Installed Boomba transmission adapter + bracket bushings...

[Joe Schmoe]

Very nice! The combination of the two gets rid of much of the numbness of the shifter in this car and adds just a bit of increased effort. Of course throws are also reduced by what feels like 1/3 to 1/2. It's very close to the shift process in my MX5 and people rave about how good that shifter is (although I don't). My wife was complaining about the OEM shifter and the Boomba stuff even gets her seal of approval. Highly recommended and totally worth the cost. I have the shifter base bushings but I'll save those for later.

Here's a video I did of the mechanism at work. Did this to make sure all was well and to watch for any 6th gear interference. Yes, you can see that the yellow clip on the rearmost cable was a casualty of prying that cable off it's fitting. The other side of the clip is intact so I'm not really concerned.
[video=youtube;GFq7od0tKbw]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GFq7od0tKbw[/video]

 

[jdubs]

Glad to hear you like it! I don't see a video?

 

[frankiefiesta]

Nice these will probably be my next purchase

 

[Joe Schmoe]

Glad to hear you like it! I don't see a video?

Weird. Here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GFq7od0tKbw

 

[TruConspiracy]

im in the middle of installing these items as i type this. i started yesterday right before my back went out on me. now my car is sitting in the garage with a sad look on its face. can you explain the 6th gear interference you are refering to plz? I was trying so hard to muscle those cables off until i realized i needed to "pull" the lock rings. then they came right off

 

[Joe Schmoe]

They have some handy how-to videos if you missed them: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=194vuftHHgA . As for the interference, you'll notice that in 6th gear the adapter plate comes very close to the end of the other cable. I wanted to make sure nothing was making contact before putting everything back together.

Tips:
- a swivel box-end wrench is handy for the rearmost and passenger side bracket bolts.
- as mentioned in the video, the hole in the bottom plate belongs on the same side as the little pivot knob on the top.
- I took the opportunity to clean the bracket and the ends of the cables and the fittings/pivots. I used a dab of lithium grease in each cable fitting socket hole.
- as also shown (but not said) in the video, they place the bracket back then begin sliding the bushings underneath. I did the forward passenger side bolt and bushing first, leaving the bolt loose enough to allow me to move the bracket enough to slide the other bushings underneath. Then, I used one hand to hold the first half/bottom of the bushing in the rearmost bracket hole, then used the other hand to place the bushing and bolt in the driver's side hole. I then threaded the two front easy bolts down finger tight. This allowed the rearmost bushing to remain in place so I could let go and put the top half of that bushing and bolt in.
- I ran across a mention somewhere that said putting the car in 4th and releasing the little yellow clip on the driver's side cable is a cable adjustment procedure. I couldn't remember the details but I did that too.
- there is a clip on the back of the battery box that secures the intake noise tube. Don't forget to put the tube back in that clip when done.

Assuming you don't have an injury, my last tip is: for back strength use the situp machine at a gym. My back used to run out of steam too when working on the car. The gym, and specifically the situp machine really helped. Also, make sure to remind yourself to support your weight with your arm when you're bending over the front of the car.

 

[Young L]

if you got the shifter base bushing you might as well do the short shifter at the sometime. Its a complete 180 once you get the shifter in, I drove around with the trans kit for a few weeks and loved it and when I had time to install the shifter it was even better.

 

[yackyz]

Very nice! The combination of the two gets rid of much of the numbness of the shifter in this car and adds just a bit of increased effort. Of course throws are also reduced by what feels like 1/3 to 1/2. It's very close to the shift process in my MX5 and people rave about how good that shifter is (although I don't). My wife was complaining about the OEM shifter and the Boomba stuff even gets her seal of approval. Highly recommended and totally worth the cost. I have the shifter base bushings but I'll save those for later.

Here's a video I did of the mechanism at work. Did this to make sure all was well and to watch for any 6th gear interference. Yes, you can see that the yellow clip on the rearmost cable was a casualty of prying that cable off it's fitting. The other side of the clip is intact so I'm not really concerned.
[video=youtube;GFq7od0tKbw]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GFq7od0tKbw[/video]

Can you enlighten me on how much more shifting effort you are experiencing? I liked this mod combo alot but dont want to gain one thing just to digress another. I would think with the shorter throw you'd get less shift effort. Maybe I'm missing something. thanks

 

[Boomba Racing]

Thanks for the review!

 

[TruConspiracy]

Finally got mine installed and my car back together. thanks for the workout tips @Joe Shmoe. i actually threw it out jogging on my treadmill and not stretching before hand (duh). Anyways I love the new adapter and bushings. it does feel more rigid but in a good way not bad. im very happy with the way it feels now compared to before. I wasnt sure if i was going to invest in the base bushings and sts but i def am now.

 

[briandee]

I did the short throw, and trans adapter. They feel awesome while maintaining a light feel. I made sure also to grease every moving part, and used blue thread locker where applicable. I went straight for maximum reduction in throw. (I think 40%) There were a few spots I had to sand down to get the reverse lock out spring to extend properly, but nothing major. I did not go for the upgraded bushings, but added tubing to shim the shifter base screws to eliminate potential slop.

