Ok, I got it all done on thursday, but it took me a couple days to get the pics uploaded from the install... So here we go:
My center console was already out during my stereo install, so didn't snap any pics on how to take it of... very simple, 4 screws on each side, and two little carpeted panels on the very front to pop off... once you have the center console out and you can see the shifter assembly, you want to take off the the clip holding on the right side shifter cable. You will have to use a flat head screw driver, ad possibly some pliers to pull it off... it's pretty well on there.
Then you need to take off the left side shifter cable clip, this one is plastic and has a little tab on the inside that keeps it from turning. Use a small flathead screw driver, or a pick, to push it in toward the middle, and then turn it counter clockwise (to the left) to loosen it.
Once you turn it 1/4 turn it should look like this:
Now get some dikes, or needle nose pliers and undo the the cotter pin holding in the left side cable arm up top.
Once the pin is out, it will slide out, and you can move the whole thing to the left, out of the way.
Next, use a 10mm wrench or socket to undo the nut on the top of the shifter where the cable attaches. There will also be a washer behind it.
Once it is loose, just move it back.
Now last step to get this assembly out, take out the 4 bolts holding it onto the car, use a 12mm socket.
Then lift the whole assembly up and out, making sure you move the left and right cables out from the assembly. You should now have a nice hole there (never mind the cables and wires around mine.)
Ok, so now that we have the whole thing out, we need to get that old shifter out, and the new one in.
First this is to get this pin out on the bottom left corner of the housing. Use a small flathead or pick again to move the little plastic tab out of the way to pull it out. DONT BREAK THE TAB!
Next is the "fun" part... we need to break and pull out the factory plastic retaining clip for the shifter. I used a utility knife to score the clip several times where I was going to use my flat head screw driver. I found this much easier than trying to jam the flat head in there while it was full strength. Once it was cut with the knife most of the way through, it broke pretty easily and I could pull it out.
After that there is a factory retainer that lifts up out of the bottom, it just pulls up, and then you can pull the shifter out after it.
Once the shifter itself is out, you need to take off the plastic ball on the end, it will split in half to do do, then slide the retainer off, as we will re-use it.
Alright, a nice empty shifter housing.
I took all of the oem bushings out of mine, since I will be installing the ones from TWM.
Next, get your new short shifter, and lube up the steel ball on the end with the provided grease. Then insert it into the housing. You will need to take the top part off of the shifter to get the retainer around the shaft and into the housing.
Lube the retainer as well
There is a notch in the retainer that needs to go on the left side when putting it into the shifter housing. It is clearance for the arm that goes on the bottom left.
Next, take your new aluminum clip that came with the short shifter and install it into the housing to secure the new shifter. Get one side (top or bottom) in the slots where it goes, then use a screw driver, or a punch and a hammer to hammer it in to the other side.
Then insert the pin back into the bottom left side
There is a flat part on the pin on one side, make sure it faces up and matches with the flat lip on top. Then move the piece of plastic back over the head of the pin to keep it in place.
Now, I read the tutorial on PSPEC (even though they aren't making any more shifters), and decided to trim some of the plastic on the boot housing. Figured mine as well since I'm at it, just to make sure I don't have any rub problems, since I'm using the highest setting on the throw adjustment. (shortest throw).
Here is how much I cut out
And installed into the console
Now just put it back into the car, same way you got it out, if you have new bushings, put those in in place of the oem rubber ones. Finish it off with a nice after market shift knob (I chose a weighted Skunk2 knob) or your oem honda knob. I have mine on the shortest throw setting, and lowest knob setting and here is how it turned out:
It feels GREAT... My car is not drivable at the time, but just from sitting in it shifting I can feel a difference. The knob sits about 1 to 1-1/2 inches lower than normal, and the throw is probably half of normal. I do get a little movement in the top forward part of my console when shifting, will have to check that out, maybe I didn't trim quite enough off of the boot housing. Make sure once you have found the hight and throw you want to loctite those alen screws holding the adjustment plate to the shifter. I used blue loctite so if I want to get them out I can, but they wont be falling out while driving.
Hope that this is helpful, in the end I spent less then $200 for the short shifter, and the bushing set. I also have to put the brass bushings on the transmission, but I will so that when the clutch and motor work is done.
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