite, just that one on the linkage.

I usually recommend sending in your box to be upgraded if you can; it's cheaper and just as good of an option. Both boxes use the same internals and they feel and function he same.

You can expect the 20% ISO shifter to be quite a bit less notchy, that's one of the main goals. I use a little less reduction so the travel will be a little bit longer but that is part of what reduces that notchy feel. I try to reduce as much friction on the stick as I can which means less friction to fight against as you move through the gears, less notchy feel and less required shift effort. Smooth and easy is fast, that's the way I like it. Using less effort and getting the movement as smooth and precise as possible also means you can use much less side movement and more of a forward / backwards movement; just pushing and pulling the stick into gear, the gearbox will guide the stick into the right gear. If your not banging on it your way less likely to jam it into the wrong gear as well. Lots of drivers go to the 20% setup after they blow something up.

I would say the biggest difference between my shifters and MGW are that they address the box, that's just as important as the shifter in my opinion. The upgraded box feels a lot better than a brand new box on a car rolling off the showroom floor but it also lasts, the stock box develops a ton of slop almost immediately. The biggest difference between the 20% and the MGW setup is the reduction; the 20% sacrifices a little travel for less effort required, along with the rest of the details above that's probably the easiest way to look at it.

Thanks for the kind words my friends, I'm stoked that everyone is enjoying the parts!

 

Anyone seeing this thread later, I highly recommend @TMODcustoms . Great product and a pleasure to work with.

 

I did the Anti-Venom mod after putting in an MGW shifter on my '08.... and used 2 washers (the max recommended). It did help reduce the notchiness and I really like the positive crisp shift feel.

 

After changing the shifter and reading and watching videos, I've learned a little. Maybe this will help someone in the future.
There are several points where play can enter the shifting experience. If I ever drop the transmission, I will get TMOD's linkage mode to take out the slop.
The Anti-Venom mod is just about the side to side tension when in the middle.
My complaint is the force going into reverse. That is about the spring in the reverse lockout module. Those are 2 totally different things.
There is still a little looseness in my shifter. I think this comes from the play in the linkage.

 

Wanted to update this.
I did all the mods from TMOD. Box rebuild, short shifter, linkage joints, reverse lock-out spring.
I did the box and shifter first. After a clutch issue surfaced, I did the others while having the transmission out.
What a difference! There is ZERO play in the shifter.
I can't recommend this enough.
I would say the shifting experience now feels like what I think a gated shifter experience would feel like. It's crisp. It's smooth. It's easy.
I did the video to show how smooth and easy it is.
TMOD is great to work with. Answered all my silly questions and help me as needed.
If you are looking into this, do it! You will have zero regrets!

 

Duplicate post....

 

I replaced the OEM shifter in my 2006 Z51 with the MGW shifter. It requires slightly more effort to shift, but the shifts are shorter and more precise.