No Fingers

Most shift gates have the fingers cut off. It can make it easier to shift if you have slop in your linkage. It also prevents the shift lever from being cut in two by the fingers of the gate. This has happened to several cars. In fact, the fingers that are pointed are often just worn down from rubbing on the shift lever. I personally have found that I can shift just as well with the gate in or out, but this probably has something to do with 20 years of ownership and getting used to it. Not only that, but being my first stick car. I actually prefer the pantera shifter to other cars. In many cases, it is a matter of personal preference.

I found two things that made shifting much easier and a lot faster. First I got rid of the fingers altogether. The next was i added the fat shifter knob, instead of the taller thin one. I've owned my cars for 25 yrs and trust me it makes a huge difference.

I have never seen the fingers removed on a Ferrari or Lambo gate. Maybe when there shifter mechanism wears out they replace the worn parts?

That chrome gate is one of the exotic Italian features of the car, and should stay. During the restoration of my car I replaced the 3 universal joints in my mechanism, and after careful adjustment it now shifts beautifully with the fingers in place.
Those universal joints need oiling from time to time. You can access the 3rd one by removing the ash tray. Dont forget the steering column too. If you dont oil it you'll spoil it!

Johnny

I aligned the shift mechanism as perfectly as possible in the 2nd - 3rd slot, then I ground the other slots with a die grinder until the shift lever did not rub the gate anywhere. The "finger" between 1st & 3rd ended up being very thin.

Eliminating all drag between the lever and the gate made the shifting of my car very effortless and light.

cowboy from hell

You can't remove the fingers in a Ferrari. There are no side to side detents in a Ferrari transmission, so the fingers are all you have to get the right shift fork. -Steve

I guess due to linkage wear over time my shifter lever was showing wear on the right side from the stock steel shifter gate. Far from being worn through, but starting a noticable groove.

Since gates are cheaper than shifter levers I went to an unmodified aluminum gate. The gates lined up well without any shifter adjustment and I like the idea of developing a smooth accurate shift with the intact fingers.

I'll let the aluminum gate take the wear while I work at it.

Thanks for the replies. It all makes sense now.

Ferrari and Lambo owners, in fact, most other exotic owners, don't mess around with their cars. Period. And they all can be improved upon.

Adjust your shifter linkage so it's perfectly set inside the gates and shifts are smooth and effortless with no rubbing.

Then get on the road and rip thru the gears - up and down, quickly. Dashing thru traffic is a good way to exercise this.

Then remove the gate and try it again. Only then can you make a proper comparison.

At first I was afraid of stressing the gears, not being precise and ripping off chunks of teeth. But as my magnetic drain plug will attest to, this has not happened. Shifts are "like butter" - much smoother and faster. And I have never missed a shift.

But that's just my opinion. I could be wrong. Try it for yourself.

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Adjust your shifter linkage so it's perfectly set inside the gates and shifts are smooth and effortless with no rubbing.

Hi Deeb - newbie question - how does one go about "adjusting the shifter linkage" - think someone mentioned there are 3 of them - talking it through in absolute baby steps (with pics if possible) would be a great help - THX!

It's an adjustment of the knuckle / turnbuckle on the linkage at the back of the car. I'll try and take some pics.

Here's a start.

This is the knuckle where you make the adjustments. Two people will make this job a lot easier. First, center the shifter in the gate in neutral and go from there loosening and tightening a few times until its right. Take your time.

I'm sure there are better instructions posted here previously. Here's one: http://pantera.infopop.cc/eve/forums/a/tpc/f/9550045562...210022914#8210022914

Search shifter linkage on the site for more.

Thx!