 

[Joe Schmoe]

Can you enlighten me on how much more shifting effort you are experiencing? I liked this mod combo a lot but don't want to gain one thing just to digress another. I would think with the shorter throw you'd get less shift effort. Maybe I'm missing something. thanks

You get a little more effort...maybe 15-20%. If you look at the mechanism you can see why. The mechanism that operates the the forward and back part of the shift throw (the black piece that the adapter is clamped onto) is just a lever with a fulcrum pin. The modified bracket moves the pivot point that the cable is pushing and pulling on a little higher (irrelevant) and little closer to the fulcrum pin, meaning you have to do a little more work to operate the lever. Someone smarter than me could probably do the math and calculate the exact increase in effort.

I've had short throw shifters on my MR2s and they weren't as good as this one at both reducing throw without increasing effort much. It's not objectionable at all. I mean, my wife likes it....c'mon, you can handle it....LOL.

i actually threw it out jogging on my treadmill and not stretching before hand (duh).

Been there! The situp machine helps my lower back for long drives in addition to working on the car, and doing core exercises helps keep your body upright when doing work on twisties. And arm strength helps....surprising amount of driving and car modding benefit in going to the gym.

Thanks for the review!

Thanks for the how-to video.

 

[tbST14]

- as also shown (but not said) in the video, they place the bracket back then begin sliding the bushings underneath. I did the forward passenger side bolt and bushing first, leaving the bolt loose enough to allow me to move the bracket enough to slide the other bushings underneath. Then, I used one hand to hold the first half/bottom of the bushing in the rearmost bracket hole, then used the other hand to place the bushing and bolt in the driver's side hole. I then threaded the two front easy bolts down finger tight. This allowed the rearmost bushing to remain in place so I could let go and put the top half of that bushing and bolt in.

Thanks for the great tips... For this tip in particular, instead, before bracket re-installation, I used a bit of hot glue to tack the bushings (both sides) to the bracket and held them until set ( a few seconds ). This eliminated dropping any bushings into any crevices further down in the engine compartment.

I also use some loctite on the 3 trans adapter screws and the pivot bolt.

Since the shifts were in good order before the install, I didn't bother with the yellow 4th gear adjustment procedure. Sometimes, my luck is not good with trying to fix stuff that is not already broken.

I measured the travel before and after and the throws are now reduced to 3.5 inches or about a reduction of about 3/4 inches.

From a quick run afterwards to check the installation, I can say that overall it definitely feels more solid. When the redline goods leather boot and armrest arrive, I'll tackle the Fiesta ST Aluminum Shifter Base Bushings next.

I'm a happy camper with the modification and no detectable vibration in the shifter as a result.

It took me almost 3 hours to do both the transmission adapter and the bushings, but I was pretty meticulous and took my time and followed the two videos on my tablet.

 

[commonplatypus]

These are definitely in my future. I did the short shifter, oval heavy knob, and base bushings and they feel way better than OEM! Can't wait to finally get the part to finish up this project, tighten up those cables to reduce the remaining wobble while in gear, and shorten the throws that much more.

 

[tbST14]

Yesterday, I installed the Boomba Racing Fiesta ST Aluminum Shifter Base Bushings. Along with the other Boomba parts installed 2 weeks ago, it seems to firm up the shifting just a bit more.

 

[Boomba Racing]

Yesterday, I installed the Boomba Racing Fiesta ST Aluminum Shifter Base Bushings. Along with the other Boomba parts installed 2 weeks ago, it seems to firm up the shifting just a bit more.

Thanks for the feedback!

 

[Kip2MyLou]

I have this set up too and 3rd gear just doesn't want to engage sometime. It might be just me but anybody have any advice? I might take it out and ride with the oem set up and see if it does it then also.

 

[Boomba Racing]

I have this set up too and 3rd gear just doesn't want to engage sometime. It might be just me but anybody have any advice? I might take it out and ride with the oem set up and see if it does it then also.

You have just the plate and the bushings and you are having a hard time engaging third? If you can have a buddy row through the gears while sitting still, you should have a peek at the linkage under the hood to see if you can tell where things are binding up. This is an issue we really haven't heard of before.

 

[Kip2MyLou]

You have just the plate and the bushings and you are having a hard time engaging third? If you can have a buddy row through the gears while sitting still, you should have a peek at the linkage under the hood to see if you can tell where things are binding up. This is an issue we really haven't heard of before.

Yeah I have the bushing and the plate and going into 3rd just hesitates like 80% of the time. I don't know what's up. But I'll do that suggestion with my mechanic next time I take it in. I've grinded 3rd a good many times because I won't go into gear smoothly.

 

[70sstrat08]

Yeah I have the bushing and the plate and going into 3rd just hesitates like 80% of the time. I don't know what's up. But I'll do that suggestion with my mechanic next time I take it in. I've grinded 3rd a good many times because I won't go into gear smoothly.

Did you do the cable adjustment after the install?