I can't find the thread now, but I promised some photos of my Subaru cable linkage, with a rule for dimensions. Seem to be several projects getting to this point, so hopefully it will be helpful. I wrenched my back so it's been slow, sorry, but here are a few.

General layout. The cable going through the center of the photo is anchored on the left at the sheath to the main bracket, then connects to the shift rod bracket on the right, attached to the shift rod coming out of the transmission. That cable is the shift rod in and out. The rotational cable connects to the bottom of that same shift rod bracket, on the right. The main bracket is the important piece, it locates all the cable sheath anchors. This is the best view of the reinforcing gusset that keeps everything stiff.



Same view from below and a little further back so you an see the cable sheath mount for the rotational cable.



Same direction of view, but a little around the main bracket so you can see the shift rod bracket. That's the important dimension for full throw of the MR2 shifter, 8.5cm from the center of the shift rod to the cable heim center.



Another, that same bracket and dimension. This is the best view of now that bracket attached to the transmission shift rod:



Same components, different view. The main bracket curves out from the transmission mount to put the sheath attachment point out in the same plane as the shift rod. In the photos above you can see the shift rod bracket is bent in toward the rear of the transmission to keep that cable movement in the same plane. You can also see more of the main bracket gusset (that triangular shape). Need that gusset to keep it all stiff, minimize cable shifter "mush".



Different view, same stuff.



Shows the main bracket size. This isn't a critical dimension, but it will give some perspective, maybe help. that 5" measurement is from the point where it attaches to the transmission to the cable sheath anchor tab for the rotational cable.



No, this is NOT Andy's camera, it's my sore back. Not a critical dimension so it's OK. It's 17cm, the distance between the mounting tab for the in-out cable sheath to the middle of the in-out heim joint on the transmission rod bracket.



Layout (during the build) of the modified MR2 shifter inside the car. That verticall piece of flat stock between the cables from the shifter to the sheath mounting tabs makes the whole thing stiffer, eliminating a lot of the movement and making the feel a lot more precise. Note that there are adjustments everywhere in the system, every cable end. There's also a video of the shifter working in my build thread, ink in the sig, below.

And last but really first, your reward for reading this far, my little hot rodder grandaughter. She just wants to have fun.



Sorry things are dirty, but this is how things look with 20K miles of road grime. No maintenance done so far other than regular oil changes and a set of tires. If anyone has any questions or you want to see more or different photos just let me know.

Thank you for posting these, as it is where I am at in my build. At least in my head, the physical part of the project is falling behind.

Thanks for adding to the subie collective.

Awesome DB, thanks. Very timely.

two other pics I like of db's car are these. knowing the pns for the cables and where they were ordered from, would be gold.





and his mock up video provides some great guidance on a mock up technique - http://youtu.be/ncmaxYd1WNI

Yeah, sorry Jim. I have a pile of receipts but that one's not there and I just don't remember. You should be able to show those photos (both ends) to any cable guy and give him a length (lay a tape along the route) and he should be able to tell you. Then don't be like me, write it down and post it.

It's terrible seeing the before photos, when everything was so clean, and now the after. I should be a better owner. Damn good thing it isn't a concours car.

pretty sure one of these would be perfect.

assuming everyone is using an off-the-shelf length, seems 6' length might work, depending on where the shifter is mounted and which shifter is used. though it seems to have a little slack, 7' may be needed which McMaster does not seem to offer. i'm also assuming 2 of the same cables would be used.

Someone posted the name of a company who will make cables to whatever length you want. As usual I did not bookmark or write that information down.

here is one mention I found.
thread: http://www.914world.com/bbs2/index.php?sho...=Control+Cables
direct link: http://store.controlcables.com/servlet/StoreFront
but having the right cables in hand would make reverse engineering a bit easier : )

here is an alternate setup

http://www.914world.com/bbs2/index.php?sho...;hl=eg33+subaru

Awesome thread man. Thanks so much. Exactly what I was looking for. I was going to at with welding up some pieces to see if I can get it close to as clean as what you have. Yours is definitely the benchmark.

That's the one Jim. Control Cables...thank you. Sounds like the ticket for custom length.

Heres where I got my cables from control cables
When I measured for them I used ploy tubing to get the correct length.

