UUC Short Shifter and Selector Rod

Summary

Tighten shift lever action by replacing worn selector rod and worn short-shift lever.

Start Date: July 14, 2012

Odometer: 309,000 km

Total cost: $215.85

Given that my transmission had failed and needed replacement, I decided to replace some of my shifter components at the same time. They were badly worn and contributing to a severe looseness ("play" or "slop") in my shift lever.

An E30's shifter components can be replaced without removing the transmission, but the procedure is easier when the transmission is dropped off its cross member. Having the transmission out of the car also gave me plenty of room to do a test assembly run to be sure everything fit together properly. I installed a lightly used UUC EVO3 short shifter from my previous E30, and a brand new UUC Double Shear Selector Rod.

Parts

Journal

Everything in the UUC kit fit together perfectly. Fantastic quality and engineering.

Here is the short shifter, recovered from my previous E30. Notice the metal housing around the shift ball, which replaces the standard weak plastic BMW part:

Testing the fit in the shifting arm (aka "carrier arm"). The threads on the shift lever allow the shift-knob height to be adjusted to the driver's preference.

The short shifter, selector joint, and DSSR fully staged on the transmission:

The Result

Absolutely fantastic. Shifting is extremely precise. This setup practically guarantees clean, successful shifting at speed, which lowers gear-to-gear shift times while greatly reducing the chance of a costly missed shift. The result is faster lap times, more confidence, and less potential transmission damage from grinding gears. Extremely high quality product. Highly recommended.