I can almost hear the banjo's . That is so Redneck looking I Love it

Seriously though looks very functional. I worry about all the road construction. Got a nice crack in my windshied from flying asphalt a few weeks ago . Glad to hear you were able to get it fixed.

Now the fun part. My custom J West inspired shift rod does not fit anymore. I've had parts laying around for a cable shift setup. I blew the dust off and started some fab. The shifter is a Fiero ($25 pick-n-pull). I made a slip fitter adapter for the shift console. 1" DOM, 0.120 wall tubing ($5) slips just over the ball once you remove the bushing. I drilled and taped the tube 120 degrees apart @ 3/4" from the end. I then did the same thing @ 3/8"(but rotated layout). I decided to use 2 different thread pitch set screws. 3 are 1/4"-20 and 3 are 1/4"-28. The -20 are used to index the slip fitting fore, aft, up or down. The -28 are use to secure the fitting on the ball. I then welded some 5/8" DOM inside the 1". This is used to set the depth (on the ball) and to reduce the opening. I then machined down a 1/4" heim joint to fit inside the DOM. The push pull cable will attach to the heim. I have not finished the cable brackets yet. One of the -28 set screws will be long and attach the other cable to it. I will have to drill a hole in the top of the console for this up/down movement. I am building a bracket that bolts to the lower front transmission/engine bolt. The rear attachment piont will be the shift console. This one bracket will hold both cables in position.

The shifter needed some minor tweeks too. first was excess brackets. I had to adjust the fore/aft stroke to 3.5"(3" is needed at the console), this was accomplished by removing the stock pin and welding in a bolt. This changed the geometry of the stop. Next I drilled out the cotter pin cable attachment and welded in a bolt. This is because the heim joints are thicker than the original pins would allow.

Now I have to wait for the cables to show up. I ordered one 6' and one 7'. More to come...

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I had a little bit of time today. Started working on the bracket. I tried to make it simple and reproduceable. Not that I'm going to make more, but if you want to try, it not that hard. I made a tang to mount on the lower tranny mount. The main piece is some 2" flat stock (H.D. $8). I bent an offset to get some clearance from the CV. The rear will mount to the shift console. One of the ball/pinch bolts will double as the up/down heim connection. I machined out an opening in the top of the console for the heim. It's important to keep the heim as clost to the pivot point to avoid a large swing of the cable. The fore/aft heim will be final welded when the cables arrive. As will the cable brackets. The up/down bracket will weld to the main piece. I will use L channel vertically with a horizontal tang to hold the cable at elevation. The main piece is on the same plane as the top of the shift console, so it is not exactly level to the ground. Although I'm not a fan of cutting the console, I did. I needed to clearance for the cables.

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I have decided to move the shifter rearward to a more comfortable position. The original hole will get filled. My Jegs pistol grip screwed right on the shifter. When all said and done I will have less than $100 into this project. All parts come from Ebay, Home Depot and Pick-N-Pull.

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I am waiting for shifter parts to arrive. Here is my artist rendering of the final design. Thare are some vary complicated cable shift designs out there. I tried to keep this super simple in case someone else wants to fab their own. Many different shifters will work. Mine has a built it reverse/1st lockout spring on the correct side. The main issue will be fore/aft throw. The 901 per my design requires just over 3". If the slip fitter is extended, more throw is needed. The end of the fulcrum point is located where the rod was so the effort fore/aft shoule be the same as the rod (theoretically). I couldn't sleep so I started Fuching around on the computer

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Careful Mike.

People might start asking you to make them a budget friendly cable-shift solution.

That's why I'm being very detailed. You guys can make your own with my design. When it's all done I may post more details and measurements in a new thread. I can't make enough to go into buisness. I'm not looking for a new career , I just want to drive!

Mmmmmm Stop tempting me!!!

Really looking good!!

Looking good Mike. Oil pan fix came out nice, I assume the motor ended up being OK since you've been working on the new shifter. Can't wait to see that thing run.

Jeff

Progress! Inside the car I installed rivet-nuts in the tunnel to hold the shifter in place. My cables came in. I had to move the attachment points on the shifter. I used some 3"x1/8" stock and some square washers (HD $5) to put the cables in the right place. No binding and smooth operation. I have the vertical cable bracket welded on the tranny bracket (no pics yet) I should have this driving this weekend. Euro sunday is having another event in Walnut Creek.

Cables: Ebay $26 each.
Shifter: Junk Yard $25.
Heim Joints: Ebay $20
Misc steel: $20 (maybe. I used mostly left over pieces from H.D.)

Total: $91 For a complete cable shift system. No I will not make you one Well maybe for $300

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Bad ass! I want one........or is it my trans?

Nice work Mike!

Nice . The real question is how does it shift . If it is an improvement over the stock sideshift? Love to hear how it works with some driving time. Way to go

Got the rear bracket done, cables installed, shifter installed and the car shifts. It took a little while to get it adjusted, then I took it all apart to paint it. The shift is firm and positive. The only tweeking I may do is to widen the neutral gate. I need to drive it first. If I were to do it again, the slip fitter should be milled from billet steel and I would get a heim that could articulate a little more on the end. I milled down some small washers on the heim/cable connection to help prevent binding. The cable system gets rid of all the slop in the rod system. The play left over is the shift console to shift fork slop. It would take some welding and machine work inside the tranny to remove all slop. All in all, the shifting is much improved. I will get it back on the road this weekend and try it out...

The bracket turned out how I pictured it...

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The top bracket was welded at a compound angle. I installed the cable to the bracked and console and tacked in place...

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Bottom view. Slip fitter is not pretty, but it works great. Maybe Racer Chris can mill a pretty one up for me...

