I'm in the middle of an install for the Alta short shifter, and I am down at the shifter housing underneath the car trying to remove the two shifter cables (ball-and-socket joints). The instructions for both the Alta and B&M shifters seem to indicate that they simply "pop" off, but I haven't had success with any amount of tugging with both my hands and channel locks, or prying with a screwdriver. It may be helpful to lift the car up higher with a jack, since I'm currently using only rhino ramps for the front wheels, but does anyone have suggestions for how to remove the shift cables (ie. which tools, if applicable, or which direction to pull)? Banging my head against the wall hasn't helped the situation for me. Any tips from persoal experience would be particularly helpful. Thanks!

 

if i remember correctly I just pulled with my hands. at first it wouldn't budge and it felt like I was damaging something, but they came off

 

I used a small wonder bar( see pic) and some soft jawed locking pliers to put them back together.

 

I used channel lock pliers and found that if you apply pressure diagonally where the cable hooks to the shifter assembly it will indeed just pop off. If you try to apply pressure straight in line with the cable the cable will bend and if you apply pressure at a right angle to where the cable attaches to the shift assembly it will just twist and you will not be able to apply enough pressure to get it to come off. But if you apply pressure diagonally to where the cable hooks to the shifter assembly the cable will not bend and you will be able to get enough pressure on the fitting and it will pop right off. It’s one of those things that after you get it to come off you say oh that was easy enough.

Good luck

 

you use a crecent wrench. hinge it off the gold shaft part and slip it around the socket end. twist and it pops off.

 

I used a small claw hammer and gently levered and twisted at the same time. worked a treat just be careful.

 

Thanks for all the helpful advice!

My friend and I were stymied for two hours by the ball-and-socket joints when we reached the end of our ropes and I started this post. Today we tried the crescent wrench method proposed by not-so-rednwhitecooper, and - viola! Instantly, the ball socket popped off, and as SCMCS said, I groaned "OMG, that was easy enough." Thanks to all of you who contributed to resolving this dilemma! I've set the shifter at the shortest it can go without hitting the heat shield, and I'm loving how much easier and faster it is to get into the proper gear.

 

glad to help.