Are all 5-speed 915’s created the same?
 

I’m looking to pick up an air-cooled targa and test drove the first candidate this weekend. It was a 77 with a 915 and I was surprised at how awkward and sluggish it was. I realize they’re not known for smoothness, but my ’79 Jeep CJ-7 felt better. The car has 19x,xxx miles and the owner said he just replaced one of the bushings, so is it possible with wear it had degraded to a state that would cause this poor feel? I know there were small changes made throughout the years & models, but I wouldn’t think that would be the reason.

Shifting a 915 is an art, there are threads about it ad nauseum. Depending on transmission fluid, car, maintenance, 19X,XXX miles is a lot (mine has 96k), unless you can find someone that knows the 915 to drive it for you, I'd at least be considering that the 915 in question might need some work. So I'd be buying it with that in mind. That said, it won't shift like a modern car.

The summary is:

1-2 isn't to be forced, and shifting doesn't feel like a modern Miata. There's no spring centering the shifter, so you have to do it by feel, and practice. Shifts from 3-4 are pretty quick and easy, 5th requires some pressure because it does have a spring going to 5-R, and R doesn't have a synchro.

People say to pause between 1-2, but what I do is from 1 go to 2 until I feel some resistance, then I'll feel the gear just "want" to slide in, usually after a split second. Also, try to just shift straight back from 1, I had a tendency to sort of push the shifter left as I exited 1 going to 2, and that doesn't work well. It doesn't feel slow, but it isn't quick either.

For the first two or three weeks I hated my transmission and I thought I made the wrong choice for a car, but 5 years later - I don't even think about it.

^ good advice.

To add to that, the shifter, coupler, shifter bushings, and the internal shift fork support in the trans, will wear over time causing a sloppy shifting experience.

These cars can shift well, if the issues are properly taken care of. That said you can never speed shift a 915 from first to second.

Thanks! The 1-2 was about what I expected but 2-3-4 was where I was experiencing the most clunkiness and/or vagueness. 5th was OK.

One of the first projects I did was to replace the shifter bushings and coupler. I also installed the Seine Gate. It still is not a great shifting experience, but the Seine Gate definitely helped with vagueness. A year and a half on and I am much more confident in my shifting - maybe it is getting used to it, maybe it is the bushings/coupler/gate, maybe it is both...

Hey,
I don't buy the special shifting processes myth. I have gone from transmission shift input shaft to shift knob, as well as transmission mounts, and engine mounts. I have a Seine Shifter installed on my tower, a short shift kit, Stomski Shift coupler and shift lever extension. My shifting is the best shifter/transmission action I have ever owned. I drive various manual transmission vehicles and prefer my shift action over the shifting of Japanese and other European standard manual transmissions. I now feel like everything else is like a wooden spoon in a pot of oatmeal, and mine feