Ball Bearing Shifter
 

The bushing in my shifter rattled apart (again), so I decided upgrade the bitch to ball bearing!!

http://www.findjut.com/dave/shifter/DSCN0697.JPG

The Parts List:
-1 Shifter with busted bushing
-2 skateboard bearings
-2 skateboard bearing washers (make sure to use these!)
-1 2.5" 5/16 fine thread bolt*
-1 5/16 nylon threaded nut (use a nut from an old skateboard truck)*

*note: parts in picture are not actual parts used.
http://www.findjut.com/dave/shifter/DSCN0700.JPG

This project cost me barely anything. i used all the parts from an old skateboard laying around. all i had to buy was a bolt for about 25 cents.

I give the machinist that built my engine weekley computer lessons. so, labor to have the journals bored to fit a bearing and have the bearings pressed were payed through one lesson. Well worth it!

http://www.findjut.com/dave/shifter/DSCN0699.JPG

The 5/16" bolt fits fine in the existing hole in the linkage.

http://www.findjut.com/dave/shifter/DSCN0701.JPG

It worked out perfectly! no more rattling and it shifts extremely smooth. i've been driving around with it for a week now without any problems. if anyone is interested in having this done to their shfiter let me know.

Re: Ball Bearing Shifter
 

That's crafty as a muthafucka.

On a scale of 1-10 (one being like stock and 10 being like shifting with one finger) how much better would you REALLY say it is?

Is this the wave of the future? :l

Re: Ball Bearing Shifter
 

Nice work.

I have the same shifter and my only complaint is that it uses bushings.

I don't know though, I've had both Skunk2 and DC Sports (both of which are ball bearing) and I couldn't really feel a difference when I switched to the Edelbrock.

Maybe it's just me.

Re: Ball Bearing Shifter
 

Thats TITS ! Nice work

Re: Ball Bearing Shifter
 

haha old school venture trucks nice work i never would have thought of that

Re: Ball Bearing Shifter
 

on that scale from 1 to 10 i'd say an 8 or 9. i can honestly say i feel a difference. the shift feels a whole lot smoother than before. i'm not saying that everyone should rip out their perfectly good shifter and start boring out the center, but if your bushing fails and you needed to replace it, this would be an improvement.

this isn't the first time i've used skateboard parts for fabrication either. i also used the truck washers and bushings to brace my dump tube to the block. since i've put it on, i've haven't noticed a single crack on my re-re-re-welded SSautonig manifold. i'll take a picture of that soon.

Re: Ball Bearing Shifter
 

A lot of el cheapo Egay shifters using bearings instead of bushings. Never tried it personally, but I would imagine anything that makes it stiffer would feel better. I know my buddies Prothane'd shortthrow feels like tits!

Re: Ball Bearing Shifter
 

the problem i have is my shifter has too much slack in it on the sides where the linkage connects to it. you can feel the side to side play pretty bad. maybe if i take ot off and decide to try and fix it then i will try that too, but i think my shifter is already a ball bearing one. never really played too much attention to it.

Re: Ball Bearing Shifter
 

clever endeavor :y

Re: Ball Bearing Shifter
 

That is some top shelf home fab work.I like it.Innovative for sure.My ebay shifter has bearings and i use a prothane shift bushing kit.It is rock solid and feels better than most "sports cars" i have tried.