InsidiousGT

Installed the Barton Short Throw shifter today, and the Barton Bracket.

Keep in mind the reactions below are for both, I didn't do them as a separate install so I'm not sure if you'd have the same results if you did one or the other.

Install
- The Barton videos about the install are great. I didnt even look at the included written install instructions. Of course, the guy that does them makes the install look easier than it is, but overall its pretty easy.
- The bracket install was the hardest part. If you have a socket extension you could keep the stock bracket and do the install with only about 5 minutes under the car. If you change the bracket, plan on having a hard time getting your fingers up under their to tighten the 4 bolts and 2 nuts as part of the install.
- The dust boot... man oh man. As others have posted, this is not the hardest part but the most frustrating part of the install. Getting the inside part of the boot around the base is impossible. Took me a good 20 minutes just F'ing around with the boot.
- For some reason my boot had all sorts of white powder on the inside and outside. it got all over the shifter, and got all over the inside of the car as I was wrestling with the boot. I think its just for moisture, but still messy. I was able to clean it up with just a wet towel. hopefully its not any issue as time goes on.

Shifting...
- Shifting is amazingly shorter. I'm still not used to it. I'm finding myself taking it out of gear and putting it back in because I think it didn't engage all the way. Its SUPER short.
- Shifting is still just as notchy as before. I haven't changed my fluid yet, thats coming. But don't expect the shifter to improve your shift experience. Especially if you do the bracket too. I can definitely tell that the shift housing is more solid with this bracket, I can really push on it without any movement now. However, it is definitely a rougher and stiffer feel to the shifting. Not worse, just different.
- Getting into reverse takes more effort now. I definitly installed the boot properly, so thats not it. It just takes a bit more ummph to get it in there. Overall no issue for me though.

So far I'm happy with the Barton. Its a rougher, more racy feel to shifting, but you can really beat on it and shift super fast with it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OZZMXRo-h_U

AMChrisRose

Awesome review! The feel of the Barton definitely makes it the top shifter on the market. The Billet construction/dual pivot trunnion are features that others don't have. You can beat the crap out of that shifter and you'll never have problems. Once you get used to it, I'm convinced you'll find that you have to literally almost TRY to miss a shift. I was stunned at the positive response...

FastRedPonyCar

is the 2nd to 3rd gear shift any easier? I drove a few 5.0's before ordering one and on every one, 3rd gear would occasionally not engage as I was expecting it to. It was rather elusive.

InsidiousGT

Oh yea. The 2nd-to-3rd shift is probably the single biggest improvement with this part.

They have a dual pivot design that allows them to shorten up vertical movement without compromising on left-right movement. Its very well executed.

Again, my only complaint is its much more responsive. Thats a good thing for racing scenarios. But for daily driving, all of the notchiness of the MT82 comes back to your arm in much higher clarity than before. This isnt a huge issue for me since I drive fairly spirited even to work (and I plan to switch to a smoother fluid soon anyway).

FastRedPonyCar

hmm.... I wonder if the shifter itself or the bracket is what is contributing to the notchiness. I think it may be something that I would find cool at first but not sure how long I could live with it daily driving.

my wife said she'd get me the barton shifter/bracket for my bday in mid May. Any idea on when you plan on changing the fluid? I ended up draining my RSX-S transmission fluid a few years ago and replaced it with GM synchromesh and it was a night and day improvement.

LEwis26

IMO, GM synchromesh is by far the best thing you can do for any manual trans equipped car. Every car I've put it in has benefitted.

InsidiousGT

I'm going to jack it back up today and try again. I tried yesterday but the drain and fill plugs are on there so tight its impossible to get em off. They are 8mm allen bolts for some odd reason, and the 6 inch allen wrench is not nearly enough torque to get em off.

rodmoe

Great review and I too enjoy his shifter and bracket VERY nice i find myself being lazy and not hitting 5th correctly all the time as the shifter tends to center on the 2-3 center position and i have to lean (slight side pressure) the shifter to make it got to 5th .. Butl like i said its just me being lazy or not used to a extra gear as my last car was only a 5 speed Love the shifter and their Customer service !!

InsidiousGT

Check out my other post about the fluid swap and you're questions will be answered...

https://themustangsource.com/f800/re...oughts-493532/

FastRedPonyCar

good to know. I was 99% sure that would be the result. I've yet to hear of anyone saying that synchromesh or any other high end trans fluid equivalent has delivered anything less than a huge improvement.

InsidiousGT

Made a video for the rough shifting thread, adding it here for those looking at the barton part...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OZZMXRo-h_U

rsb5772

I love my Barton shifter, but the brace sure did make it louder!