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You can see the washers added to increase movement...

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Found this cool clip at HD for $0.75 and a 3/16 pin ($1.07). I welded the pin on and then hardend the piece.

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Looks great Mike, hopefully this drive will go better than your last. If you find yourself up this way stop by I'll be in the garage working on my car all weekend.


Jeff

Wow that looks great! Very simple design!

Got it off jack stands today. Test drove it and... No first... 5th is there... Try 5th... 1st is there... A quick mod to the shifter and the throw is reversed and the shift pattern is correct now. Only problem now is 2nd. I need to increase the throw to 2nd. Since I had to reverse the throw in the neutral gate, I widened the pattern a little. Not much but enough to make me happy. It was just to narrow for comfort.

Pic of the bracket paintied and installed...

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I used some more aluminum diamond plate to cover the front tunnel. It matches the piece under my hydraulic brake and my gauge panel...

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Not to take away from your shifter setup , looks great , what seat belts are you using ???

Jack

I run dual seatbelts on the drivers side. 914ish retractable belts and a 5 point harness. On the passenger side I run just a retractable.

Mike,
I must say...you are amazing at fabicrating on the "cheap." I like your design...very simplistic...less to go wrong. I sure hope it ends-up working for you. I would love to have a cable shifter if it improved shifting over a Renshifter.

Thanks! I'm a CSOB just like the rest of us. I grew up fabricating in my family's service stations. When I was young, I never had the money to pay someone to do fab for me. I guess that carried into my adult life. I do just about all my own auto repairs still. I will admit that I hate oil changes and will sub that out so I don't have to deal with the disposal.

I added a video of the shifter in motion. Shifting into 2-3, 4-5, 1-R and neutral. Works well. I need to get used to the different feel of this shifter. The gears go in so easy! Next on the list of items is my oil injection pump. My electronic controller is not compatable with my TPS. I have discovered that I can use a MAP sensor and invert the output to simulate the TPS signal. Maybe next weekend...


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sWks4R00uFw

A cable shifting 901! The holy grail!
Keep us posted on how it works over the long-term.
I can't wait to see and hear this beast in person
My 914 is on the road again, tearing up HWY 1 with 80 HP of fury

Your e brake setup looks neat.. did i miss this somewhere in your thread? If not details please. I recently did a hydraulic brake set on my son's 50cc shifter cart and like the sterility of yours more.

Great work Mike!



Very educational and entertaining.

John

The hydraulic brake is made for drifting. I use it as a parking brake. Comes from a company in Phoenix. My 930 e brakes were removed by a PO.

I hung out with the PCA Saturday. Had a lot of fun cruising the twisties. Got to a spot and jumped on it palying around with a 930. I smoked him and then... The engine detonated and blew an apex seal through the turbo. I found my crank trigger loose and it went too advanced under load. Time for a rebuild The turbo is toast and the engine needs a complete overhaul. This was the most fun ever blowing a motor! This car is fuching fast. Maybe too fast; Is that possible? It has easily twice the power of my V8. My tuner says areound 500hp and I beleive him! I will have it running again but I need to clear out the garage first and save the $1k for the master rebuild kit. Oh, and the turbo needs to be rebuilt or replaced. The bottom line is this combo works! It works very well. If not for a loose 10mm nut it would be perfect.

So now it's time to get working on my trailer project. It's in the garage and cannot move until it gets put together. I will post the trailer build in another thread.

Mike, sorry to hear about that. If I can lend a hand with labor let me know.
Michael

Mike,

What's happening? I haven't seen any updates. Hope all is well.

Saving my nickles for the new motor and meth injection. I am trying to get it going for WCR but so far, WCR may not happen this year. No one wants to lead.

I'll let you know when the build BBQ will happen!

Procrastinate later. WCR will pass you up before you know it.

I know, I know...

I should tear it apart and asses all the damage. In fact, the car is still on my trailer. Just like when I picked it up after the break down. Now it's covered with leaves and a tarp in my side yard. I've been dicking around with my trailer project but should be working on my car. I need to get the 914-trailer out of the garage and get my car in there... I just haven't been motivated enough I guess. Kind of depressing blowing a motor shortly after getting it running

At least I have a fix to prevent it from happening again... Methanol

It will go down in my personal history as the most fun ever blowing a motor...

This FUCHING car is stupid fast!!! scary fast!!! a shit load of fun!!!

Man,... I got to get it going again!

Yes you should tear it apart!


I just found out yesterday that the issue that I had on the Audi where I thought I had blown the turbo or worse turned out to be 5 of the exhaust manifolds bolts were loose/missing. 1.5 years for me to look under the hood...

Better check your oil while your in there...

All fluids will be replaced obviously

Here's a tip from my '93 RX-7 days:

Pettit Racing should still be selling the second knock detector kit for the 13B motor. That provides knock detect to the second rotor housing, since the stock motor only has one.

That is a good tip. I'm actually having a custom knock senor built. It will have an extra output to activate the methanol injection. I will also have a pressure sensor activate it as well as an rpm sensor. This way, I will be covered if it knocks, if it revs above 6000rpm or if it goes above 12psi. All of these settings are adjustable...

I really need to get this build going again. Maybe after my vacation next month.

Just need more green to burn...

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I stumbled upon this thread and read it all in one sitting. I could not stop. Fascinating project and an amazing fabrication job! As both a 914 and RX-7 owner, I understand your desire to successfully blend the two, and you've truly made one very special "914"!

Thanks for the compliment. I hope to get back to it soon!

BTW...




UPDATE!!!

Here is a link to part 2
http://www.914world.com/bbs2/index.php?showtopic=172455

Here is a link to part 3
http://www.914world.com/bbs2/index.php?showtopic=187914