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    Results 1 to 9 of 9
    1. #1
      Join Date
      Jun 2018
      Location
      Alamo, CA USA
      Posts
      228
      Country Flag: United States

      Tunnel cut for shifter...

      Could use some help with the tunnel cut for the shifter. I have the LS427 and T56 mated. I'm about to pull off the front-end (hood, fenders, radiator support, etc...) of the newly painted body so I don't do any damage to them and also give me more clearance for the install. I have the Speedtech T56 trans tunnel already installed. Just need to get the shifter cut done. I've already gotten some great advice on how to do some of this on a previous thread. Looking for more details and feedback.

      What was the process you used to get this done? Is there a template that needs to be adhered to for the cut? Can someone point me in the right direction for the boot and anything else needed for the shifter to sit properly through the tunnel?

      Edit: I need more help beyond just the shifter cut. What's everything I need to button up this part of the car? I'm guessing there's some sort of boot or protective material for what sits under the floor as well as a boot and other components to get a shifter finished in the cabin?

      1973 Camaro: LS427/570, T56, Speedtech ExtReme subframe/torque arm


    2. #2
      Join Date
      Apr 2001
      Location
      The City of Fountains
      Posts
      15,971
      Country Flag: United States
      I would install the engine and trans without the shifter. Once the engine is in the final position, mark an approximate center of the shifter from underneath. You can use a punch from the underside to make a dimple that will be visible from the top.

      Then from the top, start by making a hole with a step drill. Once you have that hole made, start enlarging the hole with a cut-off wheel. As more of the shifter base gets exposed, you will get a better idea of how big the hole has to be. I would make the hole large enough so the shifter can be installed from the top. In fact, you can use the shifter itself as the template. Or make a cardboard template to approximate the shape of the shifter base.

      Andrew
      1970 GTO Version 3.0
      1967 Cougar build
      GM High-Tech Performance feature
      My YouTube Channel Please Subscribe!
      Instagram @projectgattago
      Dr. EFI
      I deliver what EFI promises.
      Remote Holley EFI tuning.
      Please get in touch if I can be of service.

      "You were the gun, your voice was the trigger, your bravery was the barrel, your eyes were the bullets." ~ Her

    3. #3
      Join Date
      Jun 2018
      Location
      Alamo, CA USA
      Posts
      228
      Country Flag: United States
      Quote Originally Posted by andrewb70 View Post
      I would install the engine and trans without the shifter. Once the engine is in the final position, mark an approximate center of the shifter from underneath. You can use a punch from the underside to make a dimple that will be visible from the top.

      Then from the top, start by making a hole with a step drill. Once you have that hole made, start enlarging the hole with a cut-off wheel. As more of the shifter base gets exposed, you will get a better idea of how big the hole has to be. I would make the hole large enough so the shifter can be installed from the top. In fact, you can use the shifter itself as the template. Or make a cardboard template to approximate the shape of the shifter base.

      Andrew
      Thanks, Andrew. This helps a lot. I have a couple other questions that I've edited just now into the original post. I need more help beyond just the shifter cut. What's everything I need to button up this part of the car? I'm guessing there's some sort of boot or protective material for what sits under the floor as well as a boot and other components to get a shifter finished in the cabin? Any help with this would be much appreciated.
      1973 Camaro: LS427/570, T56, Speedtech ExtReme subframe/torque arm

    4. #4
      Join Date
      Apr 2001
      Location
      The City of Fountains
      Posts
      15,971
      Country Flag: United States
      Quote Originally Posted by roguegeek View Post
      Thanks, Andrew. This helps a lot. I have a couple other questions that I've edited just now into the original post. I need more help beyond just the shifter cut. What's everything I need to button up this part of the car? I'm guessing there's some sort of boot or protective material for what sits under the floor as well as a boot and other components to get a shifter finished in the cabin? Any help with this would be much appreciated.
      For best results, it is good to use a rubber boot that seals firmly against the shifter handle and bolts to the tunnel and then have a decorative boot over the top of that. You should be shocked how much heat and noise can come through a poorly sealed shifter hole.

