Sr/Ka short shifter in a Rb20det Trans?

[RB20DETodd]

Hello, i did a search on this but before i spend 70 bucks on a short shifter for my rb20det i just want to verify that the the sr/ka shifter fits in a rb20det trans.

thanks.

[Andrew85cm]

You must have not searched very hard. Yes the KA and SR series short shifter kind of fits but there are some modifications you must do first to make it fit and act like it it suppose to. Here is the link that shows the required mods to get it to work as it should. It descripes swapping out the arms that the shifter goes into and also the redrilling of one of the holes in the B&M style shifter. For future reference check the stickies at the top. zerothread?id=112010

[Carl H]

any 'c's style shifter will bolt in without any mods, its the b&m that needs help.

[RB20DETodd]

You must have not searched very hard. Yes the KA and SR series short shifter kind of fits but there are some modifications you must do first to make it fit and act like it it suppose to. Here is the link that shows the required mods to get it to work as it should. It descripes swapping out the arms that the shifter goes into and also the redrilling of one of the holes in the B&M style shifter. For future reference check the stickies at the top. zerothread?id=112010

Yeah i searched and saw that post but i dont want to go with the B&M shifter i was thinking somthing like this one in the link, i take it its a direct drop in?

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors...wItem

thanks.

[streetracer]

Would not go with that shifter since it only sets on top of the trans and has the risk of pulling off or vibrating loose. i have one from ebay and it starting to fall apart do to vibration and so i am going to go for a b&M short shifter.

[RB20DETodd]

Would not go with that shifter since it only sets on top of the trans and has the risk of pulling off or vibrating loose. i have one from ebay and it starting to fall apart do to vibration and so i am going to go for a b&M short shifter.

Isnt it kind of like a direct replacement held in the same way with the snap ring?

[Wulfgang]

That shifter will work, although it is not a direct replacement like you think. A snap ring does not hold it in. Rather, those two "C" shaped parts clamp around the protrusion on the top of the OEM shifter plate.

There are a few problems with this setup. 1) It is very difficult to get it installed. Those C clamps are a PITA. Also, the supplied bolts are soooo short that it is difficult to get them to reach the C clamps unless you press down hard on the shifter. 2) The machining isn't perfect. There are lock washers supplied to hold the C clamp bolts, but the lock washers often don't fit in the drilled holes (go figure). So you end up using Thread Locker instead, which can be a pain also. 3) Because of the design, the shifting performance is tightly linked to how much you torque down on the C clamp bolts. Clamp down too tight and shifting is difficult. Too light and shifting is sloppy. And 4), the largest problem is sealing. There is no seal to keep the dirt out of your transmission. I think OBX expects you to use an OEM seal boot, but the bottom of the boot has nothing to hold onto (it would normally be hugging the protrusion, but now there are C clamps on the protrusion). So you'll end up trying to glue the bottom of the boot to a machined aluminum surface, which of course does not work well.

In the end, you'll probably be worried about getting dirt into your transmission as you drive around town. That's when you'll start thinking that maybe $200 for a B&M isn't so bad. You'll pull that piece of !@#$ OBX shifter out, put your old shifter back in, and start saving for the B&M.
Modified by Wulfgang at 3:04 PM 9/29/2005

[RB20DETodd]

That shifter will work, although it is not a direct replacement like you think. A snap ring does not hold it in. Rather, those two "C" shaped parts clamp around the protrusion on the top of the OEM shifter plate.

There are a few problems with this setup. 1) It is very difficult to get it installed. Those C clamps are a PITA. Also, the supplied bolts are soooo short that it is difficult to get them to reach the C clamps unless you press down hard on the shifter. 2) The machining isn't perfect. There are lock washers supplied to hold the C clamp bolts, but the lock washers often don't fit in the drilled holes (go figure). So you end up using Thread Locker instead, which can be a pain also. 3) Because of the design, the shifting performance is tightly linked to how much you torque down on the C clamp bolts. Clamp down too tight and shifting is difficult. Too light and shifting is sloppy. And 4), the largest problem is sealing. There is no seal to keep the dirt out of your transmission. I think OBX expects you to use an OEM seal boot, but the bottom of the boot has nothing to hold onto (it would normally be hugging the protrusion, but now there are C clamps on the protrusion). So you'll end up trying to glue the bottom of the boot to a machined aluminum surface, which of course does not work well.

In the end, you'll probably be worried about getting dirt into your transmission as you drive around town. That's when you'll start thinking that maybe $200 for a B&M isn't so bad. You'll pull that piece of !@#$ OBX shifter out, put your old shifter back in, and start saving for the B&M.

Modified by Wulfgang at 3:04 PM 9/29/2005

Thanks for the reply very good info, i hear ya do it right the first time.

thanks again