PRODUCT ALERT: MGW Short-throw Shifter for 2010

[2010KonaBlueGT]

To all Team Shelby forum memebers/readers;

 

I recently purchased a MGW short-throw shifter for my 2010 GT500 (6-spd).

 

I bought both shifter handles MGW has available so I could run my OEM shifter knob or one of their Rally shifter knobs (or other aftermarket knobs).

 

I also bought a white w/blue double striped Rally Shifter ball/knob from them (I like having choices).

 

Everything was going well with my install until I tried to put my OEM (white w/dual black stripes) shifter knob on the shaft that is supposed to work with the OEM ball.

 

It turns out that the shafts they send with the shifter are both 12mm shafts. One has fine threads and the other has course threads (for OEM and AM knobs).

 

The problem is, the 2010's have 10mm X 1.25 threads so the 12mm shaft will not work with the 2010 OEM shifter ball.

 

I e-mailed MGW and received a phone call from them the next day.

 

The guy I spoke with told me they didn't realize that Ford had changed the OEM shifter knob threads to 10mm for 2010 and until just recently they did not make a 10mm shaft. He assured me that he IS making up a batch of shifter shafts with 10mm X 1.25 threads on them (but still with 12mm shafts) and he will have one in the mail to me this week.

 

I thought I'd post this for any other TS forum members that are planning to buy a MGW 6-spd short-throw shifter and want to use their OEM knobs. Make sure to tell MGW that it is a 2010 so you have 10mm threads and not 12mm.

 

They should have the 10mm shafts machined up by the time you order one.

 

 

Hope this helps,

Phill Pollard

[bpmurr]

Thanks for the heads up. I'm looking into the MGW shifter as a spring 2011 upgrade.

[2010KonaBlueGT]

Thanks for the heads up. I'm looking into the MGW shifter as a spring 2011 upgrade.

 

 

I would think by then, they will automatically send out the 10mm shift shaft if you ask for the OEM threads. They didn't know about it when I ordered mine. Or so I'm told.

 

Either way, I think it was GREAT customer service on their part to make it right. They could'a said 'live with it, you have a Rally ball and shifter arm that will work".

 

I figured that they did their own maching so it shouldn't be hard to turn down a 12mm shaft on a lathe and cut 10x1.25 threads on it.

 

And it appears I was right as he said he'd have me one in about one week.

 

Another vendor makes you buy a new shifter boot (from THEM) and ball if you want to use their 6-spd shifter on your 2010/11! (I won't mention names but I bet you can guess who in one try!). And their boot isn't cheap but rather than machine a 12mm round shaft so you can use your OEM boot...you gotta buy theirs.

 

But it has a nice logo of their company on the side of the shift shaft! LOL

 

 

Phill

[2010KonaBlueGT]

Thanks for the heads up. I'm looking into the MGW shifter as a spring 2011 upgrade.

 

 

Oh yeah, I forgot to add...their shifter is TOP NOTCH.

 

It's literally a work of art, at least from a machinists standpoint.

 

It's a thing of beauty.

 

 

Phill

[Shelby.GT500]

I'm thinking of a shifter mod next year. I do not know if I will go with Hurst or MGW. Do you guys know which one will be better?

[2010KonaBlueGT]

I'm thinking of a shifter mod next year. I do not know if I will go with Hurst or MGW. Do you guys know which one will be better?

 

 

I could'a swore that there was a recent thread that said Hurst doesn't make a 6-speed (GT500) shifter...or maybe it was for the '10/'11 GT500 that they didn't make one for.

 

I don't have a Hurst handy nor have I seen one but I can say the MGW is something to behold.

 

I haven't seen a Shelby 6-spd short-throw in peson either but from all the pics and what I've read about it, it would be my second choice. It is the only OTHER shifter with two brace rods on it AND it is supposed to have adjustable shifter stops built into it.

 

The big drawback for me with the Shelby shifter is that it has that rectangle shaped shift lever that requires you to use their shift boot ($299) and 12mm threads that require you to use their shift knob (on a 2010/11, add ~$50). Add that to the initial price of the shifter ($350) and all of a sudden you have a $700 shifter.

 

That's too bad because it LOOKS like a really nice piece.

 

 

Phill

[gr8snkbite]

Good info, thx....how's the shifter feel..

[2010KonaBlueGT]

how's the shifter feel..

 

 

Dunno, haven't got the 10mm shaft yet!

 

 

Phill

[gr8snkbite]

[Shelby.GT500]

I could'a swore that there was a recent thread that said Hurst doesn't make a 6-speed (GT500) shifter...or maybe it was for the '10/'11 GT500 that they didn't make one for.

 

I don't have a Hurst handy nor have I seen one but I can say the MGW is something to behold.

 

I haven't seen a Shelby 6-spd short-throw in peson either but from all the pics and what I've read about it, it would be my second choice. It is the only OTHER shifter with two brace rods on it AND it is supposed to have adjustable shifter stops built into it.

