Not happy with BMW's idea of having a slit shift lever vs. threaded ones as I happen to love spherical shift *****, and my oem **** is wearing away..

Only ideas I have are

1. Spend good money but a lot of money on a threaded short shifter (£150-170 aka over $200USD for Alta or Cravenspeed)

and

2. Whalen Adapter - (shame he doesn't sell it on its own)


Anybody installed MOMO *****, JDM *****, non-BMW *****...? Cheers

 

I have a MOON 8 Ball style shift **** on mine. It uses 3 set screws. I also have the CravenSpeed Shift well cover which completes the look.

To use it I had to trim the stock shift lever (I used a hand saw but a dremel type tool would be much quicker since the shift lever is solid, not hollow). I trimmed it down to where the plastic collar is on the shifter to attach the stock shift ****, then I cut the plastic collar off.

Once that was done I enlarged the hole on the shift **** so it would slide over the shift lever. Then just clean everything up and apply thread locker to the set screws on the shift ****.

It takes a lot of time but the results are worth it IMO, feels really nice and since I trimmed down the shift lever it's basically a mild short shifter.

I can post a pic later if you want.

 

friend of mine had a MOMO on his 04S for many years ... until the cover started to peel. Never had a problem ...

I used a Whalen on my GEN1 .... great product .. loved it .. yes it is $$ .. but I got 75% back reselling it right here . . .

(had the factory wood grain **** on my 07S and after 6 years showed no sign of wear)

 

Eventually I'm going with a Cravenspeed shifter and a shift **** from these guys. I can get one to match the colors of my Mini. I have one of their's on my Vette.

www.flameball.com

 

Thanks for the input folks. I'll have to do some deep thinking about this but am leaning towards a reversible option in case one day I plan to my with my beloved car. Wouldn't mind finding a second hand SSK for multi-benefits.

 

I added a pic of the custom shifter to my gallery if anyone's interested.

 

Does anyone know if the diameter of the shift lever is in the ballpark to put a M12-1.25 die on it to create the necessary thread? (looks up proper size....) Between 11.760 - 11.972 mm according to the chart I found. That would be really simple - pull the old **** off, put down some plastic and rags to protect the interior, and go at it with a die and some cutting oil. Too small and you could put a sleeve on it. Too big and you'd have to turn it on a lathe which would mean removing the whole shift lever, assuming the lever is straight.

granted I know enough to be dangerous but not enough to really know what I'm doing when it comes to machining.

 

The risks of anything going wrong with attempting that would be substantially lowered if one were to remove the entire shifting assembly out of the car to have done. Maybe even have a spare assembly laying around in case if anything unexpected occurs and the assembly is rendered 'out of service'.

It's definitely a good idea, but I myself would not have the know how or the confidence to do it.. I would probably take it to a pro to have the threads spun in. Plus they would probably know whether the M12-1.25 is the right fit.

@barnoun - post your pictures on this thread! I'm too lazy to navigate a few mouse clicks to your gallery :tongue:

 

Neither the Waylen **** or the Craven **** are thread-in type, but they both have mechanical collars which secure them to the shift lever. They both are pretty sweet: here's a Craven on my 135i.

 

You could always use a cut-off wheel and take the top inch off the lever and weld, or have someone else weld a bolt to the top of the shifter. Get the appropriately threaded and length bolt to fit the **** of choice and you should be able to pull the shift cover/boot over the bolt head and secure it. You would then have an unlimited choice of shift ***** available.

 

http://www.cravenspeed.com/adjustable-short-shifter/

The best upgrade you will ever make, totally adjustable from stock stroke to short.

I would suggest installing it with the MN Eng dust cover.

http://www.nm-eng.com/291/3/0/2446/n...box-cover.html

 

+1 for this combination.
that short shifter is a beautiful piece of artwork.
and the NM dust cover fits just so very perfectly.

As a result, it makes your acceleration that much smoother now that you really minimize the time spent on clutch disengagement, lever pulling, and matching revs.

 

Damnit! Every time I think I have all the parts I need, somebody posts something else I just have to have. Thanks for the link. I just picked up the Craven shift well cover and am getting the shifter in a couple of weeks. I already have a Doug Whalen shift ****.

 

 

I like that! We don't make them in silver anymore, it looks good!

 

Nice guys... quit making me jealous. I have enough on my plate at the moment so won't be spending much money on my MINI for the meantime..