I have bought a used B&M short throw shifter for my T56 manual transmission.
https://www.summitracing.com/int/par...5052/overview/

I would like to cut the stick right were it comes up from the base assembly, and weld on a flat piece of steel so I can fasten my custom gear stick to it.

Are there any brass or non metal parts inside the base assembly that might be destroyed by the heat generated from the welding?
An alternative is to place the complete assembly exept the stick in cold water when I weld.

 

Take it apart and see for yourself, you may destroy it just because someone said yeah, sure, just weld it up. Another option would be to tap a threaded portion on the stick after you cut it down and weld a threaded socket to the bottom of your custom shifter.

 

I thought about taking it apart.
But how is it to get back together? There are springs and stuff down in the shifter base.....

 

thought about taking it apart.
But how is it to get it back together? There are springs and stuff down in the shifter base.....[/QUOTE]

 

Don't know exactly what the shifter looks like, but you may have to werk with the stick that's there, a pic would help. If you can, werking with the distal end of the shifter is your best bet, not the end closest to the shifter werks. Don't know if that's what you do, but welding around water is best left to an expert, and in this case I have yet to see this done without f'ing up the mechanism.

 

The shifter base is assembled with 4 countersunk screws on the B&M T56 shifters I've seen.

Pliers will remove the ring so you can yank the rubber boot. 4 screws let the top plate come off. The inside should have a couple spring assemblies, with shims or washers if it's anything like a Hurst. The ball socket may be nylon or Delrin bushed. Take it all out. Weld to your happiness.

If you are using a LONG shifter stick, there may be better options, for ratio and shift throw length.

 

I wil take it apart before welding.

By the way, the shifter ball end is much smaller than the stock plastic bushing I'be bought. Is this normal?
Isn't the bushing supposed to sit tight at the ball end?

 

It shouldn't be sloppy.
What does the ball end of the B&M stick measure?

 

Not very sloppy, but it slides on and off without resistance.
Inner diameter of the bushing is 16 mm (0,63") and outer diameter of the ball is 15,5 mm (0,61").

 

No resistance insertion is normal.
Trans. assembly grease or Vaseline is okay to add on a new install. It will end up lubed by the trans. fluid.

 

hi,i was wondering how your engine combo runs or is it a work in progress? you are using many similar parts to me,that's why i asked.

 

I'm very pleased with my engine combo. First I used 1.6 roller tip rockers. They became blued form excessive heat after only 50-100 miles.
Not sure why, but suspect too much lift, based on my measurments during the build.
The reason I started with 1,6 rockers, was that I trusted others recommendations more than my own measurments.
After the blued rocker arms I decided to step down to 1,5 and change to full roller rockers at the same time.
Increased safety margins makes for more driving fun from my point of view! More relaxing.

Besides that, I like the cam specs with the wide lobe separation angle. This kills some of the top end power, but I get increased fuel mileage and a nice idle instead. Works perfect for me.
From app 3500 rpm's it really makes up, compared to the standard L05 specs the engine had earlier.

 

nice,im actually putting vortec heads on an L98 350 with a bigger gmpp 7151 roller cam,but many other things are similar in the build.there seems to me a lot of
issues going to a higher ratio rocker arm so im sticking to 1.5 and using tried and true stock guided rocker arms from gm.i don't plan on running at 5-6000 rpm often.
im just gathering parts to finish it like the comp cams valve spring retainers and new stem seals etc.im also going with ls beehive springs to bump up the rpm a little.
im also using an edlebrock rpm intake,1" moroso spacer and holley ultra 650 mech secondary double pumper.oh,and billet and aluminum accessories.everything is used
and built on a massive budget.

i didn't need the pretty stuff but i paid so little i couldn't turn it down.billet valve covers,billet breathers $60(new $300),alum timing chain cover,alum water pump $40(new $300+)
i like engine jewellery if it doesn't cost a fortune and its lighter than stock.the only new parts are gaskets,rings and bearings and fluids.i dont have the money to throw away.

here is a picture so far.it will be my first complete engine rebuild so im taking my time as my car already has a great running(but low powered LG4) engine.



GATHERING PARTS....cant wait!

 

I do not have that exact shifter but all i did was cut the shaft to my desired height and used a die to put the threads back on there.

 

I removed the top plate and took out the shifter before I cut and welded it, and that was wise, as the shifter rested in "ball" made of some non steel stuff.

 

A good advice is to round all sharp edges on your block carfully with a flap disc before you paint it ( if you intend to do so).
The the engine paint will look nice much longer, as the surface rust always start in those areas. Same with other coarse details as well. Remains from the casting and such.

And make sure your heads allow the valve lift you plan to use.
Measue the retainer to seal clearance and include proper safety margin.
Good luck!