Short Shifter Install (NST)
04-17-2008, 12:27 AM
#1
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Scikotics
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Join Date: Jun 2005
Location: West Des Moines, IA
Posts: 2,757
Short Shifter Install (NST)
This is the process I used to install the NST SSK. Be careful when doing this install as there are small parts that like to fly across your car and get lost. Also, be careful when working on important parts of your car such as these. Be sure to read through the entire procedure before doing the actual install.
For my thoughts on the install and a review of the product, scroll to the bottom of this post.
Disassembly
Start out by removing your shift ****. To remove, simply twist it counterclockwise (remember, righty-tighty, lefty-loosey).
Put your fingernails behind the lower center console piece approximately where the green circles are. Pull this straight backwards (towards the armrest). It may take a little force, but it will pop out. Don't take this piece all the way off. Just pop it out of the clips holding it to the center console.
The reason you don't want to pull it away very far is because the cigarette lighter harness is still attached. Pull the center console piece back far enough so that you can disconnect this connector. Simply pull it away from the lighter and it will come right off.
Now you can remove this lower center console piece. It may help if you put your car into 4th gear so you have more room to manuver the piece.
Next, remove the "change cubby" and cup holders. Make sure your emergency brake is up to allow you manuver this piece. Simply put your hand under the piece and pull upwards. Again, this may require a little bit of force, but it will pop off. Lift the front upwards and then pull forwards to allow the tabs holding the back of the piece to seperate from the armrest assembly.
After you put that piece somewhere safe, disconnect the harness for the armrest cubby power socket. There is a small tab you need to push in on this connector while pulling it apart.
Now open up your armrest cubby and clear out all of the junk that is most likely in there. Once you get everything out, pull up the carpet in the bottom of the cubby. It isn't attached to anything, it just sits in there. With that up, remove the two 10mm bolts and store them somewhere safe.
There are two phillips head screws that also need to be removed. They are on the center console just below the HVAC controls (circled in green). Store these screws somewhere safe.
To the left of the shifter assembly on the center console, there is a plastic connector that secures the cigarette lighter assembly. Pop this piece out so that the wire is free. You should now be able to slide the center armrest assembly towards the rear seat and out of the way. I put my rear seats down and simply slid the assembly into the hatch area. You should now have plenty of room to access the shifter cage assembly.
The next step isn't essential, but I think it makes the install easier. I removed the clip on the side of the shifter assembly that holds the shifter cable on. I just used a set of needle nosed pliers and pulled the clip off. My thoughts are that it will be easier to manage the shifter with the cable not attached to the assembly.
The cable linkage removed from the cage.
Next, remove the 4 bolts that attach the shifter cage to the car itself. Use a 12mm socket to remove these bolts (circled in green). Put these bolts somewhere safe.
Now that the cage is free to move around a little, we can move on to the installation part of this walkthrough.
Installation
Since you will be dealing with some small parts that enjoy popping off and flying around your car's interior, it may be a good idea to tape up the holes under the cage. In doing various installs, these holes have eaten numerous nuts, bolts, and other various parts. Very few of these parts have been recovered. I just used some 2" wide painters tape to cover these holes as cheap insurance.
Now, if you want, you can remove the shifter cables from the front of the cage assembly. I chose not too, but was very careful when working with the cage. You do NOT want to crimp these cables as this is how you select your gears.
I gently rotated the shifter cage to access the cable that is still attached. This is also held on with a clip. I used needle nosed pliers again to remove this clip. Be careful as this clip likes to fly off and try to hide in your car.
With this clip removed, you can remove the shifter cable linkage from the shifter itself. Simply slide the linkage cup downwards off the shifter base. You may want to put your car into 4th gear to give yourself more room to work.
Next is probably the most time consuming and aggrivating part of the install. As you can see, there is a little plastic cup on the bottom of the shifter. This cup hugs the ball on the bottom of the shifter quite tightly. The cup allows the ball on the shifter to move freely while selecting gears. Your goal is to remove this cup without destroying it (which you will probably want to do after a few minutes of trying to get it off). Luckily, I had a simple "removal tool" that came with my Megan short shifter. You just put this piece around the base of the shifter and pull really hard. I pulled out my trusty needle nosed pliers and used the base of the cage as a point for leverage to get this piece off. This piece will want to come off with some velocity, so be careful where you are aiming.
