Hi.. I posted this in the Body board but no replies... so I am going to try it on a few different boards.... if this isn't the right spot for this kind of question then a moderator can feel free to delete it!

I have always wanted an aftermarket ratchet shifter ever since I started going to the track. Friend of mine has a B&M Megashifter and not only does it look cool it is also functional when banging through the gears at the track.

If I still had my stock center console I would have bought the console Megashifter that is a direct bolt in for the Camaro's... but here is the catch.

I have installed a manual 6 speed center console from a 1998 Formula.... It works fine with my stock shifter, although it does come a little close when I have the shifter pulled all the way down in 1st, but it clears.

I have also looked at the B&M Hammer Shifter which is what I would love to make work in my current setup. I think it looks nicer than the Megashifter but that is just my personal preference.

I have done the search and came up with nothing concrete that would tell me if this has been done successfully. I have gotten feedback from people that have installed the Megashifter into a 4th Gen console on their 3rd Gen but it required cutting out the ashtray section (this is where I have my window switches installed ) ... I have also gotten feedback from a 4th Gen Owner who installed the Hammer Shifter into the console but said it required cutting out the stock mounting brackets and welding in a thicker steel plate to the floor so the Hammer shifter would sit low enough to clear the console. Maybe the 4th Gen mounting hardware is a little different than the 3rd Gens and this wouldn't be required in our cars.

My question is simple.... who here has installed a 98+ 6 speed console and a B&M Hammer Shifter into their 3rd gen Camaro or Firebird? If you could give me some real world feedback on how you made it work without too much chopping/hacking that would be really great!

 

i have and by far i would prefer the hammer shifter over the other one any day............ i just went to a 5 speed so my hammer shifter is up for sale..... only used it for a month...........ive also done it with a 96 trans am console also....... just had to do some minor trimming but worth it

 

I just ordered a B&M pro ratchet this morning from Summit. I know several members on here are running them and like them.

Dan

 

Cool.... what kind of console are you installing that in? Or do you even have a center console (ie: full out race car?)

 

Nah, ripped the center console out.

Dan

 

LOL Dan.... then I guess you never had any fitment issues ... hahaha :-)

 

Non that a saws all couldn't fix

Dan

 

Is this the one? http://www.summitracing.com/parts/BMM-80885/?rtype=1

I have a 86 and I really like the way it looks. I just wanna know how much trouble is it to get it to fit and looks nice in the car?

I have a new 700R4 transmission with a stock console and shifter

 

That's the shifter I have..... not sure about how it will fit in the stock console...I am currently in the middle of putting it in my car, now I have a 4th Gen 6 speed console (98 formula) and I can tell you it isn't fun... I never used the plastic piece and leather boot that came with the hammer shifter.

I had a choice to make...I could either cut/trim my console to make it fit or cut/trim the shifter. I choose the shifter... since none of my trimming would be seen anyway as it would all be covered with the shift boot. I had to remove a fair bit of the "extra" metal on the shifter that was getting in the way in order to make the top shift plate to sit down flush. But after what seemed like an eternity of cut/fit/remove/, repeat... I managed to shave off just the right amount to make it work.

To mount it to the floor you will have to drill new holes.... this shifter will not bolt down in the stock holes.... I opt'ed to use a couple of small plates which I fitted under the stock plate and drilled two new holes... it bolted down just fine.

Next I will have to cut/trim my stock shift boot, just a small trim, roll it down a little and re-sew it, not a big deal.

There is also a little bit of re-wiring that needs to be done... the Park/Neutral switch is easy, all that needs is the micro-switch on the hammer shifter tied to ground and the orange wire that runs back to the ECM.

The reverse lights in stock configuration has +12 volts running through the gear selector switch when the gear shift is put into reverse... rather than run +12 volts through my micro-switch I will just use an isolation relay and have the micro-switch supply the trigger ground for the relay. Makes more sense to run +12volts thru a relay than thru a switch.

The hatch release for some retarded reason goes through the gear selector switch as well... seems that in stock configuration you can only pop the hatch when the shifter is in PARK or NEUTRAL. Guess it cuts down on those moments when while driving down the highway I decide to pop the hatch to escape or something When in Park/Neutral the gear selector switch provides the ground side to the hatch release relay. The wiring is fairly heavy and by looking at the schematic there is a lot of current (for that brief second when the hatch release switch is engaged) passing through the gear selector switch. So rather than put all of that current through my micro-switch I will use another isolation relay, only this time I will be relaying a ground to the hatch release relay.

It sounds like a lot of work but it really isn't, just tideous small things.... in the end it will be worth it.

Once I am done I will try to do a small write up on it...

Now B&M does make a console shifter that supposedly bolts right into our 3rd gens.... its their Megashifter.... but I don't like the look of it....

 

any new info on this... would love to know... thinking of getting the hammer shifter... and not ruin my 6speed console

 

Hey...yeah you can make it fit with a 6 speed console without touching the console. But be prepared to grind off some of the metal on the shifter in order for it to clear the console. Mine is in my 87 IROC, so maybe my 6 speed console sits back farther than if it was installed in a Firebird....if I could have gotten my console to sit further ahead I probably wouldn't have had to shave off so much extra metal.

 

i would have assumed they would sit similarly

 

bringing thread back from the dead...

Here's a picture of my Hammer in a stock auto-console.
Alot of work, had to "make it fit"....