Raja_Mongkut
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- Joined
- Aug 13, 2007
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Disclaimer: This is by no means a tutorial, merely an online documentation of the mods performed on my E30. Some of these mods may be deemed too ghetto and frowned upon by some, therefore view at your own discretion. However I am always open to opinions and constructive criticism so fire away, and finally I will not be held responsible if anything happens should anyone decide to follow these mods and severely screw things up.
The DIY Short Shifter, Bushing & DSSR Mod
My E30 for had a shift stick that felt like a ladle stuck in a pot of honey, therefore extensive research was done in an attempt to eliminate all forms of slop from my shifter. Many options presented themselves, Z4 shifters, DSSR's, weighted shift linkages and the list goes on. The DSSR stood out as a mod that marketed itself as the be all end all to shifter slop, but i couldn't justify forking out half a grand just for a lump of machined metal. So i took measurements and approached a machining shop to get it fabricated.
At the same time, i figured I'd refresh the bushings of the old links, as well as customise more rigid mounts. Then i got even more ambitious, and figured I could even modify my current shifter into a short shifter, so i described what i needed done to the machinist.That was days before Raya. Then Dengue fever struck. Guess those nights spent under the car fending off mosquitoes finally took its toll, and I was rendered immobile for the better of 2 weeks. It was after Raya when i collected my parts.
How It Turned Out
Turned out 90% what i envisioned to be, the 10% difference would eventually result in me making a couple more trips back to the machining shop to sort out fitting issues, and a love-hate affair involving a metal file and lots of elbow grease. It's a tight fit in the transmission tunnel: Too high you hit the tunnel wall, too low and you'd rub the transmission and long shaft.
Also made several trips to spare part shops for rubber bushings and bolt & nut shops in search of hardware to link everything together. I'll let the pics do the talking from this point on.
Front Transmission Mounts
These mountings connect the metal shifter plate of the pre-facelift E30's to the transmission. it comprises of a piece aluminium with a rubber bush and metal core. I had them refabricated in 100% aluminium without the rubber bush as they tend to flex n wear over time. Steel spacers were used to raise the height of the bushes as seen.
Rear
Transmission Mount
This bush connects the rear end of the shifter plate to the body. Its fully rubber construction tends to wear due to vibrations, heat and age. Problem solved with a M10 bolt and nut with rubber bushings in the centre cut down to size.
Shift Linkage
Moving on to to the shift linkage. the beefier custom job on top is 20mm in diameter solid steel, whereas the original was a hollow 17mm rod. Hardware used were M10 bolts and nuts cut to fit.
You may notice variances in the shift linkage compared to the earlier pic, as the height of the joints was reduced due to rubbing the guibo and longshaft.
Gearshift
Rod Joint
The Gearshift Rod Joint received a 10mm ID custom nylon bush, which had to be re-fabricated as the first prototype measured 10.2mm, resulting in a bit of free play. On the far right is a piece of 3mm thick 8mm ID fuel hose, that replaces a sponge inside the Gearshift Rod Joint that disintegrates over time. Mine mysteriously disappeared leaving traces of powdery substance.
Shift Lever
Moving on to the shifter, i reduced the top end by 10mm.
While increasing the throw below by approximately 15mm, achieved by:1. Machining a steel collar(should have used iron)2. Welding the collar onto the original collar (screwing up the old bushing along the way)3. Pressing in a nylon bush with 10mm ID
Note: The collar actually cracked on one side after the bush had been pressed in, and eventually broke during my trial fit and dry shifting, I attribute it to the improper pressing of the bush, and also the brittleness of steel. So I had it rewelded and personally pressed in the bush after sanding both surfaces smooth and using lubricant to get the bush in.Top end of the shifter was aluminium - so argon tig welding was used, while the bottom half was iron - it was stainless steel welded. How it looks in its entirety. Not the prettiest sight, but it's all underneath the car away from prying eyes:
Putting It All TogetherHow everything looks fitted together. This is what you would see if you were looking from underneath the car. The longshaft would be in your way though, bear in mind.
http://i122.photobucket.com/albums/o248/Raja_Mongkut/IMG_4801.jpg
It's a tight fit on the transmission end, so the length of bolts had to be precise down to the millimeter.
http://i122.photobucket.com/albums/o248/Raja_Mongkut/IMG_4803.jpg
Meanwhile on the shifter end, an increase of 15mm was pretty drastic for a short shifter, and the DSSR was less than 10mm away from the longshaft therefore precise measurements had to be observed here as well.
http://i122.photobucket.com/albums/o248/Raja_Mongkut/IMG_4802.jpg
Initial Impressions
The shifter definitely feels notchier and tighter. Throw is also severely shortened. Side-to side freeplay is dramatically reduced, while front to back freeplay is virtually non-existant. The previous cracked collar gave me a scare. But I drove it around the neighbourhood, and got ambitious and drove to TTDI (15km journey) the next day. All is good, a tight shifter definitely puts a gleam on your face, and gives you those 'wtf I'm already in gear?' moments. I'm not slamming thru the gears as I constantly remind myself that i installed a short shifter, not a quick shifter. Will upload a video in the not too distant future, but for now, I'm happy with my mod. On a sidenote some audible squeaking happening under the car, could be friction between the metal linkages, will take a peek soon.
