Megashifter or Hurst Dual Gate ?????????
the race gate looks like something that some older cars had back in the days......it's all on preference.
personally i have the mega-shifter and love it; although there are people who dislike it. it grows on you like anything else and the chrome is always cool on the inside of the car.
as far as using the two i like the megashifter better, when installed right the ratchet action is alot of fun. i've only installed the megashifter and it wasn't to bad; hardest part was making a harness as they ask you cut up your stock one which i didn't want to do.
personally i have the mega-shifter and love it; although there are people who dislike it. it grows on you like anything else and the chrome is always cool on the inside of the car.
as far as using the two i like the megashifter better, when installed right the ratchet action is alot of fun. i've only installed the megashifter and it wasn't to bad; hardest part was making a harness as they ask you cut up your stock one which i didn't want to do.
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Joined: Jul 1999
Posts: 4,384
Likes: 2
From: Tulsa, OK
The Megashifter has serious design and installation issues, that, if addressed, would make it a great, probably the best shifter out there for direct installation in f-bodies.
Here they are:
1) They expect you to cut up the stock console plate:
- They could have included a decent looking replacement plate to screw in place of the original, even if it does increase the cost of the whole kit by maybe twenty bucks. It'd be worth it to be able to easily preserve your stock pieces.
2) They expect you to hack into your stock wiring harness:
- They could have easily made a cheap plug or even sell a seperate adapter harness so you wouldn't have to splice wires, or do what most of us do and make our own plug by grinding down spade connectors to fit into the car's factory shifter plug.
3) They don't include provisions for the park/neutral signal to the ECM:
- You only get an "optional" electrical schematic where you have to buy a seperate relay and wire it in to get it to operate the way the P/N switch was intended to operate from the factory. On auto cars, this effects the idle when shifting into gear from park (it doesn't bump the idle to compensate for the drop in RPMs when it goes into gear).
4) They expect you to drill into the floorpan to mount the shifter.
- With only a *little* bit of extra work, they could have made the adapter pieces that are included work with the factory shifter's mounting holes. Not only that, but they specify a drill-bit size a little bigger than what it should be. Make sure it's in the right place (left-to-right) before you drill the holes.
5) The shifter mechanism interferes with the console plate.
- Many of us have had to grind down a moving metal piece in order to keep it from lifting the whole console off the floor.
6) The handle's threads strip way too easily.
- Too weak a metal used? When you install it, figure out quickly how you want the ****, and use lots of Locktite, and make damn sure that thing's not crossthreading when you screw it on. Go easy on the jamb nut (like little to no torque). It'll hold without it being so tight, trust me. I don't use the jamb nut at all and the **** doesn't move one little bit, even on a hard "panic" shift.
7) The gear indicator sucks.
- Hard to read at night.
- The highlighter fades and peels off too quickly and easily.
8) It doesn't use the lockout cable that keeps the button from depressing when the key is in the OFF position. This means you can throw the car into gear (or neutral) without the key.
- I don't think it would be too involved to adapt it to work with the detent lever on the shifter. Even though the stock shifter "pushed" where the Megashifter's lever "pulled", I think maybe a Bell-crank setup would have worked okay. But they decided to skip that function in the design process. Anyway, as it is, you just remove it, tape it closed, and set it out of the way.
Otherwise, it's an absolute blast to drive with (compared to a stock auto shifter), and is an okay substitute for someone who doesn't have a manual car. If B&M addressed the issues I just listed, like I said, the shifter would be pretty much the best thing out there for us. I haven't used the Dual/Gate, but decided I will be getting one for my RS eventually, and the Megashifter in the RS will be moved to my Z28. I hear lotsa good stuff about the Dual/Gate. I just think the actual operation of the Megashifter is more fun than the Dual/Gate.
Even with it's drawbacks, it's better than having a stock shifter.
Here they are:
1) They expect you to cut up the stock console plate:
- They could have included a decent looking replacement plate to screw in place of the original, even if it does increase the cost of the whole kit by maybe twenty bucks. It'd be worth it to be able to easily preserve your stock pieces.
2) They expect you to hack into your stock wiring harness:
- They could have easily made a cheap plug or even sell a seperate adapter harness so you wouldn't have to splice wires, or do what most of us do and make our own plug by grinding down spade connectors to fit into the car's factory shifter plug.
3) They don't include provisions for the park/neutral signal to the ECM:
- You only get an "optional" electrical schematic where you have to buy a seperate relay and wire it in to get it to operate the way the P/N switch was intended to operate from the factory. On auto cars, this effects the idle when shifting into gear from park (it doesn't bump the idle to compensate for the drop in RPMs when it goes into gear).
