I'm interested in cable shift kits, which the way i figure it don't have to be Porsche specific. I'm thinking about fabricating the parts necessary to make a tailshift tranmission run with a race-style cable shifter.

The problem is all i can find are shifters for automatics. I'm guessing web research isn't going to cut it. Things this specific are often hard to find.

With that said, I was going to do this for just the standard 901, but perhaps such solutions don't exist unless you're running a 915?

901 Cable shifter


This guy was talking about making a kit, no idea if he is doing it or not.

The Boxsters and new Audi's along with most Asian manual cars use cable shifters.

Check the sand rail magazine...

these guys all use the tail shifter and cable shifters...

Seems like quite a few alternative, but from what I here they all work worse than a well tuned stock setup.

rich

when do we get picks of this thing hhhmmmm brad????

I'm going to hook up with Eric in a few hours to pick up an extra cable he had for sale on the classified's page. Since it looks like I'll be moving the subaru engine and the tranny forward a few inches the stock shifter setup won't work for me. I could just shorten the shifter bar but after feeling what his cable shifter is like I think it would be a very nice alternative to the factory rowboat.

Thanks for the tip on the sand rail magazines, I didn't know that

it is not going to be cheap! can't wait to see one tho ...

(i'm talking WEVO)

want one, must have one.....

Can someone clarify what the new Wevo product is and will do? Is it a replacement shifter and does it use stock linkage or it's own? Also will it be a direct bolt in for our 914 sideshifters? Sorry to sound dumb but sometimes I can't help it.

Patrick Motorsports sells cable shifters for 914's... the only list 915 and g50 apps though

Mueller,

As an engineering type, what are your thoughts on the one at the link you posted?

looks like a bit of a hack (as all prototypes do) but the thing that stood out to me was that the plates are much thicker (and heavier) than they need to be.

I was asking Eric for any information he learned from that process, and my plan is to make a bracket that's a bit more elegant in design. Which i should be able to do since it's what i was trained to do...

show some pics as you go along...

How about an air shifter? That would be coool.

Some of you guys may want to check this...
A fellow 914 nut here in the NL used the g-box parts of a hyundai scoupé
(dunno the year)

It was practically a bolt on (only very minor mods) to the tailshifter

He got the parts dirt cheap at the local pick-n-pull

cheers,

Jeroen

any pics or more details to share on that one...
And more importantly why have you not recruited him to The premier 914 web site????

I'll see if I can dig up sum details from the club magazine...

cheers,

Jeroen

thanx jeroen

Tim,

build your own and use the Boxster shifter and cables. This shifter (and cables) have been well proven in racing (GT3RS and Carrera cup use the same shifter w/ shorter cables) The Boxster/996 shifter will work perfect on top of the center tunnel.

I know you have the ability to do this. The main hack part of Eric's (in my opinion) is the shifter. The way a Boxster shifter works ....is trick. Fairly cheap too.

B

On the WEVO shifter - if you guys can wait a couple weeks (maybe less) I will have a comparable shifter to the WEVO for about half its price.

It will be available for both side shifter and tail shifter applications, and have the option of stock or short shift throws. Spring loaded gates, precise feel, and a bolt-on stick so you can tailor it to the length and angle you like.

It will bolt in to the stock shifter position (you still need to fix all those bushings you have been meaning to take care of ) but will require a different shift boot and mods the console if you have one.

Coming soon...

Brad,
how would you deal with the tranny end of the cable shifter? It would be easy enough to get a shift mechanism from a balled up boxter.

My 914 seems to shift well, but then I can only compare it to my '69 911.

Tim,

For several years I have been trying to figure out what to do with ALL these tailshift tranny's sitting around collectiong dust. I thought about why we yanked them out and how most of them have low mileage. Cable shift. So... a friend of mine (Eric Tischer) fabbed one up for his tail shifter... it worked great. I dont have enough time to "make" everything that I have on my little pea brain but this one shows some promise. The shifting problem with the tail shifters is not inside the tranny. Its a linkage problem to the tranny. So.. do away with the linkage and you have a very nice shifting box (better than a side shifter in my eyes) The internal shift rail on the tailshifter is better supported than the sideshifter.

B

Here are some pics of the cable-shifter a fellow clubmember did
Sorry for the low quality of the pics... I shot them with the digital camera from the (badly printed) clubmagazine
The details are kinda vague... he used the mechanism of a Hyunai Scoupe
He used that because that one uses a 14mm shaft (like the 914 does)
He made a new 14mm shaft, only longer to work with this setup
The rest more or less bolted up without too much fabrication/changes

Looks like a clean install to me...

cheers,

Jeroen

'nother pic

The WEVO 901 will only work in a tail shifter - the worst elements of the tail shift design (the linkage connections) are still there with the WEVO shifter, unfortunately.

