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Complete instructions
come with the Tri-Ax shifter. |
We knew right from the start what the first modification to our
Project Bullitt would be - the now infamous Steeda Tri-Ax shifter. Before
the arrival of our Bullitt, we had not yet driven a car with the new Tremec 3650 transmission. We knew that this tranny would be a much improved
version over the older T45. Tremec states that this is actually not a re-designed T45, but rather a new tranny designed from the ground up. Within the
first 3 days of having our Project Bullitt, we put over 1400 miles on it. We
took delivery of the car in Dearborn, MI and drove her home to Auburn, AL.
The transmission feels great. Shifting is more precise and the gear ratios
seem to work better with the car. The stock shifter included with the 3650
does a fine job, but, being the gearheads we are, we knew that we had to have
an aftermarket one. We wanted more precise shifts and the less
'cushiness' factor.
New transmission meant
no one had manufactured an aftermarket shifter ready for the car when we took delivery. We knew that Steeda was working
on a prototype and they were only a few weeks out before they would be ready
to ship. We stayed in close contact with Steeda and as soon as they
were ready, we had them ship us one for Project Bullitt.
Upon receiving our shifter from Steeda, we
immediately took an afternoon break to install the new piece. Installation was a snap. Removing the
old shifter was a bit tricky, as there was not much room to get leverage
to pry the OEM one out, but overall it was simple. Total installation
took about 45 minutes. Leave out the time it took us to take some nifty
pictures of the install, not to mention our meticulous manner, and you've got about
a 30 minute job.
Once the shifter was in place, we took the Bullitt down the road to get
our first impressions. The shifter works great. Once you get over the
stock positions you're used to, this new shifter finds the gears a lot
easier. Shifting is solid and firm. It would be really hard for someone
to miss 3rd. When the shifter is in neutral, the shifter handle is
actually lined up between 3rd and 4th. To go to 1st gear from neutral you have
to move the handle left and up. The only thing we didn't count on was
the amount of gear noise transmitted by the new shifter. It was little
more boisterous than we expected. We do know that aftermarket shifters are
not dampened and this will occur. A small price to pay for a great shifting transmission.
Steeda, once again, has offered the aftermarket a great product. They were quick in
preparing for this new transmission and it has paid off. If you are driving a
new Bullitt, Cobra or GT with a 3650 tranny, you cannot go wrong with
this shifter.
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