ANyone have a Brandwood Shifter?

Just bought a Beck Spyder and would like to get some input from anyone who has installed a Brandwood Shifter. The VW-type shifter on the car now is a challenge (i.e., pain in the rear) to use. The seller told me about the Brandwood, but I know zip about it, including who sells it, who can install one, pros and cons, etc. Oh yes, forgot about the price tag.

I've never seen one on a VW based car, but I've seen them used on Formula cars at the SCCA events. From what I recall it's a simple cable shift (two cables) that mounts where ever you like it, high, low, whatever. Real simple but they had trouble with reverse . . . we did a LOT of pushing for the guys in the adjacent bay. Could have been their trans though . . .

I bet that the sand rail crowd knows ALL about them. Might be a bit like the Jamar units, but I don't know for sure.

Luck,

TC

Barry,

Have you had a mechanic look at your trans? I'd do that before I go looking to adapt anything else. There really isn't anything much simpler than a VW set up, well there is, but for replicar purposes.
It might just need adjusting. If you aren't comfortable with a mechanic in Napa as yet, go see my man Ted in Vallejo, 648-1463.

He can give the gears the once over and at the same time you might ask him about alternative shifters, he's been at it, stock, buggy, hi-po and all that... although he has a conservative vein that needs pushing a bit,he's a good guy, and reasonable (and believe me, I've pushed the performance envelope)

Thanks, Paul. I will give him a call. It is difficult in knowing whether or not the shift mechanism is the way it should be or not, since I haven't had a VW (a 1966)since 1970. Its shifter was a tall one, IIRC. I also had a 1960, without synchronized first gear. The shifter works okay, but if an improvement is out there, I want to pursue it. I will give Ted a call tomorrow.

The Brandwood is a nice improvement over the old stock shifter mechanism. Smooth as butter.
We no longer use the rod shifter at all, and have made our own cable shifter. However, the Brandwood is easier to retro-fit than ours. All in all it takes me about an hour to convert to a Brandwood.
Brandwood Cars in Phoenix, AZ. (602)437-3107 Jim Cunningham is the guy to talk to. You'll need the 84" model, but Jim knows that.
They start around $400 ($419 + shipping I think) in stamped metal and they offer a nice chromed version too.

Off to SEMA. See ya'll next week.


Carey

Thanks, Carey. I retire at the end of the year and will probably get to the Phoenix area sometime next Spring, provided it doesn't interfere with the huge Event at Paso Robles. Rumor has it that thousands will attend and that Manto will handle all the details, arrange for several hundred vendors, plus free likker for all the attendees and huge motel discounts. But back to Brandwood. I definitely will check it out. Thanks again for the tip.

Carey, I just talked to Jim Cunningham in Phoenix. He said the Brandwood is now called the Cableshift. It has the same shift pattern like the VW. They have had very few problems with it. Costs
$419 for the unit itself; installation is around $250 extra, depending on the amount of labor it takes. Labor varies, since they do sanddrails, etc. Jim also mentioned that if there are people who have mechanical experience in my area, the unit can be installed here, with Jim guiding the installation over the phone. I will be in Phoenix in March, 2006, and plan on the installation.

Barry, I am kind of new and just courious why you would change shifters, and what you think the positive will be. I am here in Phoenix, and could change it with out any problem. Always looking at ways to make my car better. Thanks,

Jerry

Jerry,

The cable shift is for the spyder, mid engine configuration. I haven't seen a cable shift for the speedster, but that doesn't mean they don't make one...

Barry,
The installation is very simple. Requires some minor fabrication and removal of the front part of the two rails that the stock shifter attach to. The set up is a little more tedious. I set everything to a "neutral" position and then fine adjustments of about 1/16 of a turn at a time on the cable attachment points to dial it in. You will loose the front half of the glass "center tunnel" that covers the current shifter, but I have our upholsterer make a new shift boot that covers the cable box and runs back over the cables themselves, until they are back into what is left of the "center tunnel".

Jerry, I haven't had a VW in 35 years, but IIRC, my 1966 VW shifted a bit better than the one in the Beck Spyder. I could be wrong, since I have not driven another car to compare it with. There may be nothing wrong with the existing shifter, but I do feel that if there is an improved shifter, I would like to at least consider it. Since you live in Phoenix, is there any chance we could get together in March or early April. Maybe you could drive my car and let me know what you think. Maybe the existing shifter needs adjusting, if it is possible to adjust these things.

Maybe I have just become spoiled with Japanese cars. I would gladly pay $650 for a smooth shifter.

Please let me know if you would like to compare notes in Phoenix?

Thanks,

Berry, I will be here in Phoenix in both March, which by the way is spring training time, and April, and it would be great if we could get together and drive each others car. I do have a guy in here Phoenix that is doing some work on my car, as we speak, and says that he has it shifting like "butter" will see in the next day of two. Just drop me an email, or anyone else that is comeing this we, and we can get together and compare notes.

Jerry

Thanks for the invite, Jerry. See you in March or April; I will copy your address down on my 2006 calendar and email you off-site
a couple of weeks before I come down.

Barry