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"How To" SVTF Short Shifter Install

97K views 215 replies 92 participants last post by  LiciouzSVT 
#1 · (Edited)
SVTF Short Shifter - Install Pics

Got it! Works great! Nice crisp improvement in the SVTF’s shifting abilities.
I acquired mine from NorthCoast Performance (very nice folks to deal with) for $84.95 + $5.00 shipping and handling.
It’s actually the Ford Racing Performance Parts shifter, which others have noted, is the same unit as the Steeda.

With the good reviews I received for my VF Engineering Rear Mount-Install Pics thread,
I decided to put together another one for the short shifter.

It appears after reading about the trials and tribulations of others in doing the STS install,
that the removal of the stock shifter and components is the hardest part.
For this reason, the concentration of this write up will fOCUS on the removal process.
You’ll also note, I was able to do this install without having to remove the entire console,
which also appears to be a “bone of contention” with previous installers.

Here’s the FRPP (Steeda) short shifter kit.
 

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#79 ·
WD40-
I printed the text from your write-up to use as a guide - was better than the info that came with the stick!! Thanks!

Install was no prob. I got one tube of lube and it is plenty - the most important place for it is in the little black cup, the upper piece. HOWEVER - I didn't like the feel of that Prothane grease - the stuff is VERY tenacious - sticky so much that the stick, to me, didn't move freely enough. So, after I got it all installed, I took it back apart and used some special bicycle wheel bearing grease I had from when I used to be the head mechanic in a bike shop. I recommend it highly for something like this. [;)] It's called Phil Waterproof Grease made by Phil Wood company - http://www.philwood.com/webcatolog/pg16.htm I use this stuff exclusively for bike wheel bearings - it comes out of the tube kind of thick but becomes really smooth once installed in a bearing or on the end of a shifter.

The great thing about it, which may not apply for those of you in souther climates, is that in cold weather it does not get really thick. The supplied Prothane grease out of the tube is really sticky and in cold weather it get worse, in my experience.

ANYWAY - compared to the prothane stuff, the stick now centers very nicely and quickly when in neutral and in no way do I feel like I'm pushing against thick grease.

Just my two cents guys - if you want the Phil grease, check a local bike shop first.

Later, Kevin
 
#80 ·
So, after I got it all installed,
I took it back apart and used some special bicycle wheel bearing grease
I had from when I used to be the head mechanic in a bike shop.
I recommend it highly for something like this.
It's called Phil Waterproof Grease made by Phil Wood company

Thanks for the tip!
Actually, I have two tubes of that in my "Mega MTB Repair Tool Kit".
I like that stuff too.
I'll give it a try if needed, though I haven't experienced abnormal shifting yet.
Coldest I've driven with the STS so far was the mid-teens.
Getting it back tomorrow with the clutch/tranny TSB.
We'll see how it does then, since it was barely 8°F this morning. BRRRRRRR!
I'm missing my heated seats!!!!
 
#81 ·
WD-

No problem. I'm actually suprised you have the same grease - I didn't think it was all that common - very cool. I just want to clarify, not a big issue or anything, but here goes - Oh, and I stand corrected on the supplied grease - not Prothane but Energy Suspension grease - a little technicality.

Anyway, I don't think the supplied grease would cause a shifting problem I just think it is, lets say - more restrictive to shifter movement than the Phil Wood grease is. And certainly this matter is one of personal preference too - I like the stick to autocenter into neutral very freely and I found the Energy Susp grease to be a bit to sticky for my likings - for me, if the grease decreases feedback through the shifter it's too restrictive. Now, I didn't give the Energy Susp grease any time to loosen up or anything like that so maybe with time it gets smoother and less sticky - you all that have used the supplied grease for a while can post feedback along those lines.

C-ya!
K
 
#82 · (Edited)
OT: Phil Wood Grease

That Phil Wood grease is the only product that held up for me in the ugly NorthWest mud.
Tried several different types for my MTB wheel, bottom bracket, and head-set bearings,
but always came back to the tried and true Phil Wood.
Good stuff.
Course, now, I've got sealed bearings for everything, so I don't need to worry about the grease.
That's why I've still got 2 tubes sitting around.[;)]
 
#83 ·
Just an update.

I like the shifter just fine - similar improvements as everyone has said so far.

My one gripe is that the throw to 5th is as much of a reach if not more than with the original shifter - and my main impression is that it is a bigger reach, just feels awkward and stretched out.

