Fabrication Everything From JBwelded/Fluxcored downpipes to Equal length SS Manifolds.

Ball Bearing Shifter

Old 11-28-2005, 03:30 PM
  #1  
0.5 BAR
Thread Starter
 
DAVe's Avatar
 
Join Date: Oct 2004
Posts: 197
Default Ball Bearing Shifter

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



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.


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!



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



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.
DAVe is offline  
Old 11-28-2005, 04:22 PM
  #2  
0.0 BAR
 
MikeJ-2009's Avatar
 
Join Date: Feb 2003
Posts: 0
Default 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?
MikeJ-2009 is offline  
Old 11-28-2005, 05:58 PM
  #3  
1.5 BAR
 
koreanwilcox's Avatar
 
Join Date: Apr 2004
Posts: 995
Default 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.
koreanwilcox is offline  
Old 11-28-2005, 07:29 PM
  #4  
0.5 BAR
 
NAsucks's Avatar
 
Join Date: Sep 2005
Posts: 150
Default Re: Ball Bearing Shifter

Thats **** ! Nice work
NAsucks is offline  
Old 11-28-2005, 08:24 PM
  #5  
0.0 BAR
 
battlemonkey crx's Avatar
 
Join Date: Sep 2005
Posts: 1
Default Re: Ball Bearing Shifter

haha old school venture trucks nice work i never would have thought of that
battlemonkey crx is offline  
Old 11-28-2005, 10:40 PM
  #6  
0.5 BAR
Thread Starter
 
DAVe's Avatar
 
Join Date: Oct 2004
Posts: 197
Default 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.
DAVe is offline  
Old 11-28-2005, 11:46 PM
  #7  
3.0 BAR
 
Minor Threat's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2004
Posts: 1,729
Default Re: Ball Bearing Shifter

Originally Posted by DAVe
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.
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 ****!
Minor Threat is offline  
Old 11-28-2005, 11:58 PM
  #8  
0.0 BAR
 
J-MAN's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2003
Posts: 0
Default 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.
J-MAN is offline  
Old 11-29-2005, 01:03 AM
  #9  
1.5 BAR
 
70Challenger's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jul 2005
Posts: 1,463
Default Re: Ball Bearing Shifter

clever endeavor
70Challenger is offline  
Old 11-29-2005, 03:19 AM
  #10  
3.0 BAR
 
90dx's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jul 2004
Posts: 4,029
Default 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.
90dx is offline  

Thread Tools
Search this Thread
Quick Reply: Ball Bearing Shifter



All times are GMT -5. The time now is 12:48 AM.