Hurst Short Throw Shifter Adjustable Billet Plus With Shift Knob Focus ST 2013-2018

We're gonna show you how to install a Hurst short throw shifter on your Focus ST, to make it shift and feel a whole lot nicer.

The Focus ST is a great performance car right from the factory, but the shifter throw is a little bit too long for our liking, so today we're gonna make it a whole lot shorter by installing this Hurst short shifter. This Hurst short shifter is designed to work with the 2013 to '18 Focus ST. It's gonna replace the factory shifter with a billet aluminum adjustable shifter, and also has an adapter for the transmission, to shorten your throw up to forty-four percent.

It will make your shifts more precise, and feel a whole lot better as well. It will even work with the factory shift knob. For more information and pricing, click the link in the description down below. Now let's get to the install. Tools you'll need for this installation; 1/4" ratchet, 8mm socket, T-15 Torx bit, a 3/8" ratchet, 13mm socket, a trim panel remover tool, a razor or a pair of cutters, a Phillips screwdriver, a flathead screwdriver, and needle-nose pliers.

The first thing you want to do for this install is remove the shift knob by rotating it counterclockwise. This car is a 2013, so this bezel right here is attached to the shifter boot. We need to remove it. We're gonna take this trim removal tool, and get it underneath this bezel, and try it up very carefully. Just take your time and be gentle with this, so you don't break the plastic.

Locate the two shifter rods that attach to the shifter. You're going to be popping off these ball sockets that attach to the ball stud. Use a trim removal tool such like this, and pop them off. Locate this alignment tab right here on the shifter. We're gonna be cutting it. Draw a line right here. We're basically cutting off this U-section right here. You can use a razor blade, a pair of cutters, whatever means necessary to cut this section off and get rid of this U-section, just like that.

Next we're gonna remove the four screws that keep the shifter in place. Use a flathead screwdriver to pry up on this clip on the front of the shifter. That will release the front. Get a flathead screwdriver on the back of the shifter, kind of go in on an angle, and twist to release the clip on the back. Then this whole piece will now be free. Pull the shifter towards the driver's side, and use a pair of pliers to grab onto the centering spring right here. While you lift up, pull the shifter assembly out.

All right, grab some gloves, 'cause this part is gonna be a little greasy. Get the shifter out of the car, and pull the bottom cup off of the shifter. Then you can pull this ball socket off as well. Then pull this pivot socket off. You can pull this rubber grommet off. Remove as much grease as you can from this factory shifter. You're gonna apply this back onto the shifter cup, to be used with the Hurst shifter.

This next part, you want to cut a wedge right here on the bottom of the shifter. This will allow you to remove it. You can use a knife, but we're gonna make a little bit quicker of a process by using a Sawzall. Once you get a wedge cut out of the plastic, you don't need remove any of the metal in here, just the plastic. You'll be able to remove it from the assembly, just like that. Grab the new Hurst shifter and install it the same way that you removed the factory shifter. Install the factory rubber grommet onto the Hurst shifter, then the pivot socket. This will take a little bit of force. Then you can install the cup.

We're about ready to install the shifter into the car, but before we do, we're going to install the ball stud. Now this is adjustable. If you have it on the top here, this is gonna be the shortest throw possible. This will be in the middle, and this will be the longer throw. For this particular install, the customer wants the longer throw, so we're going to install it on the bottom. This will still put us around a 32% reduction, so it's still gonna be significantly shorter than factory.

Okay, to install the shifter, you want to pull up on the top leg of the centering spring and install the shifter. When you release this spring, you need to make sure you get it in the groove in the rubber grommet. Make sure you get it centered right on that rubber grommet, just like that.

Now we need to line this retainer back up and snap it into place, just like that. Reinstall the four screws. One thing we forgot to show you earlier when we installed the stud is you want to make sure that you put some thread threadlocker on here, just to be safe that it doesn't ever come off.

You can now reattach the two cables to the shifter. Snap them onto the ball studs. If you're having interference problems when you get this shifter installed ... as you can see, when we go to reverse, we're having just a little bit of interference right here, that little pop. It's just a little bit of extra casting on this plastic, so we're just gonna take our cutters and cut a little piece of that off, and it should fix it without a problem. Just cut off a little piece. The shifter boot can now be installed. Slide this over the shaft, all the way down.

Then you can snap this trim back into place. You can either reuse the factory shift knob with this, or install the Hurst shift knob. We're gonna use the Hurst shift knob for this install. When installing the Hurst shift knob, you need to fine tune it actually. If it's too low or too high, you won't have clearance for the reverse lockout, so I'll show you. I'll loosen it a little bit, and if it's too high, you will run into clearance problems with the reverse lockout hitting here. But if it's too low, it won't come up high enough to go over, so you need to fine tune it to where you get proper clearance, just like that. That's nice and good.

Then we're gonna install our set screw in the top. Apply some grease to the O-ring, and install it onto the shift knob cap. Then align the logo, and put it on the shift knob. All right, just like that, we're finished with the shifter portion. Now we can go up to the engine compartment, and work on the adapter on the transmission.

Okay, we're up at the engine compartment now. We're gonna remove the engine cover. Disconnect the mass airflow sensor, and disconnect this hose right here. Loosen the hose clamp on this portion of the intake. It's on the backside here. It's an 8mm. Then unhook the retaining strap. Then you can lift up on the airbox.

Grab the shifter arm and rotate it counterclockwise, or pull this side all the way forward for maximum clearance. Then pop off this rod right here, just like that. Grab the shifter plate that comes with the kit, and place it right under this shift arm. Then take the retainer that has the Hurst logo on it. Put that over it. Line up the holes, and then you're going to install the two provided screws and apply Loctite to them. Tighten the bolts with a 3/16" Allen key. Install the ball stud into the shifter retainer. Make sure you apply threadlocker to it as well. Tighten it down. Snap the rod onto the ball stud.

All we have to do now is reinstall the airbox. Tighten down this clamp. Reconnect the mass airflow sensor, and you're done. Okay, we got our Hurst short throw shifter installed in our 2013 Focus, and it's feeling absolutely amazing. The shifts are more precise and crisp now. It feels so good. Reverse is working flawlessly, and I'm loving the way the shifter looks. I'd say give yourself two to three hours to install this, and before you know it, you'll be heading down the road.