Steeda has hit the market...
Steeda has hit the market square in the headlights with its Tri-Ax shifter for the sloppy-handled '05 Mustangs. Here, forward is to the left; the long arm attaches to the transmission, and the two ears at right bolt to studs hanging from the transmission tunnel. The Tri-Ax is all billet aluminum, with urethane bushings replacing the stock rubber parts.
Project car provider Rich Robello is the second '05 GT owner to submit his new 'Stang to our camera before making his first payment. Who says
hot-rodding is dead?
Enjoyable as the new Mustang is, ask anyone who's driven one and they'll report the shifter is a rubbery disappointment. Finding gears is a reasonably accurate exercise assuming your adrenal glands aren't secreting sauce like a musk ox, but the feel is disconnected-mushy even.
Two bolts and jam nuts form...
Two bolts and jam nuts form the adjustable portion of the Tri-Ax's positive stop shift mechanism. This means shifting force from the driver is stopped by these bolts rather than the shift forks in the transmission. According to Tremec, all its transmissions have shift-fork-protecting internal stops, so consider these external stops extra protection for the most aggressive knuckle-dragging shifts.
So here is Steeda bursting through the opportunity door before you can get that new Mustang out of the dealer's driveway-Steeda engineers must hide in the bushes-with a snazzy billet shifter ready to go. The business end of the shifter, including the adjustable, positive stops and billet collar and pivot ball, are familiar stuff to late-model enthusiasts. The attachment hardware, braces, and other specifics to the '05 shifter are, of course, new to all of us.
Also new is the installation procedure. Whereas Mustang shifters have traditionally installed from inside the cockpit, the new shifter installs mainly from under the car. That's because the '05 shifter is remotely mounted from the transmission and it's necessary to access the bracketry from underneath. This entails disconnecting the driveshaft from the transmission to gain access to the shifter, but because the transmission/driveshaft interface is a flange, this is straightforward nut and bolt work. It is not necessary to remove the driveshaft from the car or disconnect the exhaust, and there is no transmission fluid mess to work around.
Here's the complete Tri-Ax...
Here's the complete Tri-Ax kit. It's a precisely built unit with tight fits from all the bushings and a tight, higher-effort action from the shorter-throw shifter. Compared to the stock pressed-metal shifter, the Tri-Ax is battleship stout-and, yeah, it packs more weight because of it.
So, unlike before, changing the '05 shifter requires a floor jack and jackstands at the least, or if you've fallen off as many dirt bikes as we have, a hoist. For the first time, though, count on several hours-shops will have the task down to a couple of hours after a few run-throughs.
Aside from saying it's a heavy-duty, well-built piece here, we'll let the photos and captions handle the details of Steeda's Tri-Ax shifter and move on to our driving impressions. Car owner Rich Robello was kind enough to let us do the snick-snick thing with his achingly new car, although we followed his cue and didn't try any hammering heroics with the five-speed's new joy lever. The action was definitely improved, with the rubbery offensiveness replaced by a manly precision. We judged the muscle required fine for enthusiasts and approaching noticeable for those weaned on four-banger lightweights. The gap between the gates is tight, so it takes a handful of shifts to get the feel down, but it is rewarding in its performance personality.
A pair of bronze bushings...
A pair of bronze bushings are used on the bottom of the shift handle to locate the shift linkage to the shifter-the corresponding stock parts are rubber. The tighter fit of the bronze bushings makes a difference during installation, and definitely when shifting.
Likewise, at the rear of the...
Likewise, at the rear of the shifter is a large-diameter rear mounting bushing. Fitted with a central steel sleeve, the outer urethane hockey pucks are far more rigid than the soft rubber mounting hardware Ford uses.
This long arm reaching forward...
This long arm reaching forward is a principal characteristic of the '05 Mustang shifter. It attaches to the transmission at its forward end using urethane bushings. The stock unit is a thin sheetmetal rod fitted with rubber bushings.
As with earlier Tri-Ax shifters,...
As with earlier Tri-Ax shifters, the '05 version uses a bolt-on shift handle. That allows fitting any sort of handle you can find or fabricate, should the supplied Tri-Ax piece not meet your exact seat position and arm length needs. Unless you've fit a racing seat to your new Mustang, the standard Tri-Ax handle ought to do just fine.
Swapping the shifter begins...
Swapping the shifter begins by prying up the forward edge of the trim plate surrounding the shifter, then unthreading the shift knob. The shift knob, boot, and plastic trim plate will twist off as a unit.
A second rubber shift boot...
A second rubber shift boot lives under the cosmetic boot that is attached to the shift knob. Pry it off.
Under the car, the front of...
Under the car, the front of the driveshaft is exactly where you need to work. Index the driveshaft and transmission flanges with some sort of durable ink or scribe mark, then unbolt the driveshaft from the transmission.
Two ears on the driveshaft's...
Two ears on the driveshaft's center bearing attach the center of the two-piece shaft to the transmission tunnel. Undo both bolts and allow the driveshaft to flop to one side, thus moving the front of the driveshaft out of your way. Beware the two thick spacers between the bearing retainer's ears and the tunnel. They'll fall out when the bolts come out, so don't lose them.
Now you have a good look at...
Now you have a good look at the stock shifter from below; forward is to the left. The large square tubing is the shift linkage, which runs between the shifter and the usual stubby shifty lever that the shift handle would have bolted to in a more conventional application. The round tube is a brace that bolts to the outside of the transmission tailshaft.