Convince me to put a TKX in my Dart

72bluNblu said
The 4-speed console just has a section cut out of the side so it clears the A-body 4 speed hump and shifter, using a 4 speed console plate with the auto console is no problem (same thing I did).

And the console itself is still pretty much centered, I think the factory measurements only offset it slightly. The rest of the large offset in the shifter opening in the 4 speed hump is taken care of the by the shift lever itself, an A-body 4 speed console shift handle has a large offset to bring the stick back to the middle.

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With my T56 the shifter is dead center in the transmission tunnel, and other than moving the console back to deal with the shifter location being further back on the T56 I didn't have any issues with getting the shift handle to sit in the middle of the 4 speed top plate on the console. If anything my B-body pistol grip shift handle is still offset slightly to the driver side and it still clears ok. And I would have been time and effort ahead to start with just a plain automatic transmission tunnel. I had converted my car to an 833 and added the holes and 4 speed hump and I basically had to make it back into an automatic transmission hump and then modify from there when I did the T56 install.

There are a few pictures back a couple pages showing the shifter opening and handle and the console location on my Duster

After messing around with it, I'm genuinely surprised that you are able to use the factory top plate with the T56. If the spacing in the shift pattern between 1st and 5th is the same on a TKX vs. a T56, then I just can't see how you are able to get the T56 into reverse without running into clearance issues. My 5 speed pattern basically takes up the entire shift opening.

With my shifter centered in the boot as perfect as I can get it and the console sitting on the hump without the brackets being tacked in, I still can't seem to shift into reverse without the shifter pulling the entire console toward the rear a bit. I felt underneath and I have clearance. What I think is happening is the boot itself pulls so tight in reverse that it pulls the entire console backward. It doesn't do this in 2nd or 4th. I can hold the console down tight and shift into reverse without it moving but I can definitely tell its tight and would probably cause premature damage to the boot at some point. I guess the one saving grace is that you're not in reverse very often.

Had the wife sit in the car and she can't really reach the pedals well enough with the console centered the way I have it. I think the only way to do it would be to shorten the shifter bracket by about an inch, but then that would put the ash tray an inch closer to the shifter and I'd have to try cutting away the ash tray area as much as possible to get the clearance I need without it ever being noticeable from the top. Not sure if that's possible.