The long and short of it is that I wanted a lower shifter, but not by as much as the AEM shifters I could find. I wanted about a 3/4" drop and all the ones I could find were 1.5" or greater. So I bought an OEM shift lever, cut a section of it out and welded it back together. I shortened the height by 3/4" and moved it about 1/8" to the right and 1/4" back, just about perfect.
Steps are as follows:
Cut your OEM shift lever as close to the top as you feel comfortable, and then remove the length of shifter you want the height reduced by.
Grind away about 1/2" of the coating on the bar because you don't want to be inhaling potentially toxic fumes while you're welding. Also grind in a chamfer on the corner to help the weld penetrate further.
Position the two pieces where you would like them and tack-weld them in place. I used a TIG welder and I fuse-tacked (didn't use filler) the two pieces together because I was holding the shorter end in my free hand. I tacked in 4 places to make sure there was no warping.
Naturally, finish up with a seam weld. Go in small increments and let the piece cool down in between to prevent melting any of the plastic components. I seamed the whole thing in 4 steps: I connected two tacks, let it cool, connected the opposite two, let it cool... etc. I used some stainless steel filler rod because that's what I had lying around at work, and it makes nice colors on the weld when used properly (spin)
It's not a very hard project to undertake, I spent about 30 minutes cutting, grinding, and welding. Anyone with a moderate amount of shop and welding experience and little bit of moxie shouldn't have a problem!
Consequently I have an extra OEM shifter lying around that I would be willing to sell as-is or customized. I'd also be willing to customize shifters if anyone wanted to send me one to work on.
Steps are as follows:
Cut your OEM shift lever as close to the top as you feel comfortable, and then remove the length of shifter you want the height reduced by.
Grind away about 1/2" of the coating on the bar because you don't want to be inhaling potentially toxic fumes while you're welding. Also grind in a chamfer on the corner to help the weld penetrate further.
Position the two pieces where you would like them and tack-weld them in place. I used a TIG welder and I fuse-tacked (didn't use filler) the two pieces together because I was holding the shorter end in my free hand. I tacked in 4 places to make sure there was no warping.
Naturally, finish up with a seam weld. Go in small increments and let the piece cool down in between to prevent melting any of the plastic components. I seamed the whole thing in 4 steps: I connected two tacks, let it cool, connected the opposite two, let it cool... etc. I used some stainless steel filler rod because that's what I had lying around at work, and it makes nice colors on the weld when used properly (spin)
It's not a very hard project to undertake, I spent about 30 minutes cutting, grinding, and welding. Anyone with a moderate amount of shop and welding experience and little bit of moxie shouldn't have a problem!
Consequently I have an extra OEM shifter lying around that I would be willing to sell as-is or customized. I'd also be willing to customize shifters if anyone wanted to send me one to work on.
