93-97 Corolla Short Shifter into AE92 GTS

[spacedog0o1]

How-To: Install a 7th Gen Corolla Aftermarket Short Shifter into your AE92

There are very few options we AE92 owners have to choose from when searching for a short shifter. They are either really expensive (TRD/TWM) or can be difficult to source (AE101/CELICA Stock Shifter) and do not produce much result. There is, however, an alternative to the above mentioned. The part is very easy to source, it is very low priced, and the results are like day and night; it’s a 93 – 97 Corolla Short Shifter. It cost me about $17.15 after tax and free shipping. It came with the shifter itself (no bushings), spacers, and new bolts.



You’re going to need your basic set of metric sockets, a ratchet, phillips & flat head screw drivers, and a dremel w/HD cutting wheels. I went through 4 cutting wheels, they cost about $4.00 for 20 wheels.

1. Remove your shift knob, shift boot, center console and plastic trim from around the shifter. It is necessary to remove all of these because you will need the working space.

2. Remove the stock shifter and shifter cables. Remove the shifter plate from the chassis so it looks like the pictures in step 3. Here is an exploded view of the entire shifter assembly to aid you in this step.



3. Cutting the shifter plate:

Make the cuts as shown in the picture below with the dremel. These cuts need to be made to allow full range of motion for the shifter and shifter cables. I made the cuts from both the top and bottom of the shifter plate. Reattach the shift cables to the modified shifter plate. Don't bolt the shifter plate back onto the chassis yet.





4. Spacers:
The spacers that came with the shifter have a lip that help guide the shifter plate for ease of installation. However, the lip is too high to use without the stock grommets or additional washers.



You have three options to choose from at this point:
i) Cut off the lip.
ii) Ditch the stock grommets and find some washers that will fit over the outside diameter of the spacer’s lip and match its thickness.
iii) Leave in the stock grommets and use the spacers.

I went with the third option as it was easiest and didn’t require another trip to the hardware store. Bolt the shifter plate back onto the your chassis.



There are 4 spacers total; one at each mounting point of the shifter plate. I only highlighted the two that were visible.


5. Shifter:
Grease up the balls of the new shifter and transfer all the stock bushings onto it. Before installing the new shifter it’d be a good idea to grease up the shifter sockets as well (to the left and below the shifter). Install the new shifter. Test out the new shifter in ALL GEARS before putting everything back together to make sure that the lower ball of the shifter and the cables have enough room to be operated. Make any additional trims to the shifter plate if necessary.



5. Plastic trims:
The center console and shifter trim will not over the raised shifter assembly. You need to stretch it out a bit. It is not noticeable once they're screwed in.



6. Shift Boot:
The shift boot will not fit over the shifter assembly because it has been raised. You will need to trim the plastic plate that is inserted into the shift boot to make it work. Make the cuts as shown below. And put your shift boot back on.






7. Put your shift knob on and take her out for a drive.

Comments:
I skipped the nitty-gritty details in hopes that most of you are mechanically inclined. The install should take about an hour to do. I hope the information in this write up is sufficient for your understanding. LMK if you have any questions.

Thanks to Pancho_Vanilla who drove 40 minutes to my house so I could take pictures while installing the short shifter into his car. My apologies for the lack of before and after pictures of the finished product, you'll have to live with out them or just install the short shifter to see it for yourself.

Here are some approximate measurements for the stock and aftermarket shifter:
Description: Measurement (Stock/Short Shifter)
From bottom of ball to bottom of shifter: 6.2cm/8.8cm
From top of ball to top of shifter: 22.3cm/16.6cm
Shifter position towards back: 6.1cm/2.7cm
Shifter position towards the left: 4.0cm/0.3cm
Lever arm sticking out of the side of the ball: 3.4cm/3.2cm
Spacer thickness: Not Applicable/0.8cm



Impression:
The new shifter is pretty awesome! It doesn’t feel like I’m driving a truck anymore. The throw is super short; it feels like at least a 60% reduction in throw distance (I didn't take actual throw measurements). The shifter sits lower and further from the driver but I’ve quickly gotten used to it. The shift knob sits right in the middle of all gears and not in the path of 1st to 2nd gear like other shifters.

[squeaks]

would love to know how to do it when you get the write up finished

[spacedog0o1]

squeaks, someone already hit me up about this. we might be getting together this Thursday. So, expect the write up to be coming by the middle of next week.

[squeaks]

awesome looking forward to it

[4dRcOrOlLA]

good stuff because i bout a the 7th gen short shifter to mod it in but didnt have time but it did look like i need spacers and maybe cut the front of the shift bracket alil

[REN69]

I believe the Celica (ST162?) short shifters fit as well... could be the same design for all of them.

[spacedog0o1]

i doubt they're the same. when i was shopping for the shifter on ebay they were listed either as a corolla short shifter or a celica short shifter. If they were exactly the same i think they'd advertise them as being the same or compatible with both chassis. even TWM makes their shifters specific to either the celica or the corolla. too bad i dont have both a celica and corolla shot shifters in front of me to compare.

[spacedog0o1]

Originally Posted by 4dRcOrOlLA

good stuff because i bout a the 7th gen short shifter to mod it in but didnt have time but it did look like i need spacers and maybe cut the front of the shift bracket alil

the shifter i bought came with spacers and they're are needed to make the 7th gen short shifter work with the 6th gen. and yes, there is cutting of the shifter bracket to allow proper movement of the shift cables to get in and out of gears. you can't move the shifter at all if you don't make the cuts needed.

[NZAE92]

i've got a 5-6th gen celica gts short shifter in my 1990 corolla it fitted perfectly it could be a little shorter though. Im sure a shifter from the same model turbo version celica should be able to fit aswell it may even be shorter since it is the sportier model. I have been meaning to put up a thread with pictures on how i installed it.

[squeaks]

So is it a 7th gen corolla or a 6th-7th gen celica shifter?

[spacedog0o1]

7th gen corolla aftermarket short shifter

[Pancho_Vanilla]

Sorry about getting there late, I had to pump gas.

Anyway I just got home and shifter is working great. I got stuck in traffic on the way home so it's thoroughly tested. Thanks again, I'll be looking forward for the write-up.


EDIT: Here are the pictures of it installed before and after

This is when it was cut (I'm never doing that again)




And here it is after,








The throws are about 3 1/2 inches from 1st to second and so on

[squeaks]

Write up, write up, going to start a riot soon

[REN69]

lolz

[spacedog0o1]

write up is up. Mods, can you please add "How-To:" to the title that shows up in the list of threads?thx