Bob

If you are looking for a second source we get Morse (push-pull) cables for our race cars from Midwest Controls.

http://www.midwestcontrol.com/part_family.php?id=3

As a community service I'd suggest that when whoever is first up makes their shifter parts they do dimensional sketches at the same time, then once it's sorted make up a dozen sets of brackets. It's just flat stock, simple and cheap. There are that many Subaru transmission projects, and no point in all twelve folks repeating the same work when one could do it for all.

And If anyone feels really entrepreneurial take a look at what it would take to adapt the bracket design to fit 901 transmissions, side and tail shift. These cables work better than the aftermarket shifters I've tried, and are far less expensive. There are more than a few people out there who would love to get their 901's shifting better. It's the perfect solution for those poor tail shifter guys, no need to convert to side shifter. I know that Ian intended to do this, and the good Dr. Evil has mentioned it, but it's still waiting for someone to pick it up and run with it. Anyone who wants to drive my car to verify any of this is purely welcome.

seems that for those using ian's trans hangers, one could weld some brackets to the drivers side bracket, using db's general cable mounting points.

I agree. An 914 world, in house effort, would be nice instead of just counting on an aftermarket supplier to make this for us. And doing the 901 trans as well as the subie is a great idea.

let's see how he makes out with his Teleflex cables?

http://www.914world.com/bbs2/index.php?showtopic=220712



jim

I'd love to find someone that could make me a shift linkage like DBCooper has. I'll bet getting a dozen of these made would prove fruitful for someone. Perhaps we could get a group buy together and have someone make them for us?

I'll be using Ian's cradle too, so welding a few more pieces onto it could be easily done.

If we could get a few people together I think I could duplicate mine and get a few made. If you're interested let me know. Only problem is that the throw on this one was calibrated for the MR2 shifter, so if you're using some other shifter that would probably change. I might be able to accommodate that too, but will need to find out. So if you're interested let me know. If I'm taking things apart I could probably get the cables made as well (they were custom from a shop in Fresno) so all you'd need to do would be find and install the MR2 shifter.

EDIT: Hold up. Re-reading Doug's post about Ian's cradle, and then looking at the photo in Jim's post, there's a kind of funny drop to the transmission mount, looks like angle iron. I remember talking about that when he was designing it, and think that was to accommodate using either a 901 or Subaru transmission with the same cradle. I can't see well in those photos, but it could be that that mount would interfere with the main cable locator bracket and where the cable runs. Would it be possible to get more detailed photos from different angles, to try to see if there would be interference before I take mine apart to make copies?

I'll shoot some in the next day or two. My engine and trans are installed and waiting for clutch, throttle cable, shifter setup, etc. Just let me know if there are any specific pics you know that need. Otherwise I will just shoot 10 or so and we can go from there.

And BTW I would definitely buy a setup from you DB. I have the Honda shifter but would change if I can get this all in one kit. Seems like the reason why we don't see as many cable shifter/Subie trans swaps in the group is the concern over our individual abilities to fabricate a cable setup that is as good or better than the stock 914 linkage. We WANT to do it ourselves but we do not all have the engineering skills. This could be a big step!

DB, do any of these help? I just noticed a couple of threaded holes in what looks like a good location on my trans to bolt a bracket to. You'll see them in the pics. Hopefully this is a common layout. There are a couple inches of clearance between the trans mount and the trans as you can see and I wouldn't have a problem notching it a bit if necessary. It's over-engineered (that's a good thing) and most of the weight is in the front with this layout.

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I think we'd ALL buy MR2 shifters if it made things easier. (I've already bought one.)




This is EXACTLY right. If I had the tools, I'd be building this stuff all day, but the reality is, I would rather just pay for something that's already done right. (or close, that I could modify.)

DBCooper's cable shifter on youtube

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ncmaxYd1WNI

Those are the holes used for the transmission bracket in my setup, and that measure, looks about 1-3/4 to 2-1/2 inches, puts that angle iron right in the middle of where the cable runs for my shifter. Means that what I have won't work in the current form with that cradle.

There are a couple of solutions, a bell crank, or an extension of the mounting point on the shift rod bracket, so the cable can run parallel with and closer to the transmission, so it fits in that 1-3/4" space between that angle iron and the trans case. Unfortunately that extends the cable mounting point outwards from the shift rod, meaning that cable end will move more, up and down, when the shift rod is rotated. I don't know if there is enough cable beyond the bracket where it mounts to let it flex enough for that.

