ford4v429

got a new magazine couple days ago, nice pics of stock vs steeda shifter- gotta say the steeda piece is pretty, but really wonder if necessary- the two are basically a ball mounted lever with a single rod that hooks to the actual shift rod on the tranny- just looks to me as IF the stock rubber bushing junk was swapped to hard urethane(like all aftermarket) it would be almost as good- almost because it dont have adjustable stops and being steel its likely slightly heavier.
Im just thinking the ONLY thing on mine that kinda sucks is the rubbery feel at 2-3 shifting- that feel is rubber bushings compressing/distorting not steel rod flexing(steedas reuses factory rod anyway).

I really think for a few bucks in urethane replacement bushings the OEM shifter would be as solid as the 250-300.00 aftermarket pieces, only difference might be shorter throw- I really dont think throw is a problem to me at all- but that rubbery feeling kinda sucks. What do you guys think?

Redfire

It would be worth a try to see if you can "hop up" the stock shifter. But I doubt you can find poly bushings that simply replace the old ones. Especially the one at the back of the shifter. And the biggest problem I had with the stock one was the 2/3 shift. It was like banging in to a wall. After a couple of missed 3rd gear shifts, the stocker is now a wall ornament in my garage! But if you do this, let us all know how it comes out.

Hiboost

Those two bushings are only $20...but how big of a pain in the a** would it be to install them...

ford4v429

PITA, yes, but not much more than dropping in a replacement shifter would be. would leave a couple hundred bucks for 'other things' though. Just from the looks of the way this transmission shifts, all the gating is inside the tranny- so shifter is a lot simpler than the old 4 speed units- rubbery feeling comes from the single rod's bushings and the soft mount for the pivot. If I can get a better shift feel for 20 bucks instead of 250+, I'll go for it- I'm cheep, and want to save my penneys for a magnacharger

grasshopper

Urethane bushings and the Saleen kit on the stock shifter would make a very nice setup. The stock shifter has a massive counterweight on it, which removes the "texture" from the shift throw (the grindy feeling), so if you add reduced slop from the bushings, and shorter throw from the Saleen adaptor, you'd have a much better system than stock but maintain much of it's civility.