Short gearchange for Fiat Spider

[Rocking-M]

I took the gearchange off an old 5 speed I have and can't see how to
shorten the shift throw with just gearchange mods. On a BMW a longer
section is placed below the pivot and works great to shorten the throw.
The spider transmission is a different set up. The shift rod connects high
on the gearchange and then the pivot.
Any help will be appreciated.

Robert

[Marc]

There are two style gearchange assemblies, the pull-up reverse type early series gearchange and the push down later series style gearchange.
You want the early series style which has the shorter gearchange assembly and will interchange with a late series trans as a complete assembly, the whole gearchange mechanism assembly, not just the arm. You can't modify it any shorter than that except if you cut and weld back together to make it shorter.
The later series has a much longer arm than the early series shifters.

[Rocking-M]

What I want is a short throw, I don't want to shorten the stick.
In fact I may bend an lenghten it to bring it closer to the steering wheel
and further back towards me. I have seen in car video of
rally cars set up this way with a very short throw on the shift mechanism.

Hope this make sense, sorry for the original post which sounds like
I just want to shorten the stick.

[Guy Croft]

I don't know how to do that mod, you should try and get hold of the Abarth remote gearchange (gearchange assembly) from the 131 2 liter Supermirafiori Sport (2 door, also known as 131 Racing). You'll have to buy a whole gearbox I imagine, just to get it.

GC

[Rocking-M]

Hey Guy thanks for the response.
Now we just need an Abarth 'mole' who can look at how they did it.

[Guy Croft]

There is no chance of any such person making themselves evident here.

I suggest you change your advert to ' Wanted, genuine Abarth gearchange for 2 liter 131 gearbox'.

GC

[Rocking-M]

Well, I'm about to come up with a solution I hope. Jason is working on it:)
Looks to me like the gearchange rod, the one from the rear pivot of the stick
through the gearchange housing, could be changed to a bmw style at the rear.
This would change the pivot style and allow a shorter throw and keep the
long stick. Could also move the stick back a few inches for us short armed folks.

[Donaldyk]

Hello, there is one currently for sale on an internet auction site. Regards. http://cgi.an internet auction site.com/ABARTH-EXTENSION-HO ... dZViewItem

[vandor]

Hello,

The Abarth 131 remote gearchange will not fit on a 124 gearbox - they are totally different gearboxes. I think Guy knows this, but is not evident form the post. Ideally one could put a complete 131 gearbox in the 124 and use the remote gearchange, but htey are not the most common things to find...

Csaba

[Fingers]

Many years a go when I was restoring an old 124 sport BC I cut 2 inches out of the gear stick, and welded them back together, it really made a big difference to the shifting. I can recommend it if you don't find the right gearbox, and it'd be a lot cheaper too.

[Guy Croft]

The Abarth 131 remote gearchange will not fit on a 124 gearbox - they are totally different gearboxes. I think Guy knows this, but is not evident form the post. Ideally one could put a complete 131 gearbox in the 124 and use the remote gearchange, but htey are not the most common things to find...

Quite so Csaba, my error, sorry.

GC