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Scat shifter (and others)

Lane AndersonLane AndersonMt. Pleasant, SC Supporting Member
I've asked for info about "the best shifter" before, and most folks swear by the Gene Berg, but I'm reluctant to go that route because it would look a little out of place in my car. The best ones all seem to have a button or trigger handle for the reverse lockout. The latter might allow me to replace the T-handle (which they all seem to have) with a regular knob, thereby making it fit into the rest of the interior a little more aesthetically. The only two others that seem to fit this description are the CSP from Germany and the Scat DragFast. I can't seem to get a response to my requests for information from the CSP folks, so I was wondering if anyone had experience with the Scat shifter. They seem to go for around $75 on The Samba. It looks like the main T-handle can be exchanged for something else, so it might work for me. Thoughts?

Formerly 2006 Beck Speedster (Carlisle build car), 1964 Beck Super Coupe

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Lane AndersonLane AndersonMt. Pleasant, SC Supporting Member
I've asked for info about "the best shifter" before, and most folks swear by the Gene Berg, but I'm reluctant to go that route because it would look a little out of place in my car. The best ones all seem to have a button or trigger handle for the reverse lockout. The latter might allow me to replace the T-handle (which they all seem to have) with a regular knob, thereby making it fit into the rest of the interior a little more aesthetically. The only two others that seem to fit this description are the CSP from Germany and the Scat DragFast. I can't seem to get a response to my requests for information from the CSP folks, so I was wondering if anyone had experience with the Scat shifter. They seem to go for around $75 on The Samba. It looks like the main T-handle can be exchanged for something else, so it might work for me. Thoughts?
chines1chines1
There's one of my cars on ebay now with a Scat shifter on it. Bill DeJohn, the guy who assembled, called me to tell me how much he liked the Scat shifter, and how precise it was. Without any 1st hand experience with it, that's the best I can do...

From the pictures I can tell you I do not care for the T handle look, but it can't possibly be that hard to adapt something else.

I've had a few Flat 4 Eliminator shifters on order w. CB for several months... I've heard nothing but good things about them too, although I can't seem to get my hands on one.
El FrazooEl Frazoo Supporting Member
I am getting a little confused here -- a state I am too familar with these days. Anyway, are we talking about looks here or function? Maybe some of each. Is the reason to switch to, say, an EMPI because it works better, or looks better? I am finding the stock VW arrangement sorta sloppy, and don't know if it is because of fundamental design or just age. Personally, I guess I am w/ Lane: I'd like a conventional looking shifter (that is, not a T handle) that works better.
FM Former Member
Lane, will be there all next week if I don't get dragged to NYC this week for another firefight at work...I wanna be a fedex guy.. "Here, deliver this and go home, then come back tomorrow for more."

Anyway, I haven't forgotten to get in touch with you, just busy, but its comin. By Wednesday I will be itching to escape family for a few hours even if I have to buy the beer.

James
Lane AndersonLane AndersonMt. Pleasant, SC Supporting Member
Sounds good, James. I'll wait to hear from you. Are you bringing the IM?

Kelly - Yeah, it's a bit of both. The stock shifter, particularly with the Nardi shift knob, looks real nice, but I don't care for the sloppiness or the length of the throws. The Gene Berg I drove (in Pearl) felt perfect, but would look out of place in a non-outlaw Speedster. The CSP is available with a knob and reverse lock-out trigger, or with a push-button T-handle. The Scat comes with a T-handle (that looks easily removed and replaced) and a separate pull trigger for reverse lock-out. At ~$90 it looks like it's worth a try, but I'm in no big hurry.
El FrazooEl Frazoo Supporting Member
Right: no big hurry. What I have works if I'm careful, but is not satisfying. My other (real??) car is a five speed w/ reverse over to the right and aft (no push down). I am very used to this motion for reverse. On a few occassions, when backing and filling in the Speedster, and being pressed for time and moving fast, the old muscle-memory locks in and I go for the right and down motion, which thoroughly confuses the linkages and the shifter gets totally out of whack -- like a dislocated shoulder. First time through this I thought it was broke, and I'm stuck in the middle of the road. Managed to fanaggle it back into postion, but could not tell you what happened nor how it got right again, just glad it did. It was at that moment I decided an upgrade was needed.
FM Former Member
My car came with a T-handle shifter of unknown make. It was the perfect hight and had a short, smooth throw BUT there was no way to adapt a knob to fit it. The handle and shifter seemed to be made of the same chunk of metal.

I love my EMPI trigger shifter; the rosewood knob was overpriced but looks great.
FM Former Member
I was in the Batcave again yesterday when a new Berg shifter arrived in the mail. Holeeee crap. $280 for a shifter?

Kelly, I'd keep what'cha got. Your car shifts as reliably as any other I've ever driven. Maybe not as precisely as it could, but it's a champ the way it is!

Lane, it'd look like an anvil on a bicycle if you put one of those giant Berg honkers in the middle of all that open space. Why are you always trying to trade the "works fine" for the "works better?" Geeez. :)
El FrazooEl Frazoo Supporting Member
And I have a "bone to pick" (pun intended, as you will see in a sec)w/ Gordon -- having nothing to do w/ anything. Gordon, have you ever seen owl poop? This must be the most un-slick poop in the animal kingdon. Turns out the owl is remarkably efficient in its metabolism and, since they eat mostly mice, their poop, if you want to call it that, is more like a fur ball: just these dry little nuggets of hair and bones, and naught else. Never had the experience of this material anywhere near a shifter, but can't imagine it being slippery. Now snot on a door knob, that would be slick . . .
El FrazooEl Frazoo Supporting Member
Gordon: wrt owls: maybe they spit the little fur/bone balls out the top end, and actully do have slick poop out the other end. I'll have to do more research. Some years back I had the opp'y to observe a breeding pair of Great Horned owls at very close distance (an interesting story I'll save for another time) and was intrigued by these little balls of bones left all about the perch and nest. Magnificent creatures, by any measure, and whether slippery or not, I'd suggest keeping them out of Speedsters.
Lane AndersonLane AndersonMt. Pleasant, SC Supporting Member
Ron, I've driven Gordon Nichol's Gene Berg, and my CSP. The CSP with a ball knob and reverse lockout trigger looks fine in a Speedster (see picture) and shifts very much like the Berg. Gordon's driven my car with it and gave it his blessing. If you don't like the looks of the Berg (fine for a wide-body, but not right for a traditional Speedster to my eyes) check out the CSP. They have a US distributor (www.csp-usa.com, I think) and now they are available through Cip.1.

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