 

The big drawback for me with the Shelby shifter is that it has that rectangle shaped shift lever that requires you to use their shift boot ($299) and 12mm threads that require you to use their shift knob (on a 2010/11, add ~$50). Add that to the initial price of the shifter ($350) and all of a sudden you have a $700 shifter.

 

That's too bad because it LOOKS like a really nice piece.

 

 

Phill

 

 

Thanks for the review Phill. My previous car was a 2007 Shelby GT and it came with the Hurst Shifter. I love the shifting and would love to have it on my GT500 (if they make one). I have not seen the MGW shifter in person but I've been reading alot of positive reviews about it. I even saw a thread in mustangforums.com which compares MGW and Hurst, and most guys swear by MGW.

[CMG]

Thanks for the info. I will be making this mod soon. I thought I remembered someone saying the stock knob was hard to remove without damaging?? Any trouble with yours. Also..just curious. How long did it take you to install? couple hours?

[QUIKSVT]

CMG are you going to document the 1-2 shift grind to your dealer first, or just install the shifter?

 

I'm hinking of ordering the MGW now....

[CMG]

I have no gind yet. My car has about 500 miles on it now and Ive only shifted 2nd hard (not a power shift though) a couple of times. Im normally not that big on breaking in things but Ive been gentle with 2nd to this point. I kind of was thinking if it turned out to be a shifter issue I might be avoiding trans damage by taking it easy on 2nd for now. I hope to install my new VMP pulley and tune in the morning. I guess for now I can still "try out" new tune and baby 2nd. Before I bought my car I test drove another 2011 that was used with 185 miles. 2nd was killed in that car so I know what to look for.

[gr8snkbite]

Knob is tight. Had to use a rubber strap wrench to break free....

[Radical08]

I have no gind yet. My car has about 500 miles on it now and Ive only shifted 2nd hard (not a power shift though) a couple of times. Im normally not that big on breaking in things but Ive been gentle with 2nd to this point. I kind of was thinking if it turned out to be a shifter issue I might be avoiding trans damage by taking it easy on 2nd for now. I hope to install my new VMP pulley and tune in the morning. I guess for now I can still "try out" new tune and baby 2nd. Before I bought my car I test drove another 2011 that was used with 185 miles. 2nd was killed in that car so I know what to look for.

 

 

 

Regardless of how the car is shifted the MGW shifter is great and feels great, crisp and clean. You will see night and day difference in the stock crap rubber feel shifter. Right after my transmission was rebuilt due to the grind the next day I installed the MGW. I researched back in Aug before I got the MGW and Hurst did not have a shifter for the GT500. Far as I know they still don't. I can't speak for FRPP if they have one or the quality. I got rid of my stock ball because it's small compared to the MGW. You will see when you install it the difference. My damn stock ball had so much krazy glue on it I had to use a pipe wrench to get it off and needless to say it is toast. I will never re-install it anyway. I went with the black ball/silver stripes with Cobras on the sides. Be advised the install is easy except one step them damn front clips that you have to get out and mine were fought for an hour. Some get lucky but some may not. All in all the install is easy 2 out of 5 for anyone with mechanics skills.

[Crushinator]

Thanks for posting this! For those that haven't seen the shifter, here it is...

 

http://www.mgwltd.com/GT500_shifter.shtml

 

I think I may order one with the black/red stripe Cobra emblem. Cool stuff!

[CMG]

I have no gind yet. My car has about 500 miles on it now and Ive only shifted 2nd hard (not a power shift though) a couple of times. Im normally not that big on breaking in things but Ive been gentle with 2nd to this point. I kind of was thinking if it turned out to be a shifter issue I might be avoiding trans damage by taking it easy on 2nd for now. I hope to install my new VMP pulley and tune in the morning. I guess for now I can still "try out" new tune and baby 2nd. Before I bought my car I test drove another 2011 that was used with 185 miles. 2nd was killed in that car so I know what to look for.

 

 

Correction...Before installing my VMP stuff today I took the car out and decided to experiment launching. After taking car to rev limiter in 1st guess what. 2nd grind. It will now be granny shifted into 2nd and the new shifter made its way to the top of my mod list. It was going to be a christmas present but now not sure I can wait. I think I will try this before documenting with dealer. I have a close realtionship with them and I dont see it being a problem.

[2010KonaBlueGT]

Thanks for the info. I will be making this mod soon. I thought I remembered someone saying the stock knob was hard to remove without damaging?? Any trouble with yours. Also..just curious. How long did it take you to install? couple hours?

 

 

The stock knob was a BITCH to remove from the shaft. I read about all of the attempts prior to trying to remove mine so I knew it would be tough but to be more than honest I thought "what a bunch of pussies! Can't even remove a shift knob"...HA!

 

I pulled my OE shift shaft by raising the center console (pops right out on a 2010), and unscrewing the two bolts that hold the shaft to the OE shifter.

