Hey guys. First of all, does anyone know where I can get a short throw shifter for an 81 280zx? Also, I'm thinking of getting the Crane cams XR-700 electronic ignition system from motorsport auto. How hard is it to put in? I'm getting a check for 1,400 bucks and about 1,200 is going in the 280.

 

MSA has a short throw shifter... or u can make your own.
The ignition: if you know how to follow wiring diagrams, and can hook up wires, I think you'll make it.

 

NO ONE make a short throw shifter for the 280zx N/A because all the linkage is in the bell housing.. Sure you can make a shorter lever but you wont be doing anything for the linkage to actually shorten the throw..

http://www.zcarparts.com/store/merch...ry_Code=PRC02A

 

That kit moves the pivot point upward shortening the front and back throw. The side to side movement is not changed. It looks like it would work also on the 81-83 cars. Call them and ask.

 

Well I called twice and after 4minutes of holding a girl comes on and says "Thank you for calling motorsport GOODBYE"

 

Motorsport auto doesn't have one for an 81 280zx

 

Yeah but according to bleach all Nissan 5-speed's were the same from 75-83, so if they have one for a 78 why wouldn't it work in a 81?? Thats what I was trying to figure out..

 

I've got a short shifter Made it myself. All I did was hack the old one and weld it back together. I'll take some pics tomorrow and try to post em. It was really easy to do and the 3rd gear shifts are much easier since I don't have to shift so far. It doesn't do much else for me though as the throw of the linkage wasn't changed, just how far I have to move my arm. I'll take a pic of it next to a stock shifter so you can see the difference.

On a side note; It would probably make shifting into 5th easier too but I only have a four speed so I can't attest to that one

 

What did you use to weld it? TIG, MIG, Oxy? I might try that. Now, does anyone know how hard it is to put in a Crane Cams electronic ignition system?

 

MIG welder unless you are rich and have a TIG...

IF you can follow wiring diagrams & can hook wires together... you can hook up a crane ignition

 

Well, I got the hooking wires part down. but my friend could probably help me out on that one. You don't have to be rich to have a tig welder. you just have to have a friend taking college welding classes and weld pretty good.

 

Actually, it's a little thick for TIG. I wouldn't recommend trying TIG unless you want the shaft to snap off on a hard shift. . I used Stick for this one. TIG is really only good up to about a 1/4" thick. After that you lose all the benefits of using it in the first place(if you can even find a TIG tip to weld that thick). But just plain old gas torch welding would work just fine for this one. It doesn't have to be pretty (it gets covered by the shift boot anyways ).

Man I can't wait to get me a new welder. That shifter was actually the last thing I've welded since I left CA. I sold everything I own except for a few handtools and the Z when I moved out here. I gotta lot of fabbing to do

 

What welder are you going to get?

 

Before you buy from Motor Sport Auto check the prices at the other big auto parts houses before you pay the premium MSA asks.

Check out:

http://store.summitracing.com/defaul...=egnsearch.asp

http://www.jegs.com/webapp/wcs/store...archTerm=xr700

Many parts for sale at MSA for our cars are generic and work with any car, given the right configuration. These large parts suppliers have a HUGE market and can buy and sell at reduced prices as a result of the volume.

Nearly everything MSA has for sale is available cheaper elsewhere. But sometimes, the convenience is worth the price difference. But do it because it's the right decision.

Cheers,
lww

 

Depends on what my budget looks like and where it's at when I finally can't take it anymore and cave and just buy one. Lincoln Electric has one I was looking at and its fairly inexpensive (under $2K). Oh it's TIG before jaws start dropping I also spotted a protable unit from Thermaldynamics. Its a 190-amp TIG for well under $2K. If you've got any recommendations I'd gladly take them The sooner I can get my hands on one the better. So I'm definitely looking for something inexpensive but Im also looking for something that's gonna do the job I prefer TIG cause it's just plain easier. Not to mention neater. I like the whole work at your own pace part of it. The only thing I don't like about it is that it's sooo slow. It's all worth it when you finish the final product though and it's so pretty you just have to stare at it

 

I heard that the crane unit's were discontinued by crane with no immediate plans to start making them again. I went to a couple speed shops to get one (MSA really is overpriced) and they both said they could get it over the phone. Well when I got to the first one to purchase it (they wanted money first) they called up to make the order and got the finger. Werehouse was clean out and hadn't ordered anymore. So the second one actually called crane when his supplier also didnt have any and they told him that they aren't making them any more. I'm assuming MSA and VB just have them stocked or something and that's why they can continue to sell them. This was a little over 6months ago and I don't know if things have changed since then. ANd I never tried any of the big companies like JEGS or Summit though so they could have them in stock.

 

hey thanks for that info lww. u just saved me about 20-30 bucks.

 

Here's some pics of the short shifter I was talking about that I made. One is a comparison of it with the stock shifter. The other picture is just the short shifter. You can see where it was welded as it's rusting now that I'm living here on the eastern seaboard

 

So basically you cut out about an inch and a half and arc weld it together? Thanks for helping me with this.

 

I may just do that

 

Works great. I like it a lot more than the stock one. It doesn't look like much was taken off but when you figure in how far you got to move it from 2nd to 3rd the difference is huge. You just gotta make sure you get pretty good penetration on your welds or you might end up snapping it. Like I said, I didn't use the prettiest form of welding but it did do the trick. I probably should've coated it with something though so it didn't rust though. Oh well, lesson learned for the next guy. Next up I'm gonna raise the pivot point on the transmission and extend the lower part of the shifter. That way I'll get a real short shifter. Got get me a new welder first I know you've got links L-Dub. Where you at?

 

Hey man when you get that done u gotta get us some pics for some ideas. Or you could start manufacturing your own and patent it.

 

I wanted to make real short throw shifters but I'm still coming up with ideas for raising the pivot point. It's tough on the Nissan 4 & 5 speeds cause of their design. And then it's gotta be reliable and easy enough for the general public to install and use. Which means it can't be weld on

 

Just have them send you the lever weld an extension on the bottomand raise the lever..