Once you get this piece off, you may want to take a break. Grab a pop/beer/other tasty beverage and revel in the fact that you got that piece off. That was just the hardest part of the install....it should all be smooth sailing from here.
Grab your shiny new NST Short Shifter Kit and the little cup you just got done taking off the shifter assembly. I put a little bit of grease in the cup to help keep the shifting smooth. Now, pop the cup onto the NST SSK. The method I used is to put the cup against my garage wall, hold the NST SSK against it, and give it a quick wack with a hammer. Be very careful if you do this because if you don't have it lined up straight, the cup may go flying somewhere in your garage. If done correctly, the cup should seat on the ball of the NST SSK.
I test fitted the NST SSK and tightened down the screws to see how secure it was on the OEM shifter. I was plesantly surprised. There was no "slop" when trying to move the SSK and it fit the shifter perfectly. Just to be sure it wouldn't come loose, though, I put a little bit of Loctite on the threads of the set screws before installing it. With the set screws loose in the SSK, slide the SSK onto the bottom of your stock shifter.
Use a screwdriver to tighten up the set screws on the sides of the SSK. Make sure to get them tight so they don't rattle loose.
Be sure to tighten both sides.
Next, slide the cup on the SSK into the cup assembly of the shifter cable.
...And carefully reinstall the clip.
Flip the cage back over so it is right-side-up and reconnect the other cable to the side of the cage with the other clip. Make sure both clips are properly seated and secured so they don't come off mid-shift.
Finally, reinstall the 12mm bolts that hold the shifter cage to the body of the car. Make sure you get them nice and tight so the cage doesn't move around.
You should now be ready to reinstall everything. It may be a good idea to screw on your shift **** and row through the gears a few times just to make sure everything is secure and the gears engage properly.
Reinstallation
Slide the center armrest assembly back into place. Make sure the sides line up with the center console and use the screws to secure the assembly back in place. Once you get the screws in, be sure to reinstall the bolts in the armrest cubby.
Don't forget to reconnect the armrest power plug wires.
Reinstall the cup holder piece. There are some tabs towards the back of this piece that need to go in first. Make sure the front of the piece is elevated and slide the tabs into their spots near the base of the armrest. Once the tabs engage, you can lower the front of the piece and make sure all of the locking tabs engage.
Now grab your lower center console piece and gently slide the boot back over the shifter. Be sure to reconnect the cigarette lighter connector to the back of the lighter on the console piece. To reinstall the piece, set it on the front of the armrest assembly and gently push it forward. Pay special attention to the tabs on the bottom of this piece as they are easily broken. Make sure these tabs line up with their holes and push the piece securely into place.
Finally, reinstall your shift **** by turning it clockwise. Be careful not to crossthread the shift **** onto the shifter.
Now, your should be ready to go out for a test drive and enjoy your new short throw shifter.
Thoughts
Before the install, I was using a Megan short shifter. It reduced the throw, but also reduced the size which made shifts take a lot more effort. I loved it because it was so short, but it came at the cost of missing shifts while drag racing or autocrossing my car. As usual, NST has performance in mind with this product. Going back to the OEM shifter with the NST SSK on it, the shifts are extremely smooth and I have plenty of leverage to get the car in the gear I want. Shifts are effortless and precise.
From a performance point of view, I noticed that while autocrossing, I have to lean a little bit out of my seat to pull the shifter from first to second and going from second to third when using the Megan short shifter. This is eliminated with the SSK because the stick is higher. It is a minor thing for most people, but for performance minded individuals, this is a big deal. I am also excited to try this out at the drag strip. I am sure I will have a similar experience with the results being less missed gears and more precise shifts.
Despite having the 2 set screws, I was a bit apprehensive when installing the SSK because I feared the add-on piece would be a little sloppy when installed. This is simply not the case. The SSK is fitted perfectly to the OEM shifter so as not to allow any excess movement and give you a crisp feel of every shift.
I had several friends with manual transmission tC’s sit in my car and row through the gears a few times. They were really surprised at how much shorter the throws are. Many sounded interested in purchasing the unit eventually because it retains the OEM stick.
For those that want shorter shifts while maintaining the stock shifter height, this is the piece for you. It is a perfect balance of smooth shifting streetability paired with precise and strong shifting when pushing your car to the limit. The NST SSK is everything it promises and more because the installation is much easier than a normal short shifter. If you want a shorter throw from the OEM shifter, you owe it to yourself to pick up one of these units.
