Getrag 245 Short Shifter and platform pivot riser

1) Shortened the shift platform by 3.6 inches by cutting the end where it connects to the rear of the tranny removing 3” and then overlapping and welding the pieces back together.

2) Here you can see that the extended lower section of the shift lever lowers the linkage (also shortened 3.6”) making it closer to the driveline.

3) To correct the linkage clearance issue I built a raised platform for the shift lever pivot. The lower section of the shift lever was lengthened by .625” so I raise the pivot by the same amount.

4) Here’s the final assembly

From below, notice the shift rod linkage is now level…..

I may have some interference with the tunnel because I built a square riser for the pivot but that can be fixed by opening up the hole in the tunnel.

As for the support of the shift platform, I’m probably going to use the rear hole in the platform and drill a hole in the tunnel. That should allow me to mount the platform to the tunnel with a flexible support. I hope that will give me a really firm platform. The riser for the pivot is built from 1/8” steel sheet. I tapered it slightly just to match the sides of the shift platform and allow me to cut the platform where the pivot body is welded. Once I had the pivot body cut out of the platform I simply welded it to the top of the riser. If you look close at the photo above you

can see that the front section of the shift platform is lapped over the top of the rear section as I described earlier. This allowed me to weld the rear of the overlap on top and the front of the overlap on the bottom. This generates the most strength for the platform at this modified section where the cut sections are pieced back together.

As mentioned in the thread I shortened the shifter also by cutting roughly ½” off the top. I polished the shifter shaft and installed an aluminum billet shift knob. The knob slips over the top of the shifter shaft and is secured by a set screw (covered by a decorative threaded sleeve).

Most of what I did came from the FAQ post on converting to the 245 – 5 speed transmission. Please refer to the FAQ for a more details.

Todd21Todd Fugate