4) They expect you to drill into the floorpan to mount the shifter.
- With only a *little* bit of extra work, they could have made the adapter pieces that are included work with the factory shifter's mounting holes. Not only that, but they specify a drill-bit size a little bigger than what it should be. Make sure it's in the right place (left-to-right) before you drill the holes.
5) The shifter mechanism interferes with the console plate.
- Many of us have had to grind down a moving metal piece in order to keep it from lifting the whole console off the floor.
6) The handle's threads strip way too easily.
- Too weak a metal used? When you install it, figure out quickly how you want the ****, and use lots of Locktite, and make damn sure that thing's not crossthreading when you screw it on. Go easy on the jamb nut (like little to no torque). It'll hold without it being so tight, trust me. I don't use the jamb nut at all and the **** doesn't move one little bit, even on a hard "panic" shift.
7) The gear indicator sucks.
- Hard to read at night.
- The highlighter fades and peels off too quickly and easily.
8) It doesn't use the lockout cable that keeps the button from depressing when the key is in the OFF position. This means you can throw the car into gear (or neutral) without the key.
- I don't think it would be too involved to adapt it to work with the detent lever on the shifter. Even though the stock shifter "pushed" where the Megashifter's lever "pulled", I think maybe a Bell-crank setup would have worked okay. But they decided to skip that function in the design process. Anyway, as it is, you just remove it, tape it closed, and set it out of the way.
Otherwise, it's an absolute blast to drive with (compared to a stock auto shifter), and is an okay substitute for someone who doesn't have a manual car. If B&M addressed the issues I just listed, like I said, the shifter would be pretty much the best thing out there for us. I haven't used the Dual/Gate, but decided I will be getting one for my RS eventually, and the Megashifter in the RS will be moved to my Z28. I hear lotsa good stuff about the Dual/Gate. I just think the actual operation of the Megashifter is more fun than the Dual/Gate.
Even with it's drawbacks, it's better than having a stock shifter.
Member
Joined: Dec 2001
Posts: 344
Likes: 0
From: Montgomery, AL
I have one, hated the t-handle, got an aluminum ball and adapted it to fit.....now I love it!!!!!! The ball fits my hand way better than the T and if you shift hard the ball won't spin!
Love the shifter thaough, makes it fun especially if you have an Auto/manual conversion.
Oh one thing.......hate the metal shifter on hot Texas days when it has been sitting in the sun!!!!!! I have branded my palm one too many times trying to get it out of park!
Love the shifter thaough, makes it fun especially if you have an Auto/manual conversion.
Oh one thing.......hate the metal shifter on hot Texas days when it has been sitting in the sun!!!!!! I have branded my palm one too many times trying to get it out of park!
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Supreme Member
Joined: Mar 2000
Posts: 13,414
Likes: 6
From: Central NJ, USA
Car: 1986 Firebird
Engine: 2.8 V6
Transmission: 700R4
I put the B&M Megashifter in, and the only hard part I had was cutting up the Firebird console. I used a cutting tip on a soldering iron- man, that stuff stunk up the basement! 
I never had a problem with the threads on the t-handle. When I installed it the first time, I didn't have Loctite, so I just used anti-sieze. Every now and then the t-handle would come loose.
Finally I just bought the tube of Loctite that they recommended, and the T-handle hasn't moved since.
Yep, you can do it yourself, as long as you follow the instructions, you'll be fine. TIP: Read the instructions first. When a step in the instructions asks for parts, highlight the step number of the instructions, put the parts in a ziplock bag, and write "Step #" on the bag. That way, when you come to, say, step #5, and they need an E-clip, you don't have to dig thru the pile of parts on the garage floor. You just grab the bag labeled "step 5".
I never had a problem with the threads on the t-handle. When I installed it the first time, I didn't have Loctite, so I just used anti-sieze. Every now and then the t-handle would come loose.Finally I just bought the tube of Loctite that they recommended, and the T-handle hasn't moved since.
Yep, you can do it yourself, as long as you follow the instructions, you'll be fine. TIP: Read the instructions first. When a step in the instructions asks for parts, highlight the step number of the instructions, put the parts in a ziplock bag, and write "Step #" on the bag. That way, when you come to, say, step #5, and they need an E-clip, you don't have to dig thru the pile of parts on the garage floor. You just grab the bag labeled "step 5".
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