      Andrew
      1970 GTO Version 3.0
      1967 Cougar build
      GM High-Tech Performance feature
      My YouTube Channel Please Subscribe!
      Instagram @projectgattago
      Dr. EFI
      I deliver what EFI promises.
      Remote Holley EFI tuning.
      Please get in touch if I can be of service.

      "You were the gun, your voice was the trigger, your bravery was the barrel, your eyes were the bullets." ~ Her

    5. #5
      Join Date
      Jun 2018
      Location
      Alamo, CA USA
      Posts
      228
      Country Flag: United States
      Quote Originally Posted by andrewb70 View Post
      For best results, it is good to use a rubber boot that seals firmly against the shifter handle and bolts to the tunnel and then have a decorative boot over the top of that. You should be shocked how much heat and noise can come through a poorly sealed shifter hole.

      Andrew
      Well I want as much seal as I can get. It sounds like there's nothing under the floor. There's nothing underneath the boot connecting directly to the shifter handle and tunnel?
      1973 Camaro: LS427/570, T56, Speedtech ExtReme subframe/torque arm

    6. #6
      Join Date
      Apr 2001
      Location
      The City of Fountains
      Posts
      15,971
      Country Flag: United States
      Quote Originally Posted by roguegeek View Post
      Well I want as much seal as I can get. It sounds like there's nothing under the floor. There's nothing underneath the boot connecting directly to the shifter handle and tunnel?
      You want a rubber seal that has a tight hole for the shifter handle and then attaches to the tunnel around the hole edges. I'd use rivnuts instead of sheetmetal screwed.
      1970 GTO Version 3.0
      1967 Cougar build
      GM High-Tech Performance feature
      My YouTube Channel Please Subscribe!
      Instagram @projectgattago
      Dr. EFI
      I deliver what EFI promises.
      Remote Holley EFI tuning.
      Please get in touch if I can be of service.

      "You were the gun, your voice was the trigger, your bravery was the barrel, your eyes were the bullets." ~ Her

    7. #7
      Join Date
      Jun 2018
      Location
      Alamo, CA USA
      Posts
      228
      Country Flag: United States
      Quote Originally Posted by andrewb70 View Post
      You want a rubber seal that has a tight hole for the shifter handle and then attaches to the tunnel around the hole edges. I'd use rivnuts instead of sheetmetal screwed.
      Yup, understood. So that and factory installed boot on the actual trans is everything needed to be considered properly sealed and protected? Doesn't feel like much, but seriously, what do I know?
      1973 Camaro: LS427/570, T56, Speedtech ExtReme subframe/torque arm

    8. #8
      Join Date
      Apr 2001
      Location
      The City of Fountains
      Posts
      15,971
      Country Flag: United States
      Quote Originally Posted by roguegeek View Post
      Yup, understood. So that and factory installed boot on the actual trans is everything needed to be considered properly sealed and protected? Doesn't feel like much, but seriously, what do I know?
      The rubber boot on the trans is there just to seal off the shifter. You need something else to seal the shifter and the trans tunnel.

      Andrew
      1970 GTO Version 3.0
      1967 Cougar build
      GM High-Tech Performance feature
      My YouTube Channel Please Subscribe!
      Instagram @projectgattago
      Dr. EFI
      I deliver what EFI promises.
      Remote Holley EFI tuning.
      Please get in touch if I can be of service.

      "You were the gun, your voice was the trigger, your bravery was the barrel, your eyes were the bullets." ~ Her

    9. #9
      Join Date
      Jun 2018
      Location
      Alamo, CA USA
      Posts
      228
      Country Flag: United States
      Quote Originally Posted by andrewb70 View Post
      The rubber boot on the trans is there just to seal off the shifter. You need something else to seal the shifter and the trans tunnel.

      Andrew
      Yes. I understand that. I'm asking other than the boot on the actual transmission and the boot connected to the tunnel (and I suppose the decorative boot as well), there's nothing else needed for this particular section of the car to be considered sealed and protected? It sounds like the answer to this is yes.

      The cut I'm making is going to be big enough to service the shifter. Is there a particular boot (the non-decorative one) that you or others particularly like around here?
      1973 Camaro: LS427/570, T56, Speedtech ExtReme subframe/torque arm





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