Hi everyone. I have a PBS shifter in my Vintage Spyder, and its feeling a little odd. So I wanted to compare it with others out there, BUT I can't find any video or close up pics of the shifter in stock form to see if my parts are the same as stock. Attached are the shifter I am speaking about along with the 2 lengths I looking for. Thanks for the help!
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Describe "a little odd". We need a better description of the problem.
Those parts only come one way/length, and as long as there is no binding in the pivots, your problem probably isn't there.
More likely that the clutch slave isn't releasing the clutch all the way or there is an internal transmission fault.
I see you're in California, but Vintage is 6 hours away from you. Maybe you can get some local help?
Guys?
Well I think there are aftermarket parts on this one, so the first thing I would like to do is just compare mine to the stock versions. Is there a way I can see what parts are used, and where I can buy them? I just wanna put everything back to stock.
as for "a little odd" it Just feels loose, as well as hard to shift. But again, I just wanna start at the shifter itself and get it back to stock.
Michael is in Walnut Creek so he's in Northern California. If he wants to check out a Spyder he could contact @Rick99GSX who is in NorCal. If he needs something fixed he could see Anthony at Classic Autowerks and his email is:
Tony@anthonysclassicautowerks.com
I'm not sure of any other Spyder owners in NorCal so Rick is my only suggestion.
There's two of us in the Vacaville area. My shifter looks very similar to yours and my friends shifter is a replica of a real 550 so it's completely different. I got my shifter from Greg at Vintage and installed it myself a year or so ago.
If you want to check it out just let me know. The car is currently on the lift for some upgrades (550 Sebring exhaust), a bit of maintenance and to take care of a leak near the nose cone.
@Rick99GSX posted:There's two of us in the Vacaville area. My shifter looks very similar to yours and my friends shifter is a replica of a real 550 so it's completely different. I got my shifter from Greg at Vintage and installed it myself a year or so ago.
If you want to check it out just let me know. The car is currently on the lift for some upgrades (550 Sebring exhaust), a bit of maintenance and to take care of a leak near the nose cone.
@MichalM Ricardo Montiel says you guys can meet up. Reach out to him here.
@MichalM Is your car a Seduction car? It looks like it. Type I or Subaru motor?
Mine is a Seduction, and that shifter was "stock" for Seduction. Your hand brake is different than mine and your shift lever is WAY longer than mine. Every one of our cars are unique, so finding what came stock really doesn't matter, they're replicas. More like replicas of a replica.
The measurements on my shifter are 28mm and 16mm for those two spots that you have highlighted. I agree with Danny though. Maybe it just came out of adjustment? Check to see if the locknuts are tight at the ends of the cables at the transmission.
@MichalM I was able to get in the car real quick and my measurements came out to roughly 24mm and 14mm. To be honest most of what you describe sounds like it may be adjusted at the tail end of the car where the linkage for the cables are at.
@MichalM Did you figure it out?
That cable shifter is newish to our part of the auto world and no one has really posted much about it yet. That's why we really haven't posted any real information on it. Whatever you find out about it, adjusting, etc., let us know.
We'd like to know if you figured it out, anyway.
I've installed two of these units in Spyders.
There really isn't much to post about. All you need to do is adjust the cables so the lever is straight up in neutral.
A slight trim/chamfer on the reverse shift fork is the only modification needed to the transmission. The nose cone studs get removed and replaced with bolts so you can get the cable shift mechanism onto the trans. The cable shifter has to slide on sideways.
There are throw adjustments, that's it. Mine is in the longer throw positions, since my shift lever is shortened(by me). Greg and Carey both make longer shift levers like the original 550s had, for those I recommend that the fore-aft cable use the shorter throw hole in the trans lever.
As long as the shift lever pivots have no play, the cables have smooth sweeps and the ends are tight, there really isn't much to them. Also check the bolts holding the nosecone on, and especially the two studs that hold the cable bracket to the transmission.
That's it, they're pretty straightforward.
If there is a shifting problem after checking and verifying all the above points, the problem resides in the trans itself or the clutch mechanism.
Hey Danny,
Thanks for the write up. Would it be possible to take pics of some the parts you are talking about? I'm more of a visual learner, and any pics of the parts you are mentioning would be super helpful.
Cheers!
Here are a few of my setup.
Mine looks identical to Carlos, except I use the further out hole in the fore-aft throw(horizontal arm rather than the vertical arm at the trans), it lessens the effort required to get into gear.
Do you see the two studs/nuts holding the chrome cable bracket to the trans? Check them for snug: 14 ft. lbs., not more.
Hey Carlos, my car is a seduction car with a Subie Motor. Carlos, do you have any more of your setup from the other side? Again, to see what and where the parts are that make up the shifter.
Danny, you mentioned "All you need to do is adjust the cables so the lever is straight up in neutral" Mind currently leans over to the passenger side when in Neutral. What do I do to adjust that, to make it stay straight up? Thanks!
Put her in neutral.
Disconnect one of the cables at the transmission. Move the end of the cable and watch the shift lever. If it moves front to back, just reconnect it and get the other one. If it wags side to side, that's the one you want.
Now, move the cable aft and back until your shifter is straight up. Put the cable end back near the lug you just removed it from. Notice you'll have to make the cable either longer or shorter in order to get it back on the lug. Loosen the jamb nut that secures the spherical bearing on the end of the cable. Now spin that bearing by half turns until the cable wants to fit right where it's supposed to. (If it won't quite, see about those two really big nuts that secure the cable to the bracket on the back of the trans...but it's gonna fit without this step probably). Tighten the nut. Check your gears with the engine off, then start and do it again.
Readjust as necessary.
If it leans to the right, and you push forward does it go into third gear?
If so, put it in first or second and see if it's on the vertical plane. That's where it should be, 1-2 shift fork is in the middle, 3-4 to the right, and obviously reverse is to the left.
If not, adjust the cable ends/housing ends BOTH at the transmission end of things.
@Carlos G posted:
Nice pics, Carlos.
Hey Danny, yes when my gear when in neutral it leans right. And if I push forward it goes into third. If its verticale it goes into 1st and 2nd. So that seems to be in a good spot then, thank you.
Thanks for the PICS Carlos!
