I'm having an out of body experience.

Thought that might get your attention, but it is true. I have very limited space to mount a shifter on my project. And, I want this thing to be very different, but I don't want to be fighting with a shifter lever where my leg may be laying. I'm thinking a shifter arm mounted outside the body on the left side near my windshield mounts. I'm thinking I can go right under the frame and bring and 30" or so arm up . Then, put a motorcycle grip on it with a spring loaded clutch lever used to pull a pin up so I can move it from each position. Has anyone done an outside shifter ? Photos? Thanks

It would scare me to have a shifter outside the car although I've seen plenty sticking up through the roof. What if a big bird, animal or a piece of tire tread got thrown up into it & it downshifted at speed. Just a thought!

Toad

Toad said:

It would scare me to have a shifter outside the car although I've seen plenty sticking up through the roof. What if a big bird, animal or a piece of tire tread got thrown up into it & it downshifted at speed. Just a thought!

Toad

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I guess it would be just like if you hit it on the inside of the car. The pin in each position would keep it in position. But, it could snap off the shifter arm, but it wouldn't change the position of the shifter. That would be the only way I would build it. In case something did hit it, it would either bend or break the arm and not change the position .

I think I might have the perfect solution for you. Some International tractors used a shifter system just like your referring to. I have a 656 Utility IH that uses a linkage set up that shifts the rails on top of the transmission from the shift lever that is mounted on the right side of the cowl. It's reasonably simple and could be incorporated into a tight area like you have. I'll get pictures if you like, my tractor is at my brother inlaws right at the moment, but I'll be back out there in the next two or three days. I looked in my picture files but have nothing on the tractor here. So I'll look on the net in the mean time and see if I can find something there.

Couldn't find any pictures, but did scan the exploded view from one of my repair manuals. I can still get pictures of my tractor if you want, or need to help clarify. Anyway, here's the idea and how they went about it.

I was thinking of using an arm similar to how a brake arm mounts, with a pivot point inline with the shaft coming out of the tranny. Kind of hard to explain but very simple design.

Ian Rousell did it in the video. It can be done.

No one? Man, it's hard to believe that this is all the replies .No one has tried to do this before?

I know a guy that did that on his Chevy truck, he had notches in his fender for it. I'll try to find some pics.

I get it. A jockey shifter like an old Harley. It's been done. I like your idea to lock it out with a second lever. I think right away about somehow using a drag racing shifter's mechanism where you have to squeeze the trigger to bump neutral and reverse, and the handle can't be forced backward.




Like one of these











Found a video link

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DlQq-SpoO4w









And a pic.
















....

you can kinda see the shifter, I'm still tryin to find a pic of the fender.

drivewaycustoms said:

you can kinda see the shifter, I'm still tryin to find a pic of the fender.

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Hey thanks man. I decided to go with a center console shifter. I put it in my build thread.