Stiffen your Mazda 3, Speed 3 shifter - for $4

[enganear]

OK, here is an alternative to the epoxy method that avoids the mess but has the same effect.

-Expose the shifter mount.
-Remove the four screws that secure the shifter mount.
-With a pair of pliers or tool of your choice, remove the four metal sleeves that stick through the rubber isolators.
-Take 1/8" off the sleeve length with a grinder.
- Reinstall the sleeves and mounting screws.

The rubber isolator will now be compressed to the point that no motion is allowed.

I did this this evening while removing my shifter and bending it forward and to the left 1" each direction. Also, if anyone is interested, the shifter knob thread is 10mm - 1.25P
-enganear

 

[flyrevs]

OK, here is an alternative to the epoxy method that avoids the mess but has the same effect.

-Expose the shifter mount.
-Remove the four screws that secure the shifter mount.
-With a pair of pliers or tool of your choice, remove the four metal sleeves that stick through the rubber isolators.
-Take 1/8" The rubber isolator will now be compressed to the point that no motion is allowed.

I did this this evening while removing my shifter and bending it forward and to the left 1" each direction. Also, if anyone is interested, the shifter knob thread is 10mm - 1.25P
-enganear

This will work, I like it, good find! Only an enganear would think of this

 

[SpdFreak]

OK, here is an alternative to the epoxy method that avoids the mess but has the same effect.

-Expose the shifter mount.
-Remove the four screws that secure the shifter mount.
-With a pair of pliers or tool of your choice, remove the four metal sleeves that stick through the rubber isolators.
-Take 1/8" off the sleeve length with a grinder.
- Reinstall the sleeves and mounting screws.

The rubber isolator will now be compressed to the point that no motion is allowed.

I did this this evening while removing my shifter and bending it forward and to the left 1" each direction. Also, if anyone is interested, the shifter knob thread is 10mm - 1.25P
-enganear

Pictures?

 

[enganear]

Pictures? I will try to open it back up next week and take a picture. The TWM shifter install instructions are the best I've seen for removing the console. It is really simple and the modification to the sleeves is very easy if you have access to a grinder.
-enganear.

 

[Tooch]

couldn't you simply replace the rubber bushings with aluminum ones? aren't bushings just washers and would be for sale at a hardware store for like .40cents each? not sure but thats what it sounds like to me. lemme know what ya think...

 

[TRMS3]

couldn't you simply replace the rubber bushings with aluminum ones? ...

That's what TWM sells for around $35.00... hence the reason for enganear's (and others) do-it-yourself-for-less mod(s)!

aren't bushings just washers and would be for sale at a hardware store for like .40cents each? not sure but thats what it sounds like to me...

TWM's bushings, unlike simple flat washers, have a 'step' in them to locate and fix the shifter's carrier frame to the car matching the bolt hole pattern on the tunnel to the larger ones in the carrier (which are sized to accomodate the rubber bushings). This fixes the carrier to the tunnel w/o having to apply excessive amounts of torque to the fixing bolts to keep the whole thing from sliding around. Do away with the bushings all together (rubber or aluminum) and you may have to apply enough torque to the mounting bolts that you risk cracking the plastic shifter carrier...

You could possibly, with careful selection of sizes, create a 'stepped' bushing like TWM's using a stack of off-the-shelf washers, but I doubt the tolerances would be tight enough to eliminate all side-to-side play in the carrier which is the whole point of replacing the oem rubber bushings... might be worth a try tho'... g/l

 

[Tooch]

ahhh, well I'm probably going to get a short throw kit so it should come with them anyways right

 

[SpdFreak]

If anyone knows exact specs of the solid mounts I can have them made.

I will need proof of the measurements before I have them made.