901 transmission (1970T) shift rod removal

[Cruisingnkali]

Hello,

I am looking to install a Fab Car shifter to my stock 901 transmission (1970T) and would like to know if it is possible to remove the stock shift rod from the tunnel WITHOUT removing the drive train? Any assistance you can provide would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you.

[gled49]

I don’t think so. Does the Fabcar shifter go inside the tunnel or on top of the tunnel. If on top, cut the old shifter out in little pieces.

[raspritz]

No, the shift rod can only be removed with the drivetrain out. I had never heard of Fab Car shifters and just did some Googling. It looks like they were around about 7 or 8 years ago. Everybody who mated them to a 901 gearbox seems to have hated that shifter. I bet you got a great deal on it!

[Cruisingnkali]

Thank you for the advice - much appreciated.

I don’t think so. Does the Fabcar shifter go inside the tunnel or on top of the tunnel. If on top, cut the old shifter out in little pieces.

[Cruisingnkali]

Thank you for your input. I too was unaware of the Fab Car shifter until recently. The shop owner who is selling it to me is one of the premier air-cooled race engine builders on the west coast, and he highly recommended it to me. He offered me an NOS one at a very reasonable price.

No, the shift rod can only be removed with the drivetrain out. I had never heard of Fab Car shifters and just did some Googling. It looks like they were around about 7 or 8 years ago. Everybody who mated them to a 901 gearbox seems to have hated that shifter. I bet you got a great deal on it!

[Richy]

I once tried , almost but can't be done .

[raspritz]

I wish there were a great shifter solution for the 901. There isn't, and the 901 just isn't the world's best transmission. What is your goal? For a street car, I'd stick with the stock shifter. For my racecar, over the past decade I've tried the stock shifter, a short shifter kit (I forget whose), the JWest, and the Wevo. I'd love to try the Hargett, but I'm not sure the Hargett 901 version was ever actually made. The Fab Car is a tower shifter, which brings geometry issues trying to mate to a 901. So far, the Wevo seems to be the best of a bad lot. At the moment, mine is out of the car as we are modifying it to limit travel and protect the innards of the transmission and the shift rod clamp.

[Cruisingnkali]

Thank you for your input.

My car is a street car. When I upgraded to the 3.2 short-stroke, I found the 901 stock shifting to be very loose. I wanted to tighten up the shifting and limit travel.

I am going to give the WEVO a try.

Thanks again. Much appreciated.

I wish there were a great shifter solution for the 901. There isn't, and the 901 just isn't the world's best transmission. What is your goal? For a street car, I'd stick with the stock shifter. For my racecar, over the past decade I've tried the stock shifter, a short shifter kit (I forget whose), the JWest, and the Wevo. I'd love to try the Hargett, but I'm not sure the Hargett 901 version was ever actually made. The Fab Car is a tower shifter, which brings geometry issues trying to mate to a 901. So far, the Wevo seems to be the best of a bad lot. At the moment, mine is out of the car as we are modifying it to limit travel and protect the innards of the transmission and the shift rod clamp.

[raspritz]

The most frequent causes of “loose” shifting are worn bushings in the tunnel or a degraded shifter cup. That said, the 901 is inherently loosely-goosey, and not tolerant of fast (racing) shifts.