Kerry’s Superb Shift Shaft

Kerry,

I am tired of shift shaft issues and remembered your design.

Any chance you want to sell a few like you do with your vacuum pump rotor?

Perhaps just sell the modified section for customer installation.

Seems like a great design. Are you still happy with it?

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What problems are you having and why isn't a stock one up to the task?

 

Kerry’s just seems quick, easy and foolproof.

Laying on my back while threading my old bones through a scissor jack and trying to precisely realign the shaft is a PIA.

 

Don't know what Kerry's is but I'd do it like the 512 TR with the flanges. It would be easy to do and makes rotational adjustments as easy as can be.

 

Yes, true point.

Kerry’s design however, specifically allows the shaft to be taken apart and reassembled -without- disturbing the original rotational orientation or length. Once adjusted per the OEM method it should never need to be fiddled with again. Drop a bolt that is easily accessible and you’re done. No muss, no fuss. Reassembly is the easy reverse.

Here is the full thread...
https://www.ferrarichat.com/forum/threads/quick-question-on-taking-testarossa-motor-out.507230/#post-144365809


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The time it took you to post pics and discuss it you could've had it adjusted by now.

 

We could all use fchat time in more productive pursuits.

At least my free time is abundant in retirement.

What is your excuse?

 

Besides...

Think of the time savings this modification provides. You no longer need to drop the belly pans. No need to carefully mark the threaded connection for both rotation and length. No need to fiddle about to get it right... or heaven forbid - drop the side plate of the tranny and readjust after you have filled the tranny. Then dump fre$h fluid down the drain along with your shop time.

Yeah, I know... no big deal.....
...while you are youthful and standing under a two post lift.

Try it when you are older... laying on your back with a four inch scissor jack’s tube trying to fold your shoulder blades over backwards.

That single little bolt on Kerry’s design is easily accessible. Fast and easy - a far better design than the OEM version. The OEM version doesn’t give a rats a$$ about easy maintenance.

In my opinion the SOLE reason why the Testarossa has LOW resale value is the high cost of maintenance. Stupid designs... like the OEM shift shaft are all over this car.

Look at those absolutely wicked wires running all over the place to lift and drop the side windows! What a rubic’s cube!

Just try and replace all three heater hoses! Gad!

Look at the cam adjustments... incredibly time consuming to dial in properly. There are a ton of better designs out there like the one that is shown in the following pic. But Ferrari in their arrogance don’t give a rats a$$ about maintenance.

i could go on and on... but you no doubt know of many more.

So, yeah... if the car can be easily improved with a thoughtful design like Kerry’s shift shaft... count me in.

PS - that cam pulley is not the best design... but you get my drift

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look at other cars vincenzo, the engineers never care much about the later services, only how to produce as cheep as possible.

 

In the new movie “Ford v Ferrari” with Matt Damon - they bring forward the exact same issue.

It was faster for Ford to change out the entire suspension sub assembly rather than screw around with brake replacements.... they figured out that ‘easy maintenance’ designs will win races. Ferrari did not learn that lesson then... and still has not.

 

My excuse? I have the time to post because I haven't wasted time trying to re-engineer the cars. If I saw that shaft you posted a pic of on a car I wanted or was inspecting I would suspect other questionable modifications had been done.

You should drop the belly pan during a service to check and replace the fuel related components anyway and depending on the year its what, 4 to 8 M6 bolts?

Ive never had any trouble degreeing in cams that I needed fancy adjustable pulleys and its tough to beat a simple one-piece steel gear. Avoiding liability by suggesting these so-called upgrades is another thing I consider. I can't imagine the hole in my stomach if a Testarossa came back running on one bank because those little allen bolts fell out. Swapping plastic gears to OEM steel on other models is a no-brainer though. And after you spend that time and money on fancy blue cam gears you can't see, your carefully set timing on a room temperature engine will change once the engine warms up and grows in width. Then the belts will stretch and the timing changes again.

 

I have an extra shift shaft I would sell if someone wanted to play around with it

 

I don't believe in the real race 1966 Lemans they changed the whole suspension. I read they just replaced rotors and pads. They came up with quick rotor and swing away caliper removal. Ferrari came back real strong in 1967, even though they didn't win Leman. They won 24 hr. Daytona 123, on Ford's home turf. I'm sure Ford after Daytona loss was a little worried.

 

As one who has done several engine-outs using the no-lift method, I can certainly see the value of Kerry's flange. Most times disconnecting the factory shaft coupler is fine. But as Vincenzo mentions all it takes is that one time where a shift fork disengages, etc...and then it's a real pain to get things right again. This is a good idea, and the practicality...is strictly up to the individual to decide.

 

Customer v Service Tech:
Customer - loses money on onerous repair costs and low resale values
Service Tech - makes money on onerous repair costs
Different perspectives.

A properly secured, an adjustable cam pulley is rock solid. Here is a pic of the electramotive design as used on the multiple championship winning GTP car.

Ferrari Example:
cam gear is on the most counterclockwise cam position and the pully pin is in the fourth hole from the most counterclockwise position.... you need to advance the cam by 1.2 degrees.... to what new cam and pin positions do you change?

It is a time consuming PIA. Many (most?) techs bypass checking the timing and just slide new belts on. As you know - it is incredibly bad form. There are a lot of cars out there with ‘close but no cigar’ cam timing.

The sloppy cam pulley video is of course, off the Testarossa.

Example 2: How many cars have terribly slow windows because of the high costs associated with the spaghetti wire system?

Example 3: How many cars have a rotten coolant hose at the heater box. What? You need to take the dash apart to replace a 5$ hose!?!

Hmmmm...
what about all the redesign people are doing on the diff carriers? Would that cause you “to suspect other questionable changes”?

Hmmmm...
what about all the redesign people are doing on the fuse boards? Would that cause you “to suspect other questionable changes”?

Regardless... Kerry’s design is a good one. If you can challenge his design... I am all ears.

 

I'm with Paul. Go ahead and needlessly modify the car but it becomes saleproof.

Those kinds of modifications are really a crutch for those who have trouble from lack of knowledge or inexperience to do it correctly. Its why we will never put a client into a car with those types of modifications. Big warning sign.

 

Customer v Service Tech:
Customer - loses money on onerous repair costs and low resale values
Service Tech - makes money on onerous repair costs
Different perspectives.

 

So now because we disagree you question our character, ethics and integrity. Got it.

So tell me, to be that big an a s s h o l e does it take an effort or were you just born that way?

 

Your character etc is not in question.

 

It appears that Kerry is no longer on F-Chat....

If possible, would somebody please PM his contact details to me?