A while ago I had Billsy modify my shifter, he said he keeps forgetting to put up a DIY for this, so before I put it back in I thought I’d write it up as I drank beer whilst watching Billsy’s TIG skills in action on my OEM shifter.

Reason to modify
Achieve a shorter throw for your gear changes.

Time required
Approxiamtely 1 hours.

Skills Required
Basic Welding.

Cost:
$0 DIY (or a donation to Billsy’s beer collection)

Parts needed.
1. 1 x Stock Shifter that you’re willing to change

Tools Required.
1. Hack Saw (or angle grinder)
2. Flat Files.
3. Circlip Pliers (not require but turns a 2hours of pain into 20 seconds of painless work.

Notes:
The picture shown is a finished product, but I should be able to talk you through it.

The length of the throw is determined by 2 things:
1.    The arc that the shifter goes through (distance from ball centre to linkage centre)
2.    The total length of the shifter (distance from ball to top of shifter).
Billsy altered both of these for me:
- total length reduced by 5mm
- bottom distance increased by 10mm.



Method.

1.  Remove your stock shifter
    - Remove gear knob
    - Remove gear boot
    - Remove circliip from bottom of plastic cup (GenII and GenIII, maybe GenIV) [GenIII Pictured]

2.  Remove ball from base of shifter with a punch or handy screw (ala Billsy Spec)

3.  Trim back larger outer sleeve about 10mm with grinder (avoid grinding the inner rubber as it stinks real bad. [larger green line as picture]

4.  Cut the centre part just above the larger outer shifter

5.  Determine the amount that you wish to increase the lower distance by and cut thar from the top section and put that piece to 1 side.

6.  Determine the amount that you wish to reduce the shifter length by and cute that from the top section and dispose

7.  Cut the bottom section about halfway between the bottom of the large shaft and where the ball attaches, this the yellow line

8.  Weld the small section that you’ve put aside. In between the lower sections (the gap between the yellow lines)

9.  Re weld the top half of the shifter together (with the 2 pieces removed).

10.  Open a beer and admire your handiwork!!

11.  Re-attach ball to shifter and re-insert pin.

12.  Grease the ball and install shifter into cup and mechanism (don’t forget the circlip at the bottom)

Cheers
Darryl