Shifter location off from aluminum transmission cover hole

[BigShooter]

This is a Gen 3 coyote in Gen 3 Daytona coupe, with TKO 600 and quicktime bell housing.
The shifter sits too far back and collides with the aluminum transmission cover in 4th and reverse gears.
I emailed Factory Five thinking maybe they included an aluminum transmission cover for a different transmission, but all they said was 'are you sure you put the engine in correctly'?
I have checked and I do believe that the engine and mounts are installed correctly. Can't imagine that it would even fit if it was forward one inch. For now, everything seems to fit with decent clearances, driveshaft fits nicely, shifts properly, etc EXCEPT the shifter hits the back of the hole on the aluminum panel. Tried to explain this and haven't heard back from FFR. If the engine was any more forward the clearances of alternator/steering shaft and oil pan and frame would seem problematic.

So, do I keep bugging them, or do I re-drill the shifter hole further back on the trans cover and fabricate an aluminum panel overlay so the shifter boot fits properly?
OR, is it possible that somehow I'm put in the engine in a configuration 1 inch too far to the rear of the car?
Or, is the quick time bell housing longer than what factory five anticipated, and thus engine is in fine, but transmission 1 inch to the rear of how they thought the kit would be configured?

A few photos including the passenger engine mount
173035
173035
173036
173038

[BigShooter]

photo of aluminum panel with shifter too far back: 173037

[edwardb]

Very common problem with all models. They provide the same piece with the same hole no matter what engine you're using. Adjust the shifter hole and add a filler if needed. I've long thought it would be best if they left out the shifter hole in the transmission covers and the builder cuts to suit.

[BigShooter]

OK, that is super helpful to know - thanks for the quick reply!

[michael everson]

Might want to look through your aluminum. Pretty sure there is an oval panel with a shifter hole in it for this purpose.
Mike

[Jim1855]

I agree with Paul. Lots easier to put the hole in the right place than fix or adjust it if in the wrong place.
There are just too many combinations and personal preferences to assume that one location is "correct".
Jim

[BigShooter]

Good tip. I'll check out my pile of stuff - that would save the time of fabricating one.

[Blessidsoul12]

Sucks. I had to do this:
173071173072173073

[LateApex]

I ended up riveting an AL patch over the hole and drilling the hole where it needed to be. My setup is SBF w/ TKO600 / mid-shift option. With quad-mat and carpet applied, that patch is not detectable.

Having a pre-existing hole (albeit not correctly located) made it easy to draw some cross-hairs on the tranny tunnel top for a correct center. However, IMO it would save work on the part of the builder if the tunnel top came with no hole (v.s. one that is almost always in the wrong place ...).

As an aside, if I were to do this again, I would not order any pre cuts. Those cuts in FG are particularly sloppy / needs correction on almost every cut.

Heck ... it is Monday ... I wake up on the wrong side of the bed by habit - Haha

[John Thuman]

I cut the hole where it eeded to be and then slapped a new cover plate on it. All done. The carpet will cover the additional bit.

[JohnK]

As an aside, if I were to do this again, I would not order any pre cuts. Those cuts in FG are particularly sloppy / needs correction on almost every cut.


The pre-cut holes in the fiberglass body are not intended to be finished holes. They're intentionally undersized and need to be opened up to their final dimensions.

I do agree though that it would be better to just not put a hole in the trans tunnel cover and let people drill their own wherever they need it. I don't understand the logic of drilling a hole knowing that it will be in the wrong place for a lot of people, and then providing a patch panel to cover up the misplaced hole. If people are capable of building one of these kits, they're capable of putting the shifter hole wherever they need it.

[BigShooter]

Yup, I just ended up using a blank piece of aluminum and cutting my own hole and riviting it over the incorrect one....works great. While looking through my aluminum panels it looks like FFR included one that is cut for an automatic transmission - a slot for E brake, and a big rectangular cut for where the auto shifter would go.....go thing they covered this contingency for the .001% of builders that will use an automatic - haha!

[LateApex]

I think that may be the template for the bonnet clasp and meshed vents :-)