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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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Here’s the before (left) and after (right) pic showing the difference in the shifters.
Stock height was 7-3/4”, and the STS is 6-3/8”

 

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These are all the tools I utilized for the removal and installation.
Missing in the pic, is the 3/8 to 1/4 drive adapter for the Torx bit.

 

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With that…..on with the STS install.
Have a cup of coffee. This is going to be LONG.
Note: You’ll see I used the word gently several times.
If you have to force it, take a deep breath, and come back to it in a little more relaxed manner.

1) Remove the shift boot:
At the rear of the boot, with your left hand, push in and pull up on the boot,
while with your right hand, gently push in and pry up with a screwdriver.
Pull the boot up and over the shifter. There’s no need to remove it completely.

 

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2) Remove the shift knob:
Using a 17mm open end wrench, unscrew the shift knob.
You’ll see there’s “flats” for this purpose cast into the base of the knob.

 

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3) Remove the center console trim piece:
Pull it up at the front first, till it unsnaps from the console, then grab both sides at the back, and pull up.
Remove the 3 connectors for the seat warmers and traction control if so equipped.
You can see by the pic, that you squeeze on the top portion, and pull out from the sockets.
All 3 connectors have unique fitments, so there’s no worries of getting them confused upon reinstallation.

 

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4) Remove the 2 shifter cables:
Place the shifter in 1st gear.
Remove the inner cable directly underneath the shifter by gently prying it off with a screwdriver.
Use the same method to remove the outboard shift cable.

 

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5) Remove the 4 Torx bolts holding the shifter:
Use a T-30 bit and a 3/8 drive ratchet. Firmly press down as you break the bolts loose, then turn them out.
They will be hard at first, as LocTite was used to secure them.
I broke them all loose first, then turned them out in a criss-cross pattern, as you would with wheel lug nuts.
Once all the bolts are removed, carefully extract the shifter taking care not to catch the cables.

 

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Now, set up a nice clean area on your work bench to work on the shifter itself.
Have some rags handy, because your hands will get greasy.

6) Remove the shifter from the shift housing:
Push the shifter out and to the right as shown, and then remove the plastic clip by gently pulling it off.

 

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7) Disassemble the shifter:
Remove the rubber sheath by pulling it off over the pivot cup. Remove the plastic white half of the pivot cup.

 

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8) Disassemble the shifter (cont):
Remove the other half (black plastic piece) of the pivot cup by pulling down on it with both hands.

 

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9) Clean all the parts to be transferred to the new shifter,
as the standard grease is different than what’s supplied in the kit.
The sum of an SVTF’s shifter’s parts.
Noted parts are what will be transferred to the new shifter.

 

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I’m not going into much detail on the installation process.
If you are able to get this far successfully, you’ll most certainly be able to put everything back together.
However, there’s a few hints I found that I’ll pass along for the installation process.

Use the supplied lube liberally when assembling the parts on the new shifter.
There were 2 tubes in the kit I received. It’s icky sticky gooey stuff, but it works exceptionally well.

 

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1) I removed the plastic shift lever from the housing, lubed the shaft, as well as the noted areas in pic.

 

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2) Before I even started the process,
I covered both seats with towels to avoid unwanted “foreign substance” intrusion onto the fabric or leather.

 

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Enough already. Let’s get that thing installed!
OK, I was feeling a bit goofy at this point, and it was getting late.

 

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3) Clean the mounting area well before putting the shifter in.
Don’t forget to put the supplied spacer in place before you lower the shifter into it’s new home.

 

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4) Using a 5mm 3/8 drive allen head socket, I torqued the bolts to 96 in-lbs (8 ft-lbs).
Use a criss-cross pattern as if you were torquing wheel lug nuts.

 

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5) Make sure you lube the cable pivots on the shifter, before installing the cables.

6) This pic shows how I used the screwdriver to pop the inner cable back on the shifter.
I was able to install the outer cable by using both my hands to pop it back on.

 

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All right….there you go! Enjoy that new shifter!
My fingers are tired from typing all this up.

I sure hope this is a help for those folks that will attempt doing the install.
Total R&R time should take just over an hour.
Took me quite a bit more than that, since I was taking pics and writing notes.