TWM Short Shifter
01-02-2009, 09:06 PM
#1
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Join Date: 02-07-2008
Location: Lakenheath, UK
Posts: 826
TWM Short Shifter
so...i FINALLY got around to installing it today. with the help of my fiancee's lil brother we got it handled in about 1-1.5 hours. hardest part was getting that dang stock shift knob off of there. bugger did NOT wanna come off lol! so go figure, i grabbed my camera on my way out of the house so i could be sure to document the process...and it sat on my back seat the whole time...totally forgot to take any pics haha. but if anyone else wants to install one and needs some specific pics, let me know, as i didn't initially order the aluminum mount bushings, so i'll get getting some eventually, and can get some good pics when i open everything back up to do that.
all in all, it was a relatively easy install, aside from removing the stock shift knob, as i said. the final appearance looks awesome, especially with my silver waterfall panel right in front of it. it feels great, the throws are perfect, and once you get the cable adjustments dialed in, it is absolutely wonderful. however, TWM, if you read this, please consider adding in a note somewhere about possible adjustment to the side to side cable, as i've read a few others had to manipulate that, and i did as well. aside from that slight omission of info on the lateral adjustments, the instructions are spot on (aside from console disassembly being written for a Cobalt, just look at the base HHR instructions on their website if you need help there).
and now, the only 2 pics i took.
and forgive the little laser light show i got going on in this one...not sur how that happened lol
all in all, it was a relatively easy install, aside from removing the stock shift knob, as i said. the final appearance looks awesome, especially with my silver waterfall panel right in front of it. it feels great, the throws are perfect, and once you get the cable adjustments dialed in, it is absolutely wonderful. however, TWM, if you read this, please consider adding in a note somewhere about possible adjustment to the side to side cable, as i've read a few others had to manipulate that, and i did as well. aside from that slight omission of info on the lateral adjustments, the instructions are spot on (aside from console disassembly being written for a Cobalt, just look at the base HHR instructions on their website if you need help there).
and now, the only 2 pics i took.
and forgive the little laser light show i got going on in this one...not sur how that happened lol
01-02-2009, 11:21 PM
#3
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Join Date: 02-07-2008
Location: Lakenheath, UK
Posts: 826
so i found out my camera somehow got itself on the night portrait mode, so it flashes several times, and the shutter actually goes a few times, and the camera combines it for the best picture with the lighting. i apparently moved, and the "ghost" is the reflection of the map lights reflecting off the shift knob.
went for a little drive around town earlier to get dinner and such...still in the "WOW" stage...every time i shifted i thought to myself "i can't believe how much better this feels than the stock one!" and even said aloud several times to my dad who was with me "this shifter is just amazing!"
went for a little drive around town earlier to get dinner and such...still in the "WOW" stage...every time i shifted i thought to myself "i can't believe how much better this feels than the stock one!" and even said aloud several times to my dad who was with me "this shifter is just amazing!"
01-03-2009, 10:41 AM
#5
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Join Date: 02-07-2008
Location: Lakenheath, UK
Posts: 826
Chevy SS, if you could just drive an SS with this thing for 10 minutes, you'd go straight home and order one, no joke. i thought the stock shifter felt great! of course, all i had to compare it to was my dad's 81 Toyota truck, my sister's 87 Dodge Colt, and my brother's old 2001 Jeep. compared to those the stock one is fantastic. but get one of these bad boys in there...and you realize the stock one isn't as wonderful as you thought. not bad, by any means, just nothing compared to this piece of art
01-03-2009, 08:41 PM
#6
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Join Date: 04-19-2008
Location: Ontario Cdn
Posts: 563
Hmmmm.... Have mine sitting on a shelf in the garage, I'm planning an extended 3 week road trip in a few days and thought it best to leave the modifications till I got back, You're now making me rethink this conservative (chicken sh*t) strategy.
01-04-2009, 02:50 AM
#8
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Join Date: 02-07-2008
Location: Lakenheath, UK
Posts: 826
01-04-2009, 02:54 AM
#9
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Join Date: 02-07-2008
Location: Lakenheath, UK
Posts: 826
seriously, if you don't do it before the trip, and then you get it done, after feeling it, you will be mad at yourself for not doing it before the trip lol. i just took my first trip out of town (neighboring city about half hour away) since the install, and i can't wait for longer, more active trips with it. this shifter is great fun. however, Canuck, you are in Canada, yes? you may want to come up with some kind of sock or glove type thing to put over the shifter overnight, to help against the cold so it won't be freezing your hand in the morning. that is what i plan to do. get some kind of cover thing for it, and just throw it in the dash cubby once i jump in, and put it back on when i park it for the night. it is an aluminum knob...it's temp varies GREATLY lol
