[Tigers] Short Sh(r)ift

[Thomas Witt]

Wow, that is a lot!  The early Tigers came with short shifters.  Mine's the 
101st and it is short.  I think shift length is all about where you prefer 
to position your seat, the length of your arm and where you are expecting it 
to be when you grab for it.  My Tiger is not running, but I mocked up me 
seat years ago and determined the short shifter was too far forward for me. 
I'm 6 feet tall and long waisted. I also prefer to sit back with my legs out 
(I loved my 240Z for that!).  Planning for the future I purchased a Galaxy 
(I believe bench seat) shift for about $15.

 The plan is to cut it to a preferred fitment.  Then carefully weld the 
segments back together hoping to not fill the inner tube with weld.  The 
reverse lock out cable I recall just brazes to the piece on the end.  Thus, 
that part just requires cutting the cable to size and redoing it.  I would 
just advise anyone trying something like this to test any alterations all 
the way through.  When I put my 2.3 Turbo/T-5 in my Pinto the Turbo Coupe 
shifter was all wrong (for me).  However, when I got the knob of the shifter 
where it seemed I wanted it..., the actually motion (leverage) was all wrong 
for the car to shift properly.  It took a bit of "fiddling" to get the 
leverage and position to where both were co-existing with each other - and 
with me.

Tom

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "robertdhogan" <robertdhogan at gmail.com>
To: <tigers at autox.team.net>
Sent: Thursday, January 23, 2014 3:07 PM
Subject: [Tigers] Short Sh(r)ift


> Although short top-loader shifters are very rare, is there any significant
> advantage to using a short shifter in the Tiger?  A short shifter sold on
> e-pay for $422.99 this week.  Seems that some resourceful individual might
> be able to shorten a $50 Mustang example and re-weld the internal rod and
> external tube to make a short shifter for a lot less than $422.  Anyone 
> know
> of that being done before?
>
>
>
> Rob in Mich-Again