I've done all sorts of body work and general maintanence but have never worked on a transmission. I'd LOVE to get a ratcheting shifter but I'm not sure if I'm comfortable installing it. How hard and how long does it take the average guy to install?

 

No modifications needed. It's a bolt in item.

Well maybe the only modification might be to drill some different mounting holes depending on what shifter you buy.

 

yeah dude its fairly easy (so far its been at least, lol)
i dont have a rachet shifter, rather a gated shifter, but basicly a shifters a shifter and the only difference would be in the shifter mechanism itself, but pretty much ya just gotta bolt it to the tranny tunnel and then install and run the cable the way the directions say to and i guess you'll be fine....
i've still gotta put my engine and tranny in, but i bolted the shifter in yesterday
only thing i had to do was i used some bolts and washers as a sort of spacer between the actual tranny tunnel and the little brackets that are there for the shifter, cause it was just pulling the brackets down when i was tightening the bolts and stuff
but yeah, it shouldnt be a problem

in the first pic ya can see sorta how it bolts down, in the second pic its how its gonna stay (gotta get a new carpet eventually so it doesnt look quite so bad and unfinished)

 

B&M megashifters are pretty easy to install. The hardest part is getting the cable adjusted right. It will take you about 2 hours maybe to install it and maybe 30 min to 1 hour to get the cable perfect. It isn't to bad. I love the megashifter to.

 

I agree 100% with him! I installed the B&M Console Megashfiter a lonnng time ago, and the hardest part I had was cutting the console top (has to be done with 85-up Firebirds). But Camaros and 82-84 Firebirds don't have to do any console mods. I laid their template down on the console cover, and traced it out. Ten I used a cutting tip on a soldering gun to slice thru the plastic. Finally I was Very Careful in drilling the holes for the console cover's screws, since they go into plastic. Came out great, looks factory!

A lot of people rush thru the shift cable adjustment... not sure why.

If you get the B&M Console Megashifter- and probably any other console ratchet- here's a tip. First read thru the instructions; if one of the steps needs a part, seal the part into a baggie and write the step # on the baggie. That way when you do the installation "for real", you're not shuffling thru parts on the garage floor- you'll have them all labeled out and ready to grab.

 

Here's a link with more info, and near the bottom, you'll see my picture (with the steering wheel off, I was fixing my ignition lock) https://www.thirdgen.org/techbb2/sho...hreadid=172801