how to improve shifts on my a520?

[rampage]

*a520 trans from dodge lancer in rampage*

hello again ;). i hate the long throw on my clutch pedal. is there a way to shorten it? how about making it stiffer? also the shifts are kinda sloppy, what do i need to do to have firm shifts? and finally is there a short shifter that has the pull ring for reverse? i'm looking for a sporty feel, shifting gears still feels like a truck.

thanks :)

[csomni]

what i did on my omni was bolt a stop on the steering consil frame to stop the clutch pedal at the same spot as the break pedal. then i hooked up the clutch cable. works great. im running the rod linkage with a short throw and it works a hell of alot better now. takes some getting use to because your use to that long throw and you dont think its in gear.lol

[Juggy]

cant you guys just learn how to train your clutch leg to only push it down just enough to disengage the clutch and bang it in another gear??
i only have to push it 2-3"....not all the way to the floor...

rampage if your running the cables, you can get the 89 daytona short throw shifter. it came stock in the 89 2.2 TII 5spd cars.......im not sure if the T1 cars got it....
they can usually fetch around $50 give or take on average.....

[rampage]

Thanks for the replies. Omni what did you use for a stop? Any pictures of the setup? As far as pressing the clutch, I can work with it, it just really bugs me. It sticks out farther than the gas and brake pedals and sometimes the edge of my shoe hits the edge of the pedal. How can I firm up the shifts?

Thanks again

[Juggy]

yeah mine sticks out too. its an "L" body thing!

sounds like you arent happy with the soggy pedal either???? if the car is staying mostly stock, a TII clutch with TIII pressure plate would hold anything you throw at it. def your best clutch/pp setup when it comes to value. but if u plan to push over 300hp then id recommend getting something that will hold better.


may I ask what kind of car you are coming from originally??? if it was a hydraulic clutch car, then you will def feel like your rowing boats and stomping pedals the old fashion way lol

[GLHNSLHT2]

I made a stop that keeps my pedal from coming up so high as well. I have it so the clutch fully disengages with about an inch and a half left to go before it hits the floor. It now sits below the brake pedal and makes shifting extremely quick. Juggy it's quicker for me to bounce the pedal off the floor than to stop my leg mid press and reverse direction. Kinda like high school kids bench pressing 200lbs and bouncing it off their chests :)

As for improving shift feel, any 89 5spd car will have the shorter shifter. But if you really want to improve the feel you'll need to step up to a 1990 A523 or A568 (1990 so you can use your current small spline clutch)

[Juggy]

i like my heel toe action :D
if uve seen any of my vids of me driving you can clearly see/hear how fast im able to bang it through the gears. id love to get my 2nd-3rd shift better but the gearing difference between 2 and 3 is alot further apart then the rest, so i dont think theres much I can do.....

[Reaper1]

There really isn't a TRUE short throw shifter for the 4-plane transmissions. You have to fab it up. I did it to mine and it works VERY well. Basically you chop out a section of the tube up top AND add some length to the bottom UNDER the pivot ball. You also have to raise the entire shifter platform where the pivot ball is by either making a spacer that goes under the ball mount, or you cut the 4 stands that hold the platform up and then weld in spacers. This is done to actually change the throw ratio for a TRUE short throw shifter. You also have to modify the cross-over lever and the reverse lock-out puller that ties the ring to the mechanism.

I personally like the way the 4-plane transmissions feel versus the 3-plane ones. The newer ones fell more rubbery to me and less "connected". Plus, ANY short throw shifter I've ever experience for them has made the cross over feel VERY stiff.

[GLHNSLHT2]

You try a 3 plane with booger bushings? The 555 shifts like a truck, if you want it in the gear you need to mean it. Where the 3 plane just floats into gear. I can snick that thing into gear incredibly quick with just 3 fingers. The 555's require you whole hand. It works but doing it more than 1/4 mile at a time get's tiring.

[Reaper1]

Yeah, I've driven 3-planes with Booger Bushings before. It is better than stock for sure, but I still feel more disconnected from them. I don't know why. I prefer the heavy, mechanical feeling of the 4-plane. Maybe it just feels more solid to me? I honestly can't explain it.

The only other thing is like I said, ANY of the TRUE short throw shifters I've experienced for the 3-plane transmissions feel VERY stiff on the cross-over...to the point where they feel "sticky", like there is super tacky gum keeping it from going side-to-side. Now, I WILL say I never got the chance to try the MOPAR one that was designed for the SRT-4 that will work with our cars, so maybe that one is better.

Nothing against Jackson, as he is a GREAT guy and his ideas and methods have proven to be VERY solid, but I've had first-hand experience with his 3-plane shifters, as well as other home-made shifters that copied the same idea. They ALL suffered the same "stickiness" issue.

As far as the 4-plane being tiring, I've never felt that way. I do intend to add weight to my shift knob to help smooth it out, but other than my own follies it's never been an issue for me. I suppose it's personal preference. I WILL admit that the 3-plane transmissions DO have some significant design improvements over the 4-plane, however. This is something I'm finding myself battling in my head right now. I'm not sure what I want to do for the future for the transmission in my car. I know what power level I'm looking at. I know what kind of abuse it's likely to see. I just don't know if I *NEED* to swap to the 3-plane for the better designs in some of the critical areas.

[3Bar_Mopar]

My buddy's got a Maddog shifter and booger bushings in his NYG ACR...that thing shifts amazing. It's far from rubbery and locks into each gate like nothing I've ever felt. The throws are very short too and takes a little effort to engage. I wish I could get my 520 shifter to feel like that.