MGW Gen 2 shifter install begins

Today after work I got the stock shifter out, yesterday I started working on it and got the inside stuff done.

A few years ago I had removed the stock shifter to install solid bushings in the support arms so this time removing it was a cinch. I had to pull apart my Blowfish Racing shifter bracket and this time I also had to remove the shift selector arm and have the car ready for the Gen 2 install.

Couple things gave me a bit of grief, the driver's pin was hard to get at so I spent a bunch of time on that before it came free and removing that bolt for the selector arm was a ****ing bitch. Can't really see it and getting a wrench up there was a PITA. My 10mm ratcheting wrench isn't very long so once I broke the bolt free it was stupid tiny revolutions for like forever until you pass that certain point when the bolt would spin nice with the wrench. I need a longer ratcheting wrench or when I reinstall that bolt I might try a socket with a U-joint.

I will pick up the Gen 2 tomorrow in Buffalo after work, I'll start the install Friday (3 day weekend). I want to get it in ASAP but I'm not going to rush so I will be examining the parts and mock up stuff before the install. I'm planning for a Sunday completion but if I go into early next week to get this done I'm still in good shape.





Tony

Cman01 said:

Today after work I got the stock shifter out, yesterday I started working on it and got the inside stuff done.

A few years ago I had removed the stock shifter to install solid bushings in the support arms so this time removing it was a cinch. I had to pull apart my Blowfish Racing shifter bracket and this time I also had to remove the shift selector arm and have the car ready for the Gen 2 install.

Couple things gave me a bit of grief, the driver's pin was hard to get at so I spent a bunch of time on that before it came free and removing that bolt for the selector arm was a ****ing bitch. Can't really see it and getting a wrench up there was a PITA. My 10mm ratcheting wrench isn't very long so once I broke the bolt free it was stupid tiny revolutions for like forever until you pass that certain point when the bolt would spin nice with the wrench. I need a longer ratcheting wrench or when I reinstall that bolt I might try a socket with a U-joint.

I will pick up the Gen 2 tomorrow in Buffalo after work, I'll start the install Friday (3 day weekend). I want to get it in ASAP but I'm not going to rush so I will be examining the parts and mock up stuff before the install. I'm planning for a Sunday completion but if I go into early next week to get this done I'm still in good shape.

View attachment 1570210

View attachment 1570211

Tony

Click to expand...

Following. You're doing it on a lift, or jackstands?

Car is up on my Quickjacks.

You're prepping the right way, being careful with every step, so no doubt you'll do an excellent and complete install. Keep us posted, of course.

The clips were the biggest pita. One you test it make sure the ignition is on otherwise reverse is locked out (you can overcome it, but you will think you screwed up. ask me how I know)

The Gen 2 is home:



I have to say, having only seen this shifter in pictures and youtube vids now that I actually have it in my dirty hands this thing looks incredible!!!!

It is solid, built tough...…………..let's hope it sorts out that stupid grind/lockout using this in conjunction with the BF bracket.

Can't wait to get it in the car and try it out!!!!!

Following. Keep the updates coming.

Tom

You can see the difference in construction and you will feel the difference in performance. I hope you achieve the results you desire.

The main body is in and the gear selector arm is bolted to the lever on the trans, amazingly tightening the bolt was way easier than removing it. I placed blue locktite on that bolt before install so it ain't coming off.



Here's a pic of the car up on the Quickjacks, and my setup to support the trans while the crossmember is removed. The trans is lowered a bit but the jack is still holding it up slightly. The block of wood is on top of 2 pairs of QJ tall lifting blocks and 1 shorter block is between the tranny and jack.





Here's the BF bracket d/shaft loop mocked up with the MGW rear support bushing (not too keen on the colour clash). It's not tighten down yet and I might flip the bolt the other way and use the nylon locknuts from MGW. If not I'll get some lockwashers to keep it tight and not vibrate loose.



I actually didn't spend too much time today to get to this point, I had other things to do so I only started to work on the car around 3pm and was done in less than an hour. I got the main body in without the support pins installed that made it easy (MGW video shows them dropping the body in with the pins in place, there were install tips in my package and they mentioned putting the pins in after the shifter was in there). I placed a shop rag over the d/shaft in that area so as to not cause damage or install scrapes on the shifter body, if you are careful you don't contact the shifter body with any part of the car there when installing.

I then spent some time checking and testing the front support pins with the support arms and mocking up the rear bushing as shown in the pic earlier. Everything looked good so I'm pretty confident the rest of the install will be cake.

Tomorrow morning I have a local Vette gettogether to attend then it's home and continuing the install, I'll also have the Z06 out of the garage to give me more space (it rained today so didn't move the car out). I should be able to get all the underneath stuff done tomorrow and can finish it up inside the car on Sunday.

Tony

Following... The Gen 2 MGW shifter is Definitely on my future MODS list!

My Vette show this morning didn't happen due to weather so I started a bit earlier. All the underneath stuff is done and trans is back to being supported by the X/member.

I actually didn't go out there to work on it till about 10:45am and just finished now. I'm taking a lunch break and I'll see how I feel cause it's easily the homestretch now (just the center console stuff to do). I might just finish it off today or wait till tomorrow like my OE plan.

I'll get some pictures up later and a bit more description on how the rest of the underneath stuff went.

Tony

So I was going to post up some pics of the underneath but...........................Houston we have a problem!!!!!

After lunch I decided to head back out there and just finish it off. I had showered already cause I was pretty dirty from lying under the car on the garage floor.

