This Steeda Tri-Ax Short Throw Shifter is available for any T-5 or T-45 transmission
owners from '82 to '04 who might be looking to reduce shift times by a significant amount,
as well as reduce the amount of gear misses when tossing the shifter back and forth through
the gears.
This is one of the shorter shifters in the category and also includes height adjustability.
Installation is super easy for the Fox body and SN95 owners, so expect one out of three
wrenches on our difficulty meter, which I'll talk more about later on.
This Short Throw from Steeda has a few features that make it a huge upgrade over the factory
option.
First and foremost, this option reduces shift times by 30% while getting more precision
shifting.
That 30% can help at the track by helping to shave off some time from the quarter mile,
which we all know every tenth of a second counts.
The stock shifter can tend to be a bit sloppy and clunky, so Steeda constructed this to
eliminate deflection and create more precise shifting to hit the gears in your T-5 or T-45
trans.
It comes with Steeda's patented offset preloaded coil springs which help to basically make
the shifting experience more direct and more efficient.
One of the other benefits of the Steeda option is that it does include two positions of height
adjustability to give you a small amount of customization.
This way you can change the positioning of the shifter handle to angle it out toward
you a bit more, which is beneficial for the guys who sit farther back, or if you're a
bit shorter like me, you can change the height to be more comfortably in your hands for your
shifting needs.
As far as the actual materials and construction is concerned, Steeda manufactures this right
here in the U.S. out of 6061-T6 billet aluminum.
It utilizes rear poly bushings and low-friction shaft bushings for a more direct and rigid
feel.
In addition to the aluminum finish on most of the kit, there's grade A and stainless
steel hardware and a nickel-plated pivot shaft that won't rust or corrode.
The installation and these transmissions are actually extremely simple even though you
might think otherwise.
All you need is a ratchet an eight-millimeter, 10-millimeter and 13-millimeter socket to
get the job done, as well as a silicone gasket maker.
Other than that, just have about 30 to 45 minutes on hand, and I'm giving this 1 out
of 3 wrenches on our difficulty here.
If your Fox body is older than 1986, you'll need to remove the center console, which isn't
too hard but you might wanna consult a shop manual if you need help with it.
From there you can take off the shift knob and remove the shift boot and console cover
plate after that.
Remove the factory shifter handle with a 10-millimeter socket, then use an 8-millimeter socket to
remove the 4 bolts holding the inner rubber shift boot plate and remove the shift boot.
Next up, use a 13-millimeter socket and an extension to remove the 4 bolts holding the
shifter to the transmission.
Might be stuck thanks to the adhesive sealant, in which case you can put the handle back
on and pull it off sideways.
Next, clean up any dirt and leftover gasket materials off of the transmission and make
sure the plastic bushing is still intact.
Apply a small amount of silicone gasket maker to the trans mounting surface, then install
the new shifter using the bolts provided in kit.
The old factory bolts are gonna be too short to use with this Steeda shifter.
Now you can set the shifter stops to get in the proper positioning.
This is a very important step here.
You wanna back off the shifter stop bolts but you're actually inside the little circle
here where the shifter handle base is in, so you wanna back those up so the shifter
moves freely without touching it through every single gear.
Put it into third and then tighten that bolt until it comes in contact with the shifter
handle, then back it up one-sixth of a turn until there's just a small gap about a tenth
of an inch between the handle and the bolt while applying pressure to the handle like
you would be while you're shifting hard.
Pushing on the lever while you do this takes away the play and the slack out of the linkage
to get the proper adjustment.
Do the same thing with the other bolt with it in second gear.
Place the boot guard washer over the handle and then place the inter-shift boot over the
shifter level.
Install the shifter handle in the adjustment position of your choosing using the bolts
on the shaft and lock washer provided.
Then you can replace the console cover plate shift boot and top it off with the knob, then
you're good to go.
Just to wrap things up here.
If you're the owner of a 1982 to 2004 Mustang with a T-5 or T-45 transmission, check out
the Steeda Tri-Ax Short Throw Shifter, which is available right here at americanmuscle.com.