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How-To: Shorten your shift throw with stock MTX shifter

44K views 97 replies 49 participants last post by  BradKPed 
#1 ·
Let me start by saying I didn't invent this DIY mod. It's discussed a bit in the STS sticky, and the first reference made to it was by Buickboy so I want to make sure he gets his fair credit. The sticky is rather vague as far as what's involved and I couldn't find it mentioned anywhere so I decided to do a write up on it. Many of you may know of this already but since it's so easy and free it should be readily availabe for people who want a shorter throw but can't or don't want to spend money on one. I did it, and it works great. Bear in mind this is my first writeup so be gentle. Also, my phone's camera sucks so forgive the quality of the pics.

What you will need:
-Phillips Head screwdriver
-Flathead screwdriver
-Cutting tool (serrated steak knife, mini handsaw, etc) for red plastic collar
-Wirecutter (reccommended) for boot trim

What you do:

Start by moving the front passenger seat all the way back. This will give you more room to work with. Don't mind my shift knob. I'm on my 4th one. I guess Ford can't make one for me that will keep paint on.


Next, gently pry the shift boot from the console. Be careful, it's only held in there by plastic tabs so try not to break them off.


Now, remove the shift knob. It just twists off but it may take some persuasion to get it started.


With the knob removed, you can take off the entire shift boot assembly. Take the red plastic collar and set it aside for now.


With the boot assembly out of the way you should be left with a bare shift lever with black plastic piece attached near the bottom. This the pivot ball mount and is what we're going to move. Using a Phillips Head screwdriver remove the screw you see pictured. It may help to have a few different phillips heads because this screw can be tough to get started, and it strips kind of easy. It's one of those screws that seem to want one specific driver (anyone who has worked on cars to a large extent knows what I mean).


Ok now with that screw out it's time to reposition the pivot ball mount. You will see that the screw was pinching the two black "fingers" that circled the lever together when it was all together. Get a flathead screwdriver that JUST fits inbetween those two fingers. By **gently** prying them apart you will notice the mount get a little looser. Basically you want to pry them just enough so you can move the whole mount up the lever. After playing with it for a minute you'll find the technique that works. Move it up until you can twist the mount on the lever without prying on it. NOW, using the prying technique, LOWER the mount on the lever just until you are no longer able to move it around without prying. I know these pics aren't that great but here's where it was before you moved it:


And here's an approximation of where it should be after you move it:


Once you're comfortable with it's position, you can go ahead and put the screw back in an tighten it up. At this point there's two more things you're going to need to do before you can button everything back up. First, try to reinstall the shift boot assembly (lining up the notch on the boot's sleeve with the peg on the mount-it only goes on one way) and more likely that not it's not going to go on right when you try to snap the trim into place. This is because we moved the mount up so high that the boot's trim in now touching the pivot arm. Take your wire cutters, or any other heavy-duty snipping devices and trim the front of the boot's trim. You'll see where. I removed the whole front tab thing below the two mounting tabs (so they'd hold the boot on since i cut the staple off). It's more trial and error but eventually once you remove enough material it'll snap on and you're good. I didn't take a pic but if someone ABSOLUTELY needs me to I'll take it apart and post one.
Now remember the red plastic collar I had you set off to the side? If you put it back on as it is it will cover the threads on the lever preventing the knob from going back on. Again, you want to trim it down so that enough of the thread is exposed to replace the knob. I took off about an inch give or take. Again no pic but it's pretty self explanitory. Once you have that all set, twist the shift knob back on and take her for a spin.

You will find that not only are the throws noticeably shorter than they were in its previous configuration, but I also found on mine that the shifter is nice and firm, especially in neutral. I wouldn't have called it sloppy before but now I can't think of a better word for what it used to feel like. Takes about a half hour or so, costs nothing but a few moments of your time, and is a great alternative to shelling out over $100 for an aftermarket shifter. Bear in mind though, that I can't speak for the difference between this mod and a STS like Steeda's as I've never used one, but vs stock this is your best bang (into gear) for your buck.

