homemade DSSR

[NC325iC]

So ive been working on my black car for a while now. I want to make sure the shifter slop is minimal, it has the sheetmetal console so that should help alot as it has 3 mounting points as opposed to the aluminum's 2. I knew i wanted to put a DSSR on it but i also know that UUC's is really expensive for what it is.

So i decided to make my own. I thought about turning one on a lathe and then machining the ends on a mill so its basically a copy of UUC's. Then i realized that thats alot of work, alot of unneccesary work. Instead of doing this complex time consuming one piece design that is i will admit beautiful, i decided to do a 2 (or 3) piece rod. I took the measurements of the selector rod that i purchased from Blunt for my dogleg box (its very short) and cut two 1/4 inch thick steel plates of a strip of metal i had layin around the shop. I machined the pieces down so theyre square and about the same size as the original rod, then drilled holes in them at the proper locations.

So here they are the 2 parts to my DSSR, all i need now is properly sized M10 bolts and possible a connector in the middle, might weld it in to make it a 1 peice shift shackle.




yes it is that simple, yes this is a Double Shear Selector Rod, yes it will work, no it didnt cost me anything but 10-20 minutes of time.

[NC325iC]

oh and yeah 1/4 inch is overkill, but whatever it's also a weighted selector rod, lol

[jlevie]

While they look cool, I can't see the point in a DSSR shift rod. Unless there is something seriously wrong inside the transmission there isn't enough force applied to the shift rod to cause flexing that a DSSR could cure.

If you want minimal play in the shifter you need to replace plastic/rubber bushings with metal and precisely fit the moving parts. I have an Auto Solutions Race shifter in my Spec E30 and it has no play at all in the shifter. The only plastic or rubber parts are the rear bushing that the shift console fits in and the delrin cup bushing around the shift lever ball. All of the other bushings are metal. The disadvantage of this is that the shift lever will buzz. Not a problem on a race car but would be pretty annoying on a street car.

[NC325iC]

The main thing I think this will help with is in regard to the pins/clips vs nut and bolt. The clips can get a little loose on the linkage allowing some play.

I would have used that rod I bought but the trans side as you can see is for the wider offset piece and my trans has the centered variety so I opted for a cheap effective "upgrade". I'm just sharing so people realize how simple dssr can be.

[KenC]

If you use a nut/bolt you wont be able to tighten it down all the way if you want to be able to move the lever.

[NC325iC]

If you use a nut/bolt you wont be able to tighten it down all the way if you want to be able to move the lever.

yeah I know. ;-)

[CabbE30]

Let us know how it works!

[nando]

While they look cool, I can't see the point in a DSSR shift rod. Unless there is something seriously wrong inside the transmission there isn't enough force applied to the shift rod to cause flexing that a DSSR could cure.

If you want minimal play in the shifter you need to replace plastic/rubber bushings with metal and precisely fit the moving parts. I have an Auto Solutions Race shifter in my Spec E30 and it has no play at all in the shifter. The only plastic or rubber parts are the rear bushing that the shift console fits in and the delrin cup bushing around the shift lever ball. All of the other bushings are metal. The disadvantage of this is that the shift lever will buzz. Not a problem on a race car but would be pretty annoying on a street car.

the single sheer design simply wears on the plastic bushing in the shift lever and selector rod joint faster.

[jlevie]

the single sheer design simply wears on the plastic bushing in the shift lever and selector rod joint faster.

Logically that would seem to be the case, but unless there is something amiss with the transmission (or with the driver) the forces on the shift rod aren't sufficient to bend it. Thus the wear is pretty even.

[Teaguer]

Nice work.
I figured this out and made one almost exactly as this 15 years ago for one of my E21's.
Long before anyone had ever heard of the term DSSR. :)

[george graves]

I still don't get this. I'll have to look at the setup outside of a car.

[nando]

Logically that would seem to be the case, but unless there is something amiss with the transmission (or with the driver) the forces on the shift rod aren't sufficient to bend it. Thus the wear is pretty even.

nobody is saying the rod bends, but the bushings definitely wear in an oval pattern.

plus it's a BMW motorsport design, they obviously felt it was worth doing..

[Brezzi]

bumping this from the dead, who wants to start making kits like this? If I had access to a machine shop I'd be all over it, looks to be a very simple, cheap part to make.

[AndrewBird]

This design doesn't seem nearly as good as a one piece design. Bolting a block between the two plates so they are rigid would help with the "racking" a lot.