 

I put the rubber bushed end in a vice and tried to unscrew it by hand, with a pair of Mechanix (brand) gloves on. No dice.

 

I got my heat gun out and heated it up on low, tried again...same thing, no go.

 

I put it on "high" and tried again. Nope, no budge.

 

I used a nylon strap wrench and I couldn't get it to grip the ball so still...no go.

 

I took the two bolts out of the rubber bushing and you can pull the shaft completely out of the rubber (it comes apart). Then I got two pieces of wood (about 1/4" thick) and used them as jaw protectors for my vice. I put the BALL in the vice with the wood protecting it and used a big cresent wrench on the flat with the two bolt holes in it. Bingo, no problem at all. Once you break the 5 ounces of RED lock-tite they use on it loose, it comes right off.

 

(EDIT: Seriously, the entire threaded part of the shaft was COVERED in red lock-tite. They must use damn near a half bottle on it, or dip it in a vat of Red LT. The guy at MGW said the same thing when I talked to him.)

 

I found that clamping the KNOB in the vice and not the SHAFT, was the way to go. But be sure to put that wood in there or your OEM knob will be trash. i actually have a set of aluminium with rubber inserts "jaw protectors"....SOMEWHERE in my storage unit but the two pieces of wood were laying around in my garage so I used them. With no problem.

 

Oh, and by the time I got to the point of using the wood/vice/cresent wrench, the knob was completely cooled off so I don't think the heat helped in the least. I was afraid of melting the knob anyway so I concentrated the heat more on the aluminium sleeve than the knob which MIGHT be why I couldn't get it to break loose by hand/heat.

 

Long story short, it truly *is* a bitch to get the OEM knob off. But I happen to like the smaller OE knob better than the MGW "Rally Striped" ball. It is larger, nearly the size of a bar sized que ball (if you know pool, a "Bar" sized Que is slightly smaller to the machine can separate it on scratch balls and return it to you).

 

But at least I still have the OPTION of using either my OEM or MGW shifter knob. I wouldn't have if I destroyed the OE ball.

 

As far as how long it takes, I'm still not done so I can't say. So far, no big deal. I've been waiting for my FRPP FR3 handling pack so I could drop the rear of the car and raise the front but I was just told that they are on back-order until after the first of the year (actually, FEBRUARY!) so I haven't done much of the under-car work yet. Having looked at it, it doesn't look bad but I WILL be dropping the rear of the trans for access...and I SHOULD have my driveshaft out as I'm replacing the 2-piece with a 1-piece Carbon Fiber PST (so it should make it a little easier to change the shifter too).

 

 

YMMV,

Phill

[2010KonaBlueGT]

Knob is tight. Had to use a rubber strap wrench to break free....

 

 

That's the most common method I've seen used successfully.

 

I have a nylon strap (oil filter) wrench and it wouldn't grip the ball, AND the shaft kept wanting to twist in the rubber bushed part before I realized I could just take it off.

 

I saw a rubber strap wrench at a flea market we have every week here in The Springs and thought about buying it just for when I attempted this feat. Then I saw a "2-piece strap wrench set" (one small, one large) at Harbor Freight but I'm too cheap to buy a set for a one time deal!

 

So I beat my head against a wall for about 45 mins. until I figured out to clamp the BALL in the vice and twist the shaft, not the other way around!

 

As Homer would say....DOH!

 

 

Phill

[tedj]

Oh yeah, I forgot to add...their shifter is TOP NOTCH.

 

It's literally a work of art, at least from a machinists standpoint.

 

It's a thing of beauty.

 

 

 

It does look nice, I went and looked at it on the web site and noticed there are some not so nice comments about how it must be installed on a 2010/2011.

 

http://www.shelbystore.com/product-p/7s3z-7210-f6.htm

 

Has anyone used one of these? Are these issues for real?

 

If so, the MGW sounds like a better bet.

 

 

[Radical08]

It does look nice, I went and looked at it on the web site and noticed there are some not so nice comments about how it must be installed on a 2010/2011.

 

http://www.shelbystore.com/product-p/7s3z-7210-f6.htm

 

Has anyone used one of these? Are these issues for real?

 

If so, the MGW sounds like a better bet.

 

 

MGW is not hard to install, it's actually pretty easy except for the 2 front clip pins and no matter what shifter you install you will be dealing with those pins that hold the 2 rails on the transmission.

[2010KonaBlueGT]

It does look nice, I went and looked at it on the web site and noticed there are some not so nice comments about how it must be installed on a 2010/2011.

http://www.shelbystore.com/product-p/7s3z-7210-f6.htm

Has anyone used one of these? Are these issues for real?

 

 

Those are reviews of the Shelby 6-spd short-throw shifter, not the MGW.

 

I did not know that the Shelby shifter was made in China/Tiiwan and that most definately changes my opinion of the product.

 

MGW is made in the USA, and made damn well.

 

 

Phill