digitalfiend
Expert Overthinker
T56 Short Throw Shifter Modification
I did a T56 conversion in my 2004 Tahoe and I fabricated a custom shifter arm to fit within the left side of the stock cup holder. The fabricated shifter arm worked perfectly except for one problem: the throws were very long due to the required height of the shifter arm.
I had three options:
Live With It
This was not acceptable to me...let's move on.
Buy A Short Throw Shifter For $200-$250 (at least)
This was realistic option except that wasn't sure what the outcome would be. Since I'd have to go with a short throw shifter designed for a Camaro they would be designed for a much shorter shifter arm, so the chance was slim that it would account for the longer shifter arm that I had to fabricate to match the height of my Tahoe's center console. If I bought a nice shifter, but it didn't meed my needs then I would probably not be able to return it. The bottom line is that this was a somewhat risky option as it may not provide enough improvement over the stock T56 shifter.
Buy A Lathe And Make My Own Short Throw Shifter
I bought a short throw shift kit for my last vehicle's 5-speed transmission that used a design much similar to the one I settled on. I also found a deal for a used Harbor Freight 7x10 mini lathe for $300. If my initial design of the short throw shifter didn't work then I could use the lathe to build variations until I got it right.
I decided to buy the used lathe and make my own parts for the short throw shifter. Once I had the lathe and a couple HSS cutting tools for it I needed some raw material to use for the shifter components. As luck would have it, I recently upgraded my Tahoe's rear shocks to QA1 shocks and I had my leftover stock shocks. I decided to carefully depressurize the shocks and then cut them open and see if I could use their internals as the basis for this. If you decide to do this then do your homework about depressurizing the shock because it can be very dangerous. Here are the shocks being cut open:
I ended up using the main chrome rod that has the top eyelet screwed onto it. Here are the internals of the first shock:
Once I trimmed the main part of the shock to the right length I got started on turning it in my lathe to the right shape and dimensions:
Here is the stock T56 shifter next to the extension just before I reached the right shape:
And here's a trial fit:
Then I drilled and tapped three holes in it:
Here's what it looks like with the three bolts installed and torqued down with medium loctite applied. It was installed minutes after this photo:
I also welded a spacer made of 3/8" thick steel that bolts between the transmission (where the shifter normally goes) and the modified shifter. Unfortunately, I didn't get a picture of it. If I disassemble the shifter soon I may get some photos of it, but don't hold your breath.
The shifter throws are now much better...I don't knock over drinks that are sitting next to it in the cup holder and I don't bang the shifter arm on the front or rear of the center console. Unfortunately, this idea worked a little too well as the shifter throws are a little less than what I wanted, but it's very usable. I am going to drive it for a few weeks before I decide to build another version or keep it the way it is. I haven't done the exact math yet, but I believe it is a 60-70% throw reduction from the stock configuration I was using.
I did a T56 conversion in my 2004 Tahoe and I fabricated a custom shifter arm to fit within the left side of the stock cup holder. The fabricated shifter arm worked perfectly except for one problem: the throws were very long due to the required height of the shifter arm.
I had three options:
Live With It
This was not acceptable to me...let's move on.
Buy A Short Throw Shifter For $200-$250 (at least)
This was realistic option except that wasn't sure what the outcome would be. Since I'd have to go with a short throw shifter designed for a Camaro they would be designed for a much shorter shifter arm, so the chance was slim that it would account for the longer shifter arm that I had to fabricate to match the height of my Tahoe's center console. If I bought a nice shifter, but it didn't meed my needs then I would probably not be able to return it. The bottom line is that this was a somewhat risky option as it may not provide enough improvement over the stock T56 shifter.
Buy A Lathe And Make My Own Short Throw Shifter
I bought a short throw shift kit for my last vehicle's 5-speed transmission that used a design much similar to the one I settled on. I also found a deal for a used Harbor Freight 7x10 mini lathe for $300. If my initial design of the short throw shifter didn't work then I could use the lathe to build variations until I got it right.
I decided to buy the used lathe and make my own parts for the short throw shifter. Once I had the lathe and a couple HSS cutting tools for it I needed some raw material to use for the shifter components. As luck would have it, I recently upgraded my Tahoe's rear shocks to QA1 shocks and I had my leftover stock shocks. I decided to carefully depressurize the shocks and then cut them open and see if I could use their internals as the basis for this. If you decide to do this then do your homework about depressurizing the shock because it can be very dangerous. Here are the shocks being cut open:
I ended up using the main chrome rod that has the top eyelet screwed onto it. Here are the internals of the first shock:
Once I trimmed the main part of the shock to the right length I got started on turning it in my lathe to the right shape and dimensions:
Here is the stock T56 shifter next to the extension just before I reached the right shape:
And here's a trial fit:
Then I drilled and tapped three holes in it:
Here's what it looks like with the three bolts installed and torqued down with medium loctite applied. It was installed minutes after this photo:
I also welded a spacer made of 3/8" thick steel that bolts between the transmission (where the shifter normally goes) and the modified shifter. Unfortunately, I didn't get a picture of it. If I disassemble the shifter soon I may get some photos of it, but don't hold your breath.
The shifter throws are now much better...I don't knock over drinks that are sitting next to it in the cup holder and I don't bang the shifter arm on the front or rear of the center console. Unfortunately, this idea worked a little too well as the shifter throws are a little less than what I wanted, but it's very usable. I am going to drive it for a few weeks before I decide to build another version or keep it the way it is. I haven't done the exact math yet, but I believe it is a 60-70% throw reduction from the stock configuration I was using.
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