In chatting with Mike from NST, he said that this piece should be in full production by late May of 2008 and retail for under $100.
For my thoughts on the install and a review of the product, scroll to the bottom of this post.
Disassembly
Start out by removing your shift ****. To remove, simply twist it counterclockwise (remember, righty-tighty, lefty-loosey).
Put your fingernails behind the lower center console piece approximately where the green circles are. Pull this straight backwards (towards the armrest). It may take a little force, but it will pop out. Don't take this piece all the way off. Just pop it out of the clips holding it to the center console.
The reason you don't want to pull it away very far is because the cigarette lighter harness is still attached. Pull the center console piece back far enough so that you can disconnect this connector. Simply pull it away from the lighter and it will come right off.
Now you can remove this lower center console piece. It may help if you put your car into 4th gear so you have more room to manuver the piece.
Next, remove the "change cubby" and cup holders. Make sure your emergency brake is up to allow you manuver this piece. Simply put your hand under the piece and pull upwards. Again, this may require a little bit of force, but it will pop off. Lift the front upwards and then pull forwards to allow the tabs holding the back of the piece to seperate from the armrest assembly.
After you put that piece somewhere safe, disconnect the harness for the armrest cubby power socket. There is a small tab you need to push in on this connector while pulling it apart.
Now open up your armrest cubby and clear out all of the junk that is most likely in there. Once you get everything out, pull up the carpet in the bottom of the cubby. It isn't attached to anything, it just sits in there. With that up, remove the two 10mm bolts and store them somewhere safe.
There are two phillips head screws that also need to be removed. They are on the center console just below the HVAC controls (circled in green). Store these screws somewhere safe.
To the left of the shifter assembly on the center console, there is a plastic connector that secures the cigarette lighter assembly. Pop this piece out so that the wire is free. You should now be able to slide the center armrest assembly towards the rear seat and out of the way. I put my rear seats down and simply slid the assembly into the hatch area. You should now have plenty of room to access the shifter cage assembly.
The next step isn't essential, but I think it makes the install easier. I removed the clip on the side of the shifter assembly that holds the shifter cable on. I just used a set of needle nosed pliers and pulled the clip off. My thoughts are that it will be easier to manage the shifter with the cable not attached to the assembly.
The cable linkage removed from the cage.
Next, remove the 4 bolts that attach the shifter cage to the car itself. Use a 12mm socket to remove these bolts (circled in green). Put these bolts somewhere safe.
Now that the cage is free to move around a little, we can move on to the installation part of this walkthrough.
Installation
Since you will be dealing with some small parts that enjoy popping off and flying around your car's interior, it may be a good idea to tape up the holes under the cage. In doing various installs, these holes have eaten numerous nuts, bolts, and other various parts. Very few of these parts have been recovered. I just used some 2" wide painters tape to cover these holes as cheap insurance.
Now, if you want, you can remove the shifter cables from the front of the cage assembly. I chose not too, but was very careful when working with the cage. You do NOT want to crimp these cables as this is how you select your gears.
I gently rotated the shifter cage to access the cable that is still attached. This is also held on with a clip. I used needle nosed pliers again to remove this clip. Be careful as this clip likes to fly off and try to hide in your car.
With this clip removed, you can remove the shifter cable linkage from the shifter itself. Simply slide the linkage cup downwards off the shifter base. You may want to put your car into 4th gear to give yourself more room to work.
Next is probably the most time consuming and aggrivating part of the install. As you can see, there is a little plastic cup on the bottom of the shifter. This cup hugs the ball on the bottom of the shifter quite tightly. The cup allows the ball on the shifter to move freely while selecting gears. Your goal is to remove this cup without destroying it (which you will probably want to do after a few minutes of trying to get it off). Luckily, I had a simple "removal tool" that came with my Megan short shifter. You just put this piece around the base of the shifter and pull really hard. I pulled out my trusty needle nosed pliers and used the base of the cage as a point for leverage to get this piece off. This piece will want to come off with some velocity, so be careful where you are aiming.
Once you get this piece off, you may want to take a break. Grab a pop/beer/other tasty beverage and revel in the fact that you got that piece off. That was just the hardest part of the install....it should all be smooth sailing from here.