I get the rubber gasket on (yes it was placed on there with the bottom right hole slightly lower than the other one) and noticed it was not sitting quite right. I stretched it a bit and it seemed ok so on went the billet topplate. I figured the boot should fit centered on the shifter shaft where the handle would go but it wouldn't sit centered. I got it centered and stretched it to fit around the shifter shaft so I bolted it down. At this point I noticed that the top holes where the 10mm bolts go in were at the top of the slot as were the bottom studs.

I tightened it down to stretch out the dynamat, then screwed the handle on and tried it through the gears, it would not go into 2nd, 4th, or 6th. Something didn't seem right. It was like when I tried those gears it was hitting something that prevented it from going into those gears. 1,3,5 was no problem.

At this point a friend came over in his newly purchased and licensed used 2000 Miata, he owns his auto mech. shop near me. I told him about what was going on so he took a look and tried it also in my car, again it would not go into the even gears.

Now remember I am using the MGW with my BF bracket so we were thinking of maybe there was an interference issue with mounting the rear support bracket to the BF loop. He suggested that I bolt the shifter back onto the car body first to see but seeing that I was clean and showered I was in no mood to do that. At this point I thought there was an issue with me bolting up the shift selector shaft and probably had to remove a bunch of stuff to get at that again. I was feeling really pissed off about that.

Suddenly he took a look at the top plate and seeing how it was sitting near the top of the slotted holes he removed it and we found the problem.

Obviously being mass produced cars they are not built all the same. Once I removed the top plate underneath we could see where the shift handle was contacting the billet topplate underneath not allowing the even gears to be selected. With the top plate off the car went into all the gears no problem.

Take a look at the pics:





Directly at the front and back of the top plate it is not rounded like the area where the boot sits that was interfering with the even gear selection. Since the plate was already sitting at the top of the slots it can't go backwards more on my console to allow more space at the back for the shifter to work properly finding those gears.

So tomorrow, I'm heading over to his shop and he's going to slot the holes more forward and take out the flat area at the back of the top plate where the round boot area is underneath and I will be able to position the plate properly in my car and be able to select my gears.

Again, afkt parts that should fit but doesn't and you gotta modify, adapt, overcome to make them work in your car.

Tony

Ok, my friend slotted the holes a bit more and did some dremeling in that area shown in the above pic and now with the plate bolted down I can select my gears. However, the plate is still sitting near the top of the slots that he lengthen and I really don't feel like slotting them more to continue moving it back.

Then I had a revelation...………..the shifter is precisely machined and developed to mount in the OE factory location (which it is in the front part of the shifter), but I'm not mounting the rear support pin bracket in the OE location it is on my BF bracket. The d/shaft loop of this bracket places the MGW rear support bushing slightly forward and lower than the OE location. The forward part is not an issue but the lower part is.

By lowering the bracket with the support bushing mounted to it I'm bringing the body of the shifter lower. The shifter body doesn't lower in a straight line it will move in an arc so when you lower it it will drop down and go rearward making the shifter handle point back a bit. This is why I'm having this issue.

I'm done working on it for today, tomorrow after work I'm going back down under the car to raise the loop part of the bracket a bit, this will raise the shifter body back up and forward a tad and the billet top plate will sit much better in my console.

The joys of modding cars...………….definitely was not expecting this. I probably should've left my OE shifter in since I didn't have an issue using it with the BF bracket. BTW, for those that use a MGW and also the BF bracket you will still need to slot the 4 holes a bit on the plate and the back part of the underneath shifter boot area for both parts to work together (and also not lower the d/shaft loop part of the bracket too much).

I’m installing my MGW tomorrow. I’m just doing the shifter though, I don’t have the bf bracket or anything so hopefully it goes pretty smooth. Have you watched the installation video that MGW made for our cars? It’s really helpful.

Jay

Yeah, it should be smooth sailing for you and yes I've seen that video and know it like the back of my hand.

Anyways, update is this install is finally buttoned up. Yesterday I finished it off and by raising the d/shaft loop part of the BF bracket the shifter is now perfectly in line just like the rear support bushing was bolted to the OE location (even though it isn't). The swivel part of the gear selector shaft is perfectly horizontal to the shaft.

The billet top plate now fits much better and the shifter clicks into each gear perfectly (unlike before when it would make a loud banging noise shifting into the even gears).

Pics:



Here's the underneath of the top plate (rearward side) with the flat area removed to match the curve of the other part (see previous pic above and see the difference with this pic).

A couple pics of the underneath (you can see the BF bracket and the rear support bushing bolted to it and part of the support arms).





Haven't got the car out yet but will later this week to really test it out.

Tony

Yeah, it should be smooth sailing for you and yes I've seen that video and know it like the back of my hand.

Anyways, update is this install is finally buttoned up. Yesterday I finished it off and by raising the d/shaft loop part of the BF bracket the shifter is now perfectly in line just like the rear support bushing was bolted to the OE location (even though it isn't). The swivel part of the gear selector shaft is perfectly horizontal to the shaft.

The billet top plate now fits much better and the shifter clicks into each gear perfectly (unlike before when it would make a loud banging noise shifting into the even gears).

Pics:



Here's the underneath of the top plate (rearward side) with the flat area removed to match the curve of the other part (see previous pic above and see the difference with this pic).

A couple pics of the underneath (you can see the BF bracket and the rear support bushing bolted to it and part of the support arms).





Haven't got the car out yet but will later this week to really test it out.

Tony

Damn double post

How's the clearance between the top of the rear shifter mount, original mounting studs and body?

Tons, I can put the loop all the way up if I want but then the selector shaft pivot won't be horizontal. Where I have it set is perfect.