Best T5 shifter

[Animal Lawyer]

So, did the engine swap (stock original 351c to mildly built 1970 351c (higher compression, oil mods+~100 extra hp)) and the T5 conversion. Wow, 100 mph @  ~ 2600 rpm. 

The tranny occasionally jumps out of gear, an issue I have seen a number of people complain about when using the oem shifter. The throw is also way too long. Does anyone have a recommendations for a shorth throw replacement? I  understand MDL has an adjustable shifter (to allow it to fit in the transmission cut out better, but at nearly twice the price of Pro 5 or the MGW I am unimpressed. Any suggestions would be appreciated.

 

[Idaho Chris]

I too have this issue on occasion with my recent T5 swap.  I'll be interested in following this thread.

 

[c9zx]

If it is only one gear it is likely a worn synchronizer. if it is a couple or three gears the boot may be too stiff. I ran a T-5 in a 1990 5.0 for 16 years before it started popping out of 2nd gear on it's own. MGW makes a good shifter. I have one in a '07 GT. Chuck

 

[Idaho Chris]

If it is only one gear it is likely a worn synchronizer. if it is a couple or three gears the boot may be too stiff. I ran a T-5 in a 1990 5.0 for 16 years before it started popping out of 2nd gear on it's own. MGW makes a good shifter. I have one in a '07 GT. Chuck

I don't know about Animal Lawyer, but my T5 is brand new so a worn synchronizer is probably not the culprit.  I will say that as I put more miles on the car the problem happens less and less.  On my T5, it does not "pop" out of gear.  The shifter just slowly disengages.  I like your idea that the boot may be too stiff.  Maybe that is why it is happening less as the boot breaks in?  

Any suggestion how to quickly loosen up the boot rubber?

 

[Lazarus]

I had a similar problem with my TKO 600, and it was the boot.  I can’t remember for sure what gear it was but the boot was definitely pulling the shifter out of gear.   The problem actually stemmed from the fact that the shifter wasn’t perfectly centered (front/back or side/side) in the tunnel where the bolts would go. It wasn’t very far off left/right, but it was a good bit forward, and it was enough to cause the fairly stiff boot to keep the shifter under tension.  Pics below show the relatively forward position in the tunnel, where the boot wanted to sit, and how the boot pulled when forced into the holes. 


 

I considered just buying a very flexible leather cone-shaped boot from amazon, but in the end, we made an offset bracket and never had the problem again.  



I had brand new floors and transmission, so it didn’t surprise me it was off a tick.  I also use the half-console, so everything worked this way.  Perhaps this setup would not work in a full console.  Not sure the boot is the cause for Animal Lawyer, but it was for me.  
 

One last note: if you look closely in the pics you can see we also swapped which side of the shifter the shift lever was bolted to, to help center it left/right. 

Hope this helps. 

 

[tony-muscle]

I had a similar problem with my TKO 600, and it was the boot.  I can’t remember for sure what gear it was but I do believe it was 2nd, and the boot was definitely pulling the shifter out of gear.   The problem actually stemmed from the fact that the shifter wasn’t perfectly centered (front/back or side/side) in the tunnel where the bolts would go. It wasn’t very far off left/right, but it was a good bit forward, and it was enough to cause the fairly stiff boot to keep the shifter under tension.  Pics below show the relatively forward position in the tunnel, where the boot wanted to sit, and how the boot pulled when forced into the holes.  You can see how in 2nd it was stretched the most, because it wanted to be up and to the right and 2nd is back and to left.

I considered just buying a very flexible leather cone-shaped boot from amazon, but in the end, we made an offset bracket and never had the problem again.  

I had brand new floors and transmission, so it didn’t surprise me it was off a tick.  I also use the half-console, so everything worked this way.  Perhaps this setup would not work in a full console.  Not sure the boot is the cause for Animal Lawyer, but it was for me.  Hope this helps. 

I had the same issue with my TKO and had to build an offset bracket. My issue was with the up gears specially 3rd.

 

[Idaho Chris]

Well, it would seem the consensus is pressure from the shifter boot.

I had anticipated something like this so I fabricated a spacer for my shifter to move it aft and to the right.



This modification did not align perfectly with the boot but was a lot closer.  The shifter must be more sensitive to boot pressure than I  thought.

Come to think of it, most of my issue is with 1st, 3rd, and 5th, so there must be boot pressure pulling rearward on the shifter.  Maybe I need to make a longer spacer?

Instead of leaving the shifter in neutral when parked I will start leaving it in 3rd.  Perhaps the pressure over time will "train" the boot.  I'll report back if that is the case.

 

[Lazarus]

Now that you mention it, I think I was remembering incorrectly; it must have been one of the forward-positioned gears that were the problem because the shift boot pulled it rearward when bolted in. I edited my post to avoid confusion. 

 

[droptop73]

I only have the issue in 5th after a long period of driving. In my case I think it's more the weight of the T handle, the shape of the lever and vibration. I am using a leather boot that places no pressure on the shifter. 

I am currently running a modified Hurst shifter but an MGW is on my list of things to do. 

 

[c9zx]

For those of you using the Hurst flat shifter handle and boot, you may want to consider this product.  https://www.musclecarresearch.com/7277-1   I went through two new boots on my Cougar before I found this part. It has been in use four years 

and the boot is not torn, fingers crossed. Chuck

 

[Idaho Chris]

Thanks for the link Chuck.  

 

[Idaho Chris]

Well, I can confirm that my problem is definitely the boot pulling on the shifter lever.  Today I removed the boot altogether and went for a drive.  The shifter stayed in place and did not move out of any gear.

I am going to either make a spacer like Lazarus and Tony-muscle, or make a longer spacer block.  One benefit I see to the spacer block is that the shift lever itself is moved aft, closer to the original Top Loader position.

I will also be installing the part recommended by Chuck.