SO.....I took the shifter out one last time and put a bend in it similar to the angle the original shifter has. I just took the knob off, left the little aluminum box thingy and the plastic cups on the lower end. The way I bent it will sound barbaric but it was effective and caused no damage. I just set the shifter rod across two 2x4's set on edge on the floor about 2-3inches apart and persuaded a bend to form with a 2.5lb hammer (pounded it). Just put the threaded end on top of one block and the part of the rod above the ball/aluminum box on the other block. The wood won't mess up the threads, no worry there. Obviously if you have a good solid vice, that is the way to go but I don't have one. I angled it backwards and VERY slightly to the drivers side - maybe 1/2 degree to the drivers side - and now it truly is a perfect shifter. The angle backwards is basically identical to the original shifter. Once it is all installed, you would never know it had a bend (just like the original) but it puts the knob back about an inch and makes the whole shift pattern even smoother and more fun to go through, especially the 4-5 or 6-5 shifts.

My only word of caution is to not put too much bend in it towards the drivers side - if too much, when going into reverse you will be nearly hitting the side of the seat. The safest bet is a straight bend backwards but if you are careful, a minimal bend (less than a degree) towards the drivers side really helps the 4-5 up-shift.

I'm really suprised FRPP/Steeda doesn't but a bend in the shifter because, in my opinion, it really makes the whole set-up perfect - but maybe the extra manufacturing step, however simple, is just not cost effective.

So, for those of you who haven't installed the shifter yet, you might want to consider putting a slight bend in the stick - I wouldn't go more than the original but that amount or less will certainly only improve the feel of this upgrade.

Of course, my 2 cents....

K
 
#84 ·
Nice job!
I'm glad someone else tried this first, cause I thought of doing the very same thing.[;)]
I'm also wanting the top of the shifter to be ~1" further back.

Exactly, where (up/down) did you put the bend?
Approximately the same distance from the bottom of the shifter, where the stock one is bent?

Thanks again. This is great info, onebluemcm.[thumb]
 
#85 ·
Glad to be of help - most of the time I'm not afraid to try stuff but all the time the well-being of the car is my first concern - I don't fool around with stuff if I'm not pretty darn sure it will work and won't be a safety issue.

The bend is basically just in the middle of the length of the shifter rod from the threaded end to the ball. I couldn't be any more precise about that because I didn't have a vice to put it in. Worked out great, though and I'm not sure the level of the bend is all that important as long as you keep in mind how far backwards the upper end of the stick gets moved.

K
 
#90 ·
^^^^^Should be fine.^^^^^^
Course, if you do notice it starting to shift harder,
you can always throw some grease on them at a later date.

I cleaned mine up really well. That's why I ended up re-greasing them.
 
#96 ·
Hey WD40, I just installed mine this evening! I found your write up helpful to refer to when the instructions in the box didn't quite explain it. However, I found that I was NOT able to get away with simply removing part of the console. You might want to clarify that not all consoles will have this "access panel" type thing on there. I suspect this is something that is different between cars that have the winter package and those that do not. The part of your console that is all cut up to make room for the switches, and sits underneath the panel you removed, is the actual top part of my console.

So I had no choice but to remove the whole thing. Which wasn't difficult except for trying to unplug the power source plug which I wrestled with for several minutes until part of it broke, at which point I gave up and simply set the console as much out of the way as I could. I haven't had a chance to drive it yet but just moving the shifter around I can feel the difference and see it as well, now the shift boot is all "scrunched" up. [:D]
 
#97 ·
Agree with SVT4ME....WD40 has excellent instructions, but some SVT's (my '04 for one) have a one-piece console, so the supplied instructions are a good supplement. But who's complaining? The finished product is THE BEST bang for the buck mod available.
 
#100 ·
From start to finish here:

I scanned the picture in from a Ford brochure I picked up at an auto show, then I resized it in Photoshop to a very small size for signature use, then I hosted the picture on my Photobucket account ( it's free, http://www.photobucket.com or http://www.imageshack.us/ ) and then linked to that file in my signature; where you can enter text, you just enter the URL of the image.
 
#101 ·
Update - those of you that go for the Phil Wood grease, you will NOT be disappointed at all! I've had mine in some REALLY cool weather recently - was below zero for a few days - and, I won't lie, the STS did get a tiny bit stiffer but it was negligible at best. The Phil Wood stuff is really great in the cold weather and for sure it will be fine in the heat of summer because I've used it in bikes for years.

Anyway, just an update here....
C-ya
Kev
 
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