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Ron Stygar Carl Buckland Dale Beuning Forums Help
From digest.v7.n1335 Wed Mar 18 12:38:33 1998
>From: ChrisBourk <ChrisBourk_at_aol.com> There have been many posts on this subject recently, and I've had several private enquiries. Here's what I wrote a few days ago in a private message to another Digester: There are 2 basic short shift kit designs: the AC Schnitzer, and all the others. The others - including the Korman and Metric Mechanic kits - use the stock pivot carrier casting and location. In order to shorten the shift throw, their shift lever instead has an extended lower length (below the pivot ball). This design is simpler and cheaper to make. As it's been described to me, the ASC kit supplies a special extra part, a revised casting for the pivot carrier which raises the pivot point. This shortens the upper arm of the shifter, lengthens the lower one, and results in a shift throw reduction. So far so good; there should be no inherent advantage of one design over the other. However, when you extend the lower arm of the shift lever, as the Korman and other kits do, its end gets close to the drive shaft and guibo (flexible coupling). Since the drive shaft can shift around, a clearance must be left between it and the bottom end of the shifter. The amount of shift throw reduction that can be obtained with this type of design is therefore inherently limited. That said, the Korman SS kit is quite well made. The lever has a rubber vibration dampener insert like the stock part. The lower pivot eye is nicely welded to the arm, and the lower arm assembly is plated after welding. Once installed, the fit is good, with no slop at all. The installation instructions were badly photocopied and not very well written, but had the info needed. The kit had all the parts required. Shift throw is substantially reduced, and shift precision much improved. Within the limitations of the basic design concept, the only real room for improvement would be to play with the vibration dampener calibration to cut down on transmitted noise a bit more. But that's not a major issue. Would I rather have had the ACS kit? Yes. Was (am) I prepared no pay $800 for the ACS kit? No.
Neil |