Hey James,

Any sneek previews on your shifter?

cheers,

Jeroen

Call me a MORON, but I don't get how a cable shifter works.

Does one cable control left to right action and the other fore and aft?

Any help would be good.


Thanks

Yup, that's it...

cheers,

Jeroen

The version with the Hyundai's setup looks like it makes sense and I can see the l/r and f/a actions of each cable but I don't get it with the others?!

I need some pics of the Audi cable setup. I'm thinking the Boxster 2.5/2.7 tranny linkage would work on our tailslappers. The Boxster 6 speed in the S is a totally different tranny and has two levers on the side of the tranny that the holds the cables. The 2.5/2.7 use a monkey motion on a small shaft that hangs out of the box... that the cables attach too. The Boxster 2.5/2.7 trannys are Audi based boxes and look almost identical to what a 944 tranny looks like.


B

Don't worry, you can call me a MORON too , when it comes to cable shifting. How does a flimsy cable "push" like the shift rod, like when you go for R, 2nd or 4th gear. When you pull toward you (1st, 3rd, and 5th) i could see how that works. do they use large springs to recenter the shifter and stuff.... a little help for the dunce here please.

E. Tischer's setup looks cool, any production plans yet? and cost.....

hey why do i care about tailshifting anyway? i got me a sideswinger!

Looks like this guy did a cable shifter using non-vw/audi/porsche parts. I wonder how it feels.

http://www.etischer.com/914cableshift.html

Douglas

THat is eric tischers setup....look familiar (cough....TOP OF PAGE!) jk
yeah...looks kinda cool....he's the guy running MEGASQUIRT right?

No, Eric is running a subaru 6 from an XT with the stock subaru ECU. I just saw him again last week to check out his shifter again and it feels pretty darn nice for less than $200 in parts and a little welding.

I think I'll be going junkyard shopping this weekend.

Jon... Use the Boxtser shifter and cables. I HATE Erics shifter setup. It looks like HELL. Let me know if you need a tailshifter. I have a few I can give you.


B

Brad, I'd love to try the boxster/tailshift combo. The two places that come to mind for used boxster shifters would be parts heaven and silver star. Any recommendations?

I bet someone down here in Sunnyvale or San Jose has a tail shifter in their garage we can use to design and test it on...

yeah, Eric's setup looks like it weights about 20lbs. I could machine some parts out of aluminum and probably make the whole thing about a pound, two if i do a crappy job. If you were to make something for mass production, we could easily design it from cold formed sheet steel. You wouldn't need to make many of them to make it worth while to go to a shop in the area and them to crank out a batch.

It would be interesting to try if nothing else. Getting the interior parts to be clean and acceptable.

.tim

I'm having trouble believing the boxster parts could be had for as little. Persuade me, please.

Tim,

PartsHeaven or Silver is about the only way to go. Damnit I wish I had pics of the early 2.5 Boxster setup. It uses a very simple "monkey motion" linkage to a tranny "joystick" the same size as the "joystick" coming out of the tailshifter.


Jon.. use what you want. I just dont want Toyota/Honda/Nissan parts in my cars.

I bet I could buy a Boxster cable and shifter setup NEW for under 200$.

B

Ha! This from the guy who grew up doing v8 conversions.




Please post pictures of the first proof-of-concept project. I can't wait to see this. I'd love to have a nice short accurate shifter. It would need to be mounted in a tall console or on a pedestal though so it'd still be close to the steering wheel. I'd love something like that.

-Ben M.

Do I need to remind you guy's that I am PIC KING..


Humm.. make it work:

B

Oh... my.. I love when I find what I'm looking for in my stash...



B

One cable goes here: The cable that handles front to back shifter throw.


B

Here is the housing/mount that holds that cable:


B

GET SOME.

Everything you need... right here.

See how it handles the IN/OUT Motion and how it handles the SIDE to SIDE or rotation motion ??

B

The only thing missing from the pics are the cables. I think something similar could be used on the 901 side or tail shift. The hockey stick on this box (almost identical to a 944 box..it is a Audi box) The Boxster 6 speed uses nothing llike this. Its a true cable shift box where as this is a reguler box like ours with conversion pieces on it.


B

Right now I'm open to ideas (because the end result is so far away). I'd have trouble putting Honda parts on my car too (yet Subaru parts don't bother me, imagine that).

We'll see.

A graphic of the full boxster setup

Yeah.. I couldnt find my PET Cd install... Its on the work computer.

I know you can do it.

Oh.. those cables run UP and over the top of the Boxster engine.


B

I'd be very interested in doing this mod to my son's 70 (the mystery shift car). I figure there is about $50 worh of bushings that need replacing now. So if I could replace the shifter for 4X that and end up with a precise shifter it would be worth it. Might make teaching him to drive a little easier.

James Adams:

Not being the immensely creative type myself, this appeals to me. Details? Pics? Availability?