Another possibility is drilling a hole right through that angle iron, threading the cable through the hole, and mounting the cable sheath there. You say it's over engineered, and it looks huge, do you think it's strong enough to maintain strength with a 3/4" hole through it? It looks like the angle iron comes down at quite an angle, which may make doing that problematic. The bad thing about a mount that's not on the transmission itself is that it can flex independently of the transmission, moving the cable end and the shift rod in ways that aren't good. But that all looks solid, no soft mounts anywhere between the cradle and the transmission. Anyway, give that some thought, and give me a a little time to see what's possible.

Let me get you a better straight on pic of that hanger with a 3/4 hole outline on it (probably in the wrong spot but who cares ). My opinion is that it would be strong enough. You can actually unbolt the mounts and the trans only falls a couple of inches or so. If the hanger seems too thin after the mod material can be added to strengthen it very easily. I'm sure you agree its key to use the SAME setup for every application if possible. You don't want to get in the "long-distance custom cable shifter cable bracket mount" business. Painful man, painful.

BTW what year is your MR2 shifter? Gonna start trolling Craigslist for a deal just in case.

I also have a MR2 shifter that I want to use. I don't have the year handy, but if somebody decides to build, I will buy. Otherwise, when I get back, this is the next project on my list as well as a radiator mount.

That's exactly what I was going to monkey around with. At least for one of the two cables. Then, work on some sort of a link for the other that could easily be welded in place to accommodate the spacing and shifter. I was going to build it out of 1/4" plywood and then have a metal version made by someone local with a TIG. If it proves easy enough, I'm guessing that I could just put the plans up here for people to print out and take to a local welder.

Thoughts?

This thread is killing me... It would be so easy to get a bracket made if I had all my stuff with me and space to do it... I think I was over thinking it before, had a design for a bell crank style set up just never had time cut/weld a prototype and then get it in cad and send it off to laser. I was trying to make it so both cables were the same length and would run nice and neat parallel to the trans to avoid any binding issues that could arise from having one cable go off to the side. DB do you have a shot of how you run your cables, I take it you don't have any issues with binding...

Well shit, now just when I was getting some cash coming in from the new job, and looking for a shop to open up in they decide to change things up and basically lay me off... Maybe I will just have to make the drive back to Oregon this weekend grab what I need to get it done and see if i can piss off the apartment complex just do it in the parking lot...

Go for it. I think there are an easy 20 sets to sell now. I think my headers will get in the way if I run them straight out of the car to the tranny.

pic from db's thread

No, nice curves so no binding (that's my car in Jim's photo, above). Longer cables let you come in to the shift rod at 90 degrees for the rotation, and parallel to the rod for the in-out, which is what you want to keep the mechanism simple. Works great.

I don't really want to make these, so if you can that's perfect. What kind of job are you looking for, anyway? Was the major engineering? Any way you could use your job search to turn up a small fab shop that would let you work with them on some projects? Reason I say that is that custom fab shops tend to know who's doing what in town, even when they aren't directly involved. And better, can give great referrals. Or some serious hobbyist you could team up with to make a few parts for a cut? A Craigslist ad?

Alright now we're getting somewhere! Ian once you figure out what you are going to charge why not take deposits to help with your cash flow? Lots of people are stuck at this point in our conversions and would rather not try to make these ourselves. Let us know your thoughts. Don't get thrown out of your apartment though! Not worth it.

DB,
Cool, I think that'll be the way I go then... Shouldn't be too hard to adapt your design around the cradle system, and with the shape of the pieces I'll probably be able to draft them in a way where I wont need a fixture to weld it a big plus .

As for the job, really just looking to get onto a sales team, some cool tech or software firm would be ideal. At this point though, just looking for something with a salary and health benefits.
Looking back, engineering would have been cool, I just never liked academics, math especially and engineering is all about the math haha. don't get me wrong, I love knowledge acquisition but just could never get into the classroom setting...

