I'd like to block out 5th gear on my autox only RX-7. Anybody have any thoughts on how to do this? A 4 speed tranny would be nice, but I don't have one and I have a good 5speed in the car now. Can this be done outside the tranny?

 

I think it can be done.If you Look at the Top of the Shifter Tunnel.you make a Template out of ,say Sheet steel.Cut a Hole in in and place it over the Shifter.you Now want that hole to be Big enough to allow you to Just go from,1st,2nd 3rd 4th..If you go to Shift into Fifth,it will Hit that Steel Template, and because you have to slide the shifter Further to the right,and that template is blocking it from Going into Fifth Gear. ..The ONLY Drawback I can think of is that you are Going to Have a NOTCH,where you can also Put the Car into Reverse..BUT Not FIFTH gear!...anyhow,That is MY idea of how you can Do it..Cheaply!

 

A japanese company used to make a short shift kit that did exactly that...it blocked 5th to make it more of a drag tranny. I can't recall the name, but I can search the million option mags I have in storage if need be....

 

whats the point of blockin out 5th? why dont u just not use it? sorry if im missing something

 

So when you go to bang 3rd, you don't get 5th instead, which would kill the powerband and you would lose the race.

 

5th can be fast - but not if you're looking for 3rd.

 

I think is from KSP from japan http://www.ksp-eng.co.jp/ATTAIN/index.html but I dont think that is no longe for sell. I just went through their catlog.

 

??? I've never once grabbed 5th when I wanted 3rd. Maybe your shifter bushings are shot?

 

Without actually driving your car, I would say this sounds like an issue with the driver rather than the tranny. When making the shift from 2nd to 3rd, you should just apply light pressure at an upward angle. As long as you don't try to make it go where it doesn't want to, the synchros should keep you out of 5th.

I was taught to never ever "grab" the shift ****. You just drag it backward with your fingertips, or push it forward with the heel of your hand. If you actually grasp the ****, then you're too apt to try to muscle it. And that's where you usually run into trouble.

On the other hand, if you really don't want 5th gear, I'd think there are plenty of other owners out there that have 4 speeds and are looking for a 5 speed to upgrade to. Should be easy enough to work out a deal, maybe even have them do the removal and installation on your car in exchange for the "better" tranny that you are giving up. Good luck man...

 

In almost 5 years of road racing/street driving I've never once grabbed 5th... very rarely even a wrong gear. Sounds like you need to revise your technique.

With that said, I could see taking the thing apart and removing 5th gear for the microscopic reduction in drag, but I have a 4spd box and am still amazed somebody actually took the time to take this thing apart and take it out.

 

It's not a tranny issue. It's all on me. After autoxing for 20 years, it's gonna be difficult to change my technique. Making a successful shift to 3rd requires deliberate thought and actions. I'd like to be able to do it quickly without thinking - you know, push it up and to the right. It's taking all my braincells to keep the car on line and pointing to the next feature. I don't have any extra's to think about shifting up and then try to find the middle gate for 3rd. I'm going to look into mounting something to the top of the tranny.