Grab your shiny new NST Short Shifter Kit and the little cup you just got done taking off the shifter assembly. I put a little bit of grease in the cup to help keep the shifting smooth. Now, pop the cup onto the NST SSK. The method I used is to put the cup against my garage wall, hold the NST SSK against it, and give it a quick wack with a hammer. Be very careful if you do this because if you don't have it lined up straight, the cup may go flying somewhere in your garage. If done correctly, the cup should seat on the ball of the NST SSK.
I test fitted the NST SSK and tightened down the screws to see how secure it was on the OEM shifter. I was plesantly surprised. There was no "slop" when trying to move the SSK and it fit the shifter perfectly. Just to be sure it wouldn't come loose, though, I put a little bit of Loctite on the threads of the set screws before installing it. With the set screws loose in the SSK, slide the SSK onto the bottom of your stock shifter.
Use a screwdriver to tighten up the set screws on the sides of the SSK. Make sure to get them tight so they don't rattle loose.
Be sure to tighten both sides.
Next, slide the cup on the SSK into the cup assembly of the shifter cable.
...And carefully reinstall the clip.
Flip the cage back over so it is right-side-up and reconnect the other cable to the side of the cage with the other clip. Make sure both clips are properly seated and secured so they don't come off mid-shift.
Finally, reinstall the 12mm bolts that hold the shifter cage to the body of the car. Make sure you get them nice and tight so the cage doesn't move around.
You should now be ready to reinstall everything. It may be a good idea to screw on your shift **** and row through the gears a few times just to make sure everything is secure and the gears engage properly.
Reinstallation
Slide the center armrest assembly back into place. Make sure the sides line up with the center console and use the screws to secure the assembly back in place. Once you get the screws in, be sure to reinstall the bolts in the armrest cubby.
Don't forget to reconnect the armrest power plug wires.
Reinstall the cup holder piece. There are some tabs towards the back of this piece that need to go in first. Make sure the front of the piece is elevated and slide the tabs into their spots near the base of the armrest. Once the tabs engage, you can lower the front of the piece and make sure all of the locking tabs engage.
Now grab your lower center console piece and gently slide the boot back over the shifter. Be sure to reconnect the cigarette lighter connector to the back of the lighter on the console piece. To reinstall the piece, set it on the front of the armrest assembly and gently push it forward. Pay special attention to the tabs on the bottom of this piece as they are easily broken. Make sure these tabs line up with their holes and push the piece securely into place.
Finally, reinstall your shift **** by turning it clockwise. Be careful not to crossthread the shift **** onto the shifter.
Now, your should be ready to go out for a test drive and enjoy your new short throw shifter.
Thoughts
Before the install, I was using a Megan short shifter. It reduced the throw, but also reduced the size which made shifts take a lot more effort. I loved it because it was so short, but it came at the cost of missing shifts while drag racing or autocrossing my car. As usual, NST has performance in mind with this product. Going back to the OEM shifter with the NST SSK on it, the shifts are extremely smooth and I have plenty of leverage to get the car in the gear I want. Shifts are effortless and precise.
From a performance point of view, I noticed that while autocrossing, I have to lean a little bit out of my seat to pull the shifter from first to second and going from second to third when using the Megan short shifter. This is eliminated with the SSK because the stick is higher. It is a minor thing for most people, but for performance minded individuals, this is a big deal. I am also excited to try this out at the drag strip. I am sure I will have a similar experience with the results being less missed gears and more precise shifts.
Despite having the 2 set screws, I was a bit apprehensive when installing the SSK because I feared the add-on piece would be a little sloppy when installed. This is simply not the case. The SSK is fitted perfectly to the OEM shifter so as not to allow any excess movement and give you a crisp feel of every shift.
I had several friends with manual transmission tC’s sit in my car and row through the gears a few times. They were really surprised at how much shorter the throws are. Many sounded interested in purchasing the unit eventually because it retains the OEM stick.
For those that want shorter shifts while maintaining the stock shifter height, this is the piece for you. It is a perfect balance of smooth shifting streetability paired with precise and strong shifting when pushing your car to the limit. The NST SSK is everything it promises and more because the installation is much easier than a normal short shifter. If you want a shorter throw from the OEM shifter, you owe it to yourself to pick up one of these units.
In chatting with Mike from NST, he said that this piece should be in full production by late May of 2008 and retail for under $100.
