Trans Tunnel/Shifter Location

[RonKahn]

Ok, have the engine and trans located in the chassis. On this CR, I see that the shifter location is NOT centered in the middle of the trans tunnel, where the shifter boot will be.

Guess I need some information if everyone else's CR has the shifter not exactly in the middle of the fiberglass tunnel? I will be using an aftermarket short throw shifter that is much bulkier and taller into the or above the trans tunnel, but I see that the T5 tail shaft is NOT perfectly centered, and is cambered to the left, towards the driver at a slight angle. Yes, the engine and trans are centered in the engine compartment, and level within .03deg.

Has anyone else have this issue or has had to "widen" the fiberglass trans tunnel a little bit to accommodate shifter boot retaining ring.

[Chicagowil]

Do not think I had that issue. But I did start with a short shift adapter and removed it because it stuck up too high for a normal boot. I then added a 289 style shift handle. Do the side exhaust pipes exit centered in the openings? I did have a problem with the motor not straight in frame and too far forward because the previous owner(s) had the motor mounts reversed- side-to-side. That also offset the trans and it was about 2" too far back.

[C5GTO]

My CR Cobra has a Richmond Gear 5 speed with a Hurst Competition Plus shifter (I don't recommend this setup and it's the next thing to get swapped out by the way). The shifter mounts to the left side of tailshaft housing and thus sits to the left of the cars centerline. To make room for the shifter in the tunnel, I fabricated a bulge in the tunnel. I seem to recall making some vertical cuts in the fiberglass, using some force to bulge it outward and then fiberglassing the needed bulge shape in place to provide the needed clearance.

Here's a picture of the interior in a finished state. You can see the bulge but it looks fine once covered with carpet and the shifter boot.



I plan to swap out the transmission with a TKX sometime when I get around to it. I anticipate the shifter position will move more to the tunnel center. I may or may not remove the bulge depending on what is involved once the transmission swap is complete.

[RonKahn]

Thanks for the information. I really appreciate it!!

I was not provided the correct motor mounts as they were the big block mounts and the obviously I have a small block. So, I had to fabricate some motor mounts that put the engine just about in the center of the cradle. The trans tail shaft is dead center to the frame members. Yes, I could use the factory shifter and not have much of a problem, but I want to use the short shifter, hence the shifter plate protrudes more to the left to the very edge of the fiberglass and also above the fiberglass tunnel as well. All of this should be able to be covered by the interior shop. (I visited him yesterday)

About my pipes, let's not discuss that yet. I have a set that is wrong for the car and will need to be "reworked", along with the side pipes. These are generic standard side pipes for a shorter cobra as I do NOT have any of the factory exhaust that came with this kit. Hence, I am fabricating everything to fit.

I have a friend here in NC that has an Excalibur that is basically a CR in almost all aspects of the car. Just a few differences. His tunnel and t5 is also slightly to the left, but he has the stock shifter. He also has a custom made interior that is so thick and padded that it masks or covers any problems on or around the tunnel. So, my assumption is that the shop that will do my interior can do the same thing.

I also talked to another CR owner that built his in the recent past and he had the same problem. He just "shimmed" the left side of the tunnel to come out just a little bit to allow for the installation of the boot and shifter. I will most likely do the same before taking to the interior shop so it is all solid for him to work on.

[RonKahn]

Originally Posted by C5GTO

My CR Cobra has a Richmond Gear 5 speed with a Hurst Competition Plus shifter (I don't recommend this setup and it's the next thing to get swapped out by the way). The shifter mounts to the left side of tailshaft housing and thus sits to the left of the cars centerline. To make room for the shifter in the tunnel, I fabricated a bulge in the tunnel. I seem to recall making some vertical cuts in the fiberglass, using some force to bulge it outward and then fiberglassing the needed bulge shape in place to provide the needed clearance.

Here's a picture of the interior in a finished state. You can see the bulge but it looks fine once covered with carpet and the shifter boot.



I plan to swap out the transmission with a TKX sometime when I get around to it. I anticipate the shifter position will move more to the tunnel center. I may or may not remove the bulge depending on what is involved once the transmission swap is complete.

Yes, thanks for the picture. My shifter comes out of the tunnel much farther back.

Best thing is I just have to fabricate and work around the problem. There is no way I can move the engine or trans to fix this, so just live with it and work a solution around it. Thanks so much!

[Chicagowil]

I did h
make a rough cover to raise the height of the area around the short shift unit. If interested, you may have it as a starting point. Or I can get a couple of photos of what it is and some dimensions for you.

Here are the T5Z in my car with the Steeda short shift on it:

[Roylerumble]

I'm gong to have to do some work to my tunnel fiberglass for my t5. The other guy that got the other kit had to as well on his toploader.