Good Luck and happy motoring guys!
 
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#59 ·
Here are some pictures of my shortened shifter. I raised the cable mount up approx 1 inch from where it was stock. Then Cut the shaft down 2 1/2 inches, rethreaded it, and put it all back together. Also I took the shift pattern insert out and sandblasted it and painted it with 3 coats of black and three coats of clear coat.

On my focus, the Pivot beneth the shifter does nothing, so I could not see spending over 100 dollars for something that is only slightly better than the setup I have now.





 
#61 ·
Since I shortened it, the throws arent near as far as they were. With moving the cable mount up an inch, the slop going front to back isnt as obvious, however the side to side is still there, just not as bad.

All in all it tightened it up, and shortened the throws. The only down side is that it takes more effort to shift now, which isnt a problem for me.
 
#65 ·
No, it should only put a little more stress in you. It will take a little more effort to get it into gear and move it around, but its nothing severe.

The linkage to your tranny is like a cable, so its pretty flexible.

As far as rethreading it, you need to find a 12 x 1.25mm die. then get a die handle, and then just a little bit of oil, and you're good to go on rethreading your shifter. All of that stuff should be able to be found at o'reillys. Those guys would probably walk you through how to do it.

Just remember that youre going to have to remove your reverse lockout if its an 2002.5 or newer focus, and to get it as short as I did, you will also have to remove quite a bit of plastic that sits beneth the shifter. The only piece I saved was the piece that the shifter boot wraps around. (which I cut down)

Since I work in a metallurgical testing lab, Abrasive saws and taps and dies were already availiable to me. But I imagine a little determination and a hack saw should get it cut off if you choose to go that route.

Just remember to measure twice and cut once!
 
#67 ·
Thanks for the info. No O'Reillys around here that I know of. I don't think I want to bother hacking.

I did the mod on my 2010. I like it. No lockout on the 2010. Posting pics of my encouter in a new thread so 2008+ can find pics without reading through pages of thread. Thanks again. +1
 
#70 ·
Zetec interloper checking in to say thanks to the OP and to nemesis for their work on this mod.

I stumbled on this thread and decided to give it a try. 20 minutes of work, and a 5 minute test drive that turned into half an hour later, I was very pleased. Throws are a little shorter, and shift effort is a bit higher, but I like that slightly notchy feeling.

Well done!

PS- for the trimming around the shift boot, wire cutters and a little muscle will do the trick, too.
 
#71 ·
Just tried it on mine and the difference was very slight. Not so much that I wanted to keep it modified. I think I will just save my $$$$ and go with the Steeda kit. Theory is sound however.
 
#72 ·
I hate how every STS is so short, I want one that is as tall as the stock shifter, with just a shorter throw.
 
#73 ·
ill throw my back out trying to shift with it that short lol we drive focus' not sports cars. have you ever sat in the cockpit of a nice sportscar? its sits lower, and the shifter is closer to you, and STS looks good on them. Like my friends RX-8, he has a STS on his, and it looks incredible, and feels great to shift. If i were to get STS on my car, i would strain to reach down and shift it too much since the seats are so high on focus' but thats just my 2 cents. feel free to rebuttle.
 
#75 ·
If anything I'd like the shifter higher, but with short throws. It should be close to the steering wheel, not on the floor.
 
#78 ·
last year we cut the shifter shaft down and put a old honda shift knob on
it felt good closer shifts but i always wanted a closer shift so i gave this a try today and i must say i love it one of the best mods ive done and its free!
 
#80 ·
I shortened my shifted by sawing off 2-3 inches of the shift tower and retapping with a 12-1.25 tap from Murray's and threaded the stock shift knob back on. Also deleted the reverse lockout by removing it from the unit. Cost was 5 bucks, no problems after 2 years. Of course that was on my 2000, but I'm sure its the same concept for you.

Matt
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