04-17-2008, 08:20 PM
#2
Excellent DIY Installation Guide. You da man 
We strongly believed that there are, and have been, a number of good tC short shifters designed for street/show cars.
But no true short shifter had yet been developed for the street AND track driver. Which is exactly what the NST SSK has been designed for.
The NST SSK reduces throw and keeps the shift **** in the OEM location.
This is very good for track and performance drivers who do not want to reach far away for their shift ****.
These pieces are now in production and will be ready to go on sale in late May. Throw is reduced by roughly 30% and MSRP will be well under $99.
Stay tuned everyone!!!
We strongly believed that there are, and have been, a number of good tC short shifters designed for street/show cars.
But no true short shifter had yet been developed for the street AND track driver. Which is exactly what the NST SSK has been designed for.
The NST SSK reduces throw and keeps the shift **** in the OEM location.
This is very good for track and performance drivers who do not want to reach far away for their shift ****.
These pieces are now in production and will be ready to go on sale in late May. Throw is reduced by roughly 30% and MSRP will be well under $99.
Stay tuned everyone!!!
04-18-2008, 07:08 PM
#6
Senior Member
Scikotics
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Join Date: Jun 2005
Location: West Des Moines, IA
Posts: 2,757
The NST SSK will not work with the Megan short shifter. I put it on mine to test it out and the "neck" of the shifter is too narrow. The NST SSK wobbles around on it a lot. The SSK was designed for the OEM shifter which has a thicker "neck" towards the bottom of the shifter. I had the same thoughts as running a NST/Megan hybrid shifter. haha
04-23-2008, 06:19 PM
#8
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I still have this shifter in my car. After a week of driving with it, I am not sure I am going to go back to the Megan short shifter. I originally planned on using the Megan for daily driving and the NST SSK for track days......however, the NST SSK is just so smooth. It shifts through the gears like butter, whether you are on a leisurely drive or under hard acceleration.
04-24-2008, 04:35 AM
#9
04-24-2008, 06:27 AM
#11
Originally Posted by orangesuburban
i drive an auto so all i can say is i love the NST business cards in the cubby,,, product placement FTW!
04-24-2008, 01:45 PM
#12
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Originally Posted by orangesuburban
i drive an auto so all i can say is i love the NST business cards in the cubby,,, product placement FTW!
04-24-2008, 06:10 PM
#14
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Trust me, it is worth every penny. There are some shifters in the $150 range and they actually make it harder to shift while racing because you have to reach farther for the shift ****. This gives you a shorter (quicker) shift while keeping the stock height for easier shifting. It may not seem like a big deal reaching for the shifter, but when you are accelerating out of a corner and needing the next gear, that little bit of extra height on the shifter really helps.
05-05-2008, 04:29 PM
#15
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I hit a dragstrip this weekend and was able to give the SSK a real test. With the Megan shifter, I had a tendancy to miss the 1st to 2nd shift once in a while because of quick clutching and not enough leverage with the shifter. At the strip with this shifter, I didn't miss a single shift despite having a lot more power going to the wheels than I did the last time I raced.
Plus, I autocrossed again this weekend with the SSK and it was great. Perfect height for grabbing the shifter as I was coming out of a corner. I am loving this piece more and more every day.
Plus, I autocrossed again this weekend with the SSK and it was great. Perfect height for grabbing the shifter as I was coming out of a corner. I am loving this piece more and more every day.
05-05-2008, 05:58 PM
#16
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Join Date: Nov 2006
Posts: 311
Good write up. Thanks for also taping up the holes under the shifter. My install would have taken less time if I hadn't dropped . . . I think it was a nut down one of those holes and spent the better part of an afternoon trying to fish it back up. Tape is cheap. Time is not.
05-14-2008, 07:55 PM
#18
Originally Posted by chicotunner07
99 bucks for a little add on sounds a little high, i was expecting something around 60......... maybe even 75
but it does look like quality so i guess its what its worth
but it does look like quality so i guess its what its worth
MSRP IS $78 on our website...
http://www.nonstoptuning.com/pShiftNST.htm
05-19-2008, 04:24 AM
#20
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Originally Posted by TheFantasticG
Looks like I should be installing mine this weekend when I get back to the U.S.
Thanks for the pictoral DIY!!!
Thanks for the pictoral DIY!!!