Ok so Xmas is coming and money is tight. I am thinking of modifying the stock shifter into a shorter throw. I am thinking if I take the stock shift rod and break it apart at the rubber shock mid point there is a shaft that I can thread and that should lower the top of the shifter by 2 inches. would this give me a considerably shorter throw? I know its not going to make it as tight as the one you can go buy but it should be something between the stock and the tight one you buy from rotary shack. Thanks for your input.

 

Have done something similar on my SA shifter after disappointing results from the "official" (not sure it was RotaryShack) Short Shifter. Nicked off about 1.5", extended the thread further down the shaft:
presto! Not "miata-short" by any means but easy $30 job at my local machine shop. Would do it again. Dropped the height plus it "pushed " the **** a bit further away (SA shift stick is kinked to begin with).
Pic:
"Ghetto" is my cut-down. Note official Short Shift pivot point/ball is much different (at least on SA version, which was only available in limited numbers at the time. Now??), resulted in a very notchy feel I could not get past. Ghetto-cut is subtle but I like....
Pic installed:
Note how each **** is in relation to the Steering wheel; each version pushes the **** further towards the dash.
Stu Aull
80GS
Alaska

 

Oh you could go even further down on that shifter see how it bellows out and then you have a rubber cushion in there... if you pull it apart you can drop another 2 inchs off the top.

 

Shortening the shifter was the first mod I did. But be careful how short you go since shorter stock shifter is also less shift leverage.

 

Someone correct me if I'm wrong, but I don't think that will change the "throw" that much. It will be a "shorter" shifter, but not a much "shorter throw". That comes from a diffrent angle on how the ball pivots...I gots the Mazdatrix S.T.shifter, I think it reduced the throw from 6 to 3 inches...Even though it's got a terrible "BUZZ" from ~(3.2-4.2)k RPM, ALSO my normal cruising range...(because the entire thing is one piece, not split in two with the rubber joint like yours) I LOVE IT

 

here it is going to give it a go

 

On this subject, would a mazdatrix short shifter made for an FC work ok in my '85 GSLSE?

 

Not sure if it would but I installed this one I broke and treaded and its awsome. So short and a nice tight shift. But the down side is there is no shock absorber inside it now so its a ridged shift. It cut my shift time down to almost nothing.