Shifter

Comments on the importance of the reverse lockout plate on aftermarket shifters?
I have an Empi trigger on right now and I LOVE the way it shifts but hate the way it looks (too clunky). I remember reading something someone said on a thread (TC maybe?) about cutting off the shaft and welding a stock shifter shaft in it's place?
The Empi cover for the base is a cheap plastic piece of crap. I was hoping to get a round rubber boot (don't like to leather ones) and an earlier stock bent shaft to make it look a little more "original".
I like the base on the Bugpack and Berg shifters but I HATE the "T" handle with the button.
So, I was wondering if any of them could be modified to look more stock. The trigger/button to engage reverse add the the "clunkyness". Is getting rid of the reverse lockout just a matter of being careful not to pull it into reverse when trying for 2nd?

Mickey, I absolutely recommend the CSP shifter. It shifts as well as any direct linkage I've ever had, and you can get it in several styles and ratios. Picture attached.

You DO NOT want to get rid of the lock-out. It's far too easy to hit reverse when you're aiming for second and the lock-out is either not working, or (in your case) not there. It's particularly easy on a 3-2 downshift. I suppose you could go back to the stock shifter, but you would probably be dissappointed in the shifting feel.

For my Pre-A I ended up buying one of those Flat 4 shifters at a parts jumble. Any shifter with a built-in spring loaded reverse detent rather than a separate external lock-out will work.

Cut the shaft, weld on the stock old-style bent rod and done. You'll NEVER hit reverse by accident, unless you stop in neutral during the shift, find the "notch", pull the handle as far to the left as possible and then back towards your A$$.

If you manage to pull this off during the first to second shift, you're either an idiot or my Sister. Either way, you shouldn't be driving a standard shift.

With a nice boot from Vintage and the stock ivory shift knob, it'll have that sweet "stock" look, all of the modern mechanism will be hidden beneath the shift boot, and it'll shift as smoothly, and quickly as can be.

Easy Peasy!

Of course . . . Lane's caution about the third to second down shift DOES still apply. Sometimes in the excitement of down shifting for a nice sweeping turn or an emergency, you can exert enough force to over-ride the notch and spring tension in the best of this type of shifter and "grind a pound of sirloin" . . . depends on your skill and comfort level

In Lane's case, it's when he's downshifting from 3'rd to 2'nd AND making a right hand turn into the clubhouse driveway at the golf course in his neighborhood.

It must be embarrassing when everyone looks to see who's grinding the gears....