RikTT

iTrader: (2)

I was thinking the same thing. The thing is, I feel like the entire shift pattern is bearing to the left side. So 1st & 2nd is almost very much inline hugging the very left edge of my shift console. 3rd's pretty far forward when in that gear as well. So even swapping out to a short shifter now would still present the same shifting 1/2 issues. Looks like my shifter housing/ext might be a bit off

RikTT

iTrader: (2)

Sounds good

99SC42

iTrader: (44)

if your car is an auto car and you wanna use the auto shifter hole you have to extend it about 4.75 that's correct.

If you are 92-94 manual SC300 extend about 2.5" and it will come out of the stock hole.

If you are 95-97 manual 5speed car you will need to extend about 4".

When you are going the soarer Tripod r154 in your 92-94 SC300 manual i would recommend replacing the tunnel to make it a clean swap because the tripod will not clear the tunnel alot of cutting will be involve same goes to the 6speed .Ask me how i know ...

I will edit my post as i try to remember some of the stuff, problem is i don't write anything down...

KahnBB6

iTrader: (5)

Everything here is gold, except for the note about the 92-94 original manual opening. It's not 2.5"to extend to clear the OEM 92-94 manual opening but 1.125". Shern confirmed this in his MKIII R154 swap thread and I measured the same when I compared my MKIII housing to my early Soarer housing.

99SC42, I wasn't aware of just how critical it was to use the MKIV 6-speed tunnel for tripod gearboxes. Is it also possible to use the 95-97 SC300 manual tunnel, since those are for tripod W58/R154's?

99SC42

iTrader: (44)

2.5 was perfect for me i didn't wanna take a chance to 1.125 because depending on the shifter you are using , you will be punching the radio..


Yes you can use the 95-97 tunnel, same stuff but it's cheaper to buy that tunnel from Toyota than Lexus .It has a hump on top to clear the tripod bracket , bolts and nuts.

RikTT

iTrader: (2)

Thanks 99SC

So let's say I do the 2.5" housing mod and my car is an oem manual 92-94 opening, which shifter would work best ? My oem W58 shifter or will there be an issue with a short shifter at the 2.5" length of say a beech or suprasport version ?

4.75" from Drift motion is pretty far off compared to some of the posters in here saying 2.5"-3" etc UNLESS DM's jig is setup for Auto equipped swapped cars to manual.

Also who else does the modding of housing & arm as in the post above?

99SC42

iTrader: (44)

Rikk- The 2.5 will work great , i will take the pics of my shifter when i get home so you can see it.

The 4.5 is only if you are auto , so you can use the stock auto shifter hole, so you don't have to cut into your tunnel again.

A local shop make them , i'll pm you his number.

RikTT

iTrader: (2)

Cool, thanks man. Pics of these installed would be ideal for visual reference

Do you feel that at the 2.5" length in my oem manual hole ('92), it needs any tweeking & what shifter lever are you using ? Any binding into the shift console edges or radio smack ?

Ali SC3

iTrader: (10)

Doing the 2.5 instead of the 1.15 really does sound right because most pictures I see of early model soarers show the shifter a little towards the radio instead of the center of the shifter trim (I dont think they are all in first gear either).
You can usually tell the version of R154 or w58 in pics by looking at the shifter height. see how tall that one looks its like that in a mk3 or early mk4/SC, but the later year tripod shifters sit shorter stock because they are straight and there is no bend.
So basically I think what happened is the factory soarer extension wasn't even perfectly centered, they just did the minimum they needed to make the mk3 trans not hit the console, just my guess though.


here is a picture of my stock tripod w58 shifter from when I first got my car for reference.
It couldn't possibly be more centered and it is in neutral I never leave it in gear.


seems like you would want to go a little longer to be safe and if its too long just get a custom shifter with a little less bend made.

99SC42

iTrader: (44)

This one had a 4 " extension.

KahnBB6

iTrader: (5)

The stock 92-94 W58 shifter won't hit the console with a 1.125" extension and neither will the Suprasport V3 even though it is *SLIGHTLY* more far forward than the stock W58 swan. Even the stock boot is perfectly fine with it. I drive with it every day and have absolutely zero issues with my throws and clearance. But those two shifters are the ONLY options to use a Soarer-length extension housing.

So 2.5" and other lengths allow for a MUCH greater selection of where the shifter sits and what kind of shifter to use. Again, I'm only offering the above for the information value and I am not going to claim that just because Toyota did it that way it's the best way. Even they revised their original design. It's just one way. It works just fine but it's on the pricer end of the available options for us today.

I revised my comment to make it clear that I am actually not trying to push the OP in the direction of sticking to the early Toyota design-- just provide pertinent info to that end.

With that said I must defer to anyone who has put in a custom length housing and custom shifter. Those solutions work just fine too and tend to be cheaper I think. Ali is right-- Toyota engineers probably had to figure out what to do with the existing MKIII R154 design and did just enough to make it work efficiently. From what I can tell I think the centering is fine. It's pretty much just like the old SC W58 centering. I am sure that once V160 development was underway with Getrag in 1992 the writing was on the wall to change all the existing RWD manual transmissions to a tripod design with a straight shifter once each model refresh came up.

But I think the consensus is that tripod shifters are best and second to that is a non-swan shifter with an extension.

psyxho

Look for a 92 oem shifter

Tam4511

iTrader: (9)

awesome info guys!
I started this thread when i had my sc400 and was planning on swapping it with a mk3 r154 i had bought. I sold that car and now have a manual sc300. So from the info ive gathered I think the best route would be to have the dog bone and housing extended 2.5 inches and use a beech shifter ( I have been eyeing that one for a while).
I use a very tall shift **** (the 9k racing high roller, which i love) so I think further back would be in my best interest.