Knowing what an improvement the shortshifter was in Arno's Elise, I
also wanted one. After some searching I found a good option, that
wasn't too expensive and only modified the forward/backward throw and
not left to right. It is made by Gema
Motorsport and costs EUR 79,00
excluding shipping. Fortunatly Arno was available to help me putting it in, otherwise it
probably wouldn't have worked. Looking back the procedure it actually
wasn't too hard, you just have to know how much force you can use. Your browser does not support the video tag.\ First you have to remove the two cables that go to the gear leaver. You need some leverage to do this, using for example a spanner. The part you're going to exchange is held in place by a small pin. This pin was a major headache to get out. After trying different methods we went with the "Use more force" option. Taking a pin drift, mounting a socket on that plus some extentions, you can use a hammer to actually knock it down. It might be easier to remove the water reservoir from the holder.
Another tip is using some penetrating oil on the pin. Give it enough time though to crawl between the hole and the pin. Next you need to take the other part of the gearbox control axis. It is held in place by a metal ring and a plastic washer. It is very handy to have a mirror, so you actually have an idea of what you have to do.
After a lot of fidling you're left with these:
You'll then be able to take out the first lever.
Then you can take out the second lever, including the rubber bushing. Save the bushing, you need it for the replacement lever!
When you put the two levers next to eachother, you can see the big difference. Not only is the replacement it shorter, but it's also lighter. The extra "wings" are probably to dampen vibration when using the gearbox on an Astra or Zafira. Doesn't seem to be very usefull on the Speedster, I can't notice any difference in vibration.
Before putting everything back, all components should be greased up. Finally, put the two levers back.
Then you hook up the two cables again and you're ready to go! This is how it looks with 35% reduction in place. Your browser does not support the video tag.\ The result is pretty good. The throw of the gear lever is shorter, but not too much . Gear change has more feel to it and is a lot quicker. This setup suits the car much better. |