Anyway here is my linkedin if anyone has any random leads in Boise http://lnkd.in/s5KCRJ

Chris:
As tempting as it is to do advance deposits, I don't think I will. I've just seen it go sideways too many times, even personally... Remember the axles that were supposed to take 3 weeks, but ended up taking what 4 months for the manufacture to get to me, no thanks . I should have enough to do a production run on these without too much problem.

Can't help you with a job in PNW, but I'm absolutely down for buying the parts for the shifter!

Connect with me on linkedin so I can see your profile.

Rich

Just to be clear, I'm thinking that means you intend to do this, so I haven't done anything more. If that's wrong let me know. And if you want more information, for example me taking the brackets off the car and photographing with dimensions or whatever, just let me know.

Yep I'm on it, just trying to figure out where to get it done at, there aren't any 220 outlets that i can use at the apartment haha. really some more exact dimensions would be nice but not the end of the world if you can't get them, (don't need to injure your back anymore), most likely will just have to do it myself when i get my hands on all the parts.

-Ian

::: Waiting patiently ::::

Another thing that'd be helpful is if we could find someplace to get the cables. A "standard" order to be used with an MR2 shifter would be awesome.

I was looking at the Boxster shifters too. They seem to be readily available on eBay with cables for about $200. I wonder if those might work? Or are the cables too short?

eg: http://r.ebay.com/JfPFfK or http://r.ebay.com/PzZSJR

(There are more that are nicer looking, but those were a couple of examples I could find quickly.)

Well there were some places mentioned earlier in the thread that im looking into just for pricing sake but i do have a spot that i can order custom length/set up cables in bulk... probably will do that and sell it as a kit to make it easy for everyone.

the boxter shifter may work, but the cables are a bit too short. I have an mr2 shifter that i will be basing it off of... but really that portion is up to you guys as i don't have access to my 914 at the moment.

Awesome. Keep me in the loop, and make sure I'm at the top of the list please. ;-)

I also need to get a set of your engine mounts...I forgot to buy those from you when I was ordering before...let me know.

220/221...whatever it takes. The '80's movies are haunting me this week...


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iX3kxAA2L4Q


Hey if there's a line forming I'd like to be in it as well. As long as I get a setup from the first "run" I'm good.

That's actually the route I was looking into. In particular, I was going to figure out if I could modify the Boxter's linkage at the transmission to work with the Subaru shifter. If not I don't think it would be all that difficult to replicate. I really like the compactness of having both of the control cables coming in parallel.

Do we (collectively) have any idea what control cable length/connection we should be buying? I found these on McMaster's website.

http://www.mcmaster.com/#push/pull-control-cable/=paks99

I was thinking "3125K73" the Low Friction Grooved Mount 6 ft. cable with a max 4" stroke for $64 ea.

After seeing how much slack the side-to-side one needs I'm worried that one might be slightly too short but what do I know ? I think Bob's idea of using a length of plastic tubing to measure it roughly is what we should do. Hey DB, any chance you could measure yours or get a rough measurement of the lengths? (THE CABLES DB, THE SHIFTER CABLES ).

Car isn't here now but I'll try to measure over the next few days, maybe tomorrow. I seem to remember 9 feet and 11, but intuitively that doesn't seem right, so let me check.

Unfortunately I torqued my back again. It's 914 related at least, I was trying to lift some heavy and awkward 914 parts out of the trunk of my car. It's not as bad as last time so I'll probably be mobile again by this weekend and I'll measure those cables then. Sure wish I could flip the car over onto it's back so I wouldn't have to get down on the ground. This getting old shit sucks.

Chris, from what I could see you don't need to get it down to the inch. And how you route it will determine your particular length. I ordered 7'6" & 9'6". I was going to PM you with the info next week.

Thanks Kent! I was hoping they didn't have to be perfect...so it's OK for them to be too long but not too short...


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kD_xWrhZ8yI


Where's you buy the cables?

DB, sorry about your back again. That stinks.

mine are 7ft and 9 ft

I think that is pretty much right on but I'm leaving myself an extra 6" in case I missed something. And Chris, err to the + side when measuring, It's easy to displace the extra cable but hard to stretch it. Bought them from control cables in ste fe springs, ca. I'll post all the measurements next week after the cables are installed. Right now my mind keeps drifting off to placing 2 servos vs cables, one day It should be simple enough mechanically but the electrical would be tough.