The DIY Short Shifter, Bushing & DSSR Mod
My E30 for had a shift stick that felt like a ladle stuck in a pot of honey, therefore extensive research was done in an attempt to eliminate all forms of slop from my shifter. Many options presented themselves, Z4 shifters, DSSR's, weighted shift linkages and the list goes on. The DSSR stood out as a mod that marketed itself as the be all end all to shifter slop, but i couldn't justify forking out half a grand just for a lump of machined metal. So i took measurements and approached a machining shop to get it fabricated.
At the same time, i figured I'd refresh the bushings of the old links, as well as customise more rigid mounts. Then i got even more ambitious, and figured I could even modify my current shifter into a short shifter, so i described what i needed done to the machinist.That was days before Raya. Then Dengue fever struck. Guess those nights spent under the car fending off mosquitoes finally took its toll, and I was rendered immobile for the better of 2 weeks. It was after Raya when i collected my parts.
How It Turned Out
Turned out 90% what i envisioned to be, the 10% difference would eventually result in me making a couple more trips back to the machining shop to sort out fitting issues, and a love-hate affair involving a metal file and lots of elbow grease. It's a tight fit in the transmission tunnel: Too high you hit the tunnel wall, too low and you'd rub the transmission and long shaft.
Also made several trips to spare part shops for rubber bushings and bolt & nut shops in search of hardware to link everything together. I'll let the pics do the talking from this point on.
Front Transmission Mounts
These mountings connect the metal shifter plate of the pre-facelift E30's to the transmission. it comprises of a piece aluminium with a rubber bush and metal core. I had them refabricated in 100% aluminium without the rubber bush as they tend to flex n wear over time. Steel spacers were used to raise the height of the bushes as seen.
Rear Transmission Mount
This bush connects the rear end of the shifter plate to the body. Its fully rubber construction tends to wear due to vibrations, heat and age. Problem solved with a M10 bolt and nut with rubber bushings in the centre cut down to size.
Shift Linkage
Moving on to to the shift linkage. the beefier custom job on top is 20mm in diameter solid steel, whereas the original was a hollow 17mm rod. Hardware used were M10 bolts and nuts cut to fit.
You may notice variances in the shift linkage compared to the earlier pic, as the height of the joints was reduced due to rubbing the guibo and longshaft.
Gearshift Rod Joint
The Gearshift Rod Joint received a 10mm ID custom nylon bush, which had to be re-fabricated as the first prototype measured 10.2mm, resulting in a bit of free play. On the far right is a piece of 3mm thick 8mm ID fuel hose, that replaces a sponge inside the Gearshift Rod Joint that disintegrates over time. Mine mysteriously disappeared leaving traces of powdery substance.
Shift Lever
Moving on to the shifter, i reduced the top end by 10mm.
While increasing the throw below by approximately 15mm, achieved by:1. Machining a steel collar(should have used iron)2. Welding the collar onto the original collar (screwing up the old bushing along the way)3. Pressing in a nylon bush with 10mm ID
Note: The collar actually cracked on one side after the bush had been pressed in, and eventually broke during my trial fit and dry shifting, I attribute it to the improper pressing of the bush, and also the brittleness of steel. So I had it rewelded and personally pressed in the bush after sanding both surfaces smooth and using lubricant to get the bush in.Top end of the shifter was aluminium - so argon tig welding was used, while the bottom half was iron - it was stainless steel welded. How it looks in its entirety. Not the prettiest sight, but it's all underneath the car away from prying eyes:
Putting It All TogetherHow everything looks fitted together. This is what you would see if you were looking from underneath the car. The longshaft would be in your way though, bear in mind.
http://i122.photobucket.com/albums/o248/Raja_Mongkut/IMG_4801.jpg
It's a tight fit on the transmission end, so the length of bolts had to be precise down to the millimeter.
http://i122.photobucket.com/albums/o248/Raja_Mongkut/IMG_4803.jpg
Meanwhile on the shifter end, an increase of 15mm was pretty drastic for a short shifter, and the DSSR was less than 10mm away from the longshaft therefore precise measurements had to be observed here as well.
http://i122.photobucket.com/albums/o248/Raja_Mongkut/IMG_4802.jpg
Initial Impressions
The shifter definitely feels notchier and tighter. Throw is also severely shortened. Side-to side freeplay is dramatically reduced, while front to back freeplay is virtually non-existant. The previous cracked collar gave me a scare. But I drove it around the neighbourhood, and got ambitious and drove to TTDI (15km journey) the next day. All is good, a tight shifter definitely puts a gleam on your face, and gives you those 'wtf I'm already in gear?' moments. I'm not slamming thru the gears as I constantly remind myself that i installed a short shifter, not a quick shifter. Will upload a video in the not too distant future, but for now, I'm happy with my mod. On a sidenote some audible squeaking happening under the car, could be friction between the metal linkages, will take a peek soon.
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