Toyota Corolla Wiring Diagrams, Technical Specs, and Modifications

If you've got a 5 speed manual T-50 transmission in your RWD Corolla, chances are you've thought about shortening the throw on the shifter. If you've gone far enough to take the shifter out, you probably were daunted by the complexity of the ball swivel, actuator arm, plastic grommet, and linkage assembly you uncovered. Well the good news is that you can shorten the throw without messing with the linkage, pulling the transmission or anything too tough. There are two ways to do this, shorten the stock shift stick or make a new one.

Shortening the stock stick necessitates cutting and welding and thus is undesireable due to the amount of work needed to make a good weld, make sure everything is straight, and make it all look good again. In addition, the stock stick has a rubber bushing in the base that increases the vague feeling in the shift linkage. The best solution is to make a new shift stick. Fabricating a custom stick will remove the rubber bushing, linking your arm directly to the transmission. Depending on the year of your car and transmission the stick could enter the car at several points relative to the driver's seating position. Take this into account when designing your new stick because if you make it too short you will have to lean forward to shift. However, if you're cramming your frame into a Corolla like I am, have no fear, you will have no problem shifting.

At left is a crude sketch of the situation, the red item is the new short shifter, with a blue stock stick shown for comparison. This drawing is not to scale, but will give you an idea. I machined my stick out of a piece of 1" round 6061 T6 aluminum which is cheap and readily available. You'll need to drill out the inside to clear the multiprofiled shift lever as shown, shape the outside as desired, and thread the end to accept the shift knob. In the drawing you see a lip on the bottom of the shifter, this is to keep the boot from sliding too far down as the ~1" diameter is not as tight a fit as the stock stick. If this is a concern, start with 1.125" stock. To complete the project you'll need:

Metalworking lathe, drill bits, and cutters
1" round Aluminum stock, about 4-5" of it
3/8" and 1/2" drill bits for drilling holes
Drill press, Mill, or hand drill for drilling hole for set screw
Drill bit, tap, and set screw for holding stick on (I used a 1/4"-20 tap and set screw, drilling the hole with a #7 [.2010"] drill bit)
12x8 (1.25 pitch) Metric die and suitable die wrench for threading stick for shift knob

If you're careful you won't even need to polish the stick when you're done. It is a good idea to pull a shift assy from a junkyard so you can bring the whole thing to the shop while you work. That way you can check clearances on the new stick, change the depth, etc. The hardest part is making sure that the smaller end of the shift lever will fit far enough into the new stick and that the part of the lever where it widens out clears the hole. Check the AutoCAD drawing below for exact design and measurements.

AutoCAD drawing of short shift stick for Toyota Corolla T-50 manual transmission

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Exterior shot. What lovely paint.	Interior shot. Note the short shifter, 1982 SR-5 dash cluster, and digital multi-gauge (intake temp, O2 sensor output, etc.)	Engine compartment shot. Note the 4-1 equal length header, Weber 32-36 DGAV carb, and 1976 Trans-Am horn (partially visible, bottom left).
Click here for pictures of the ongoing 3S-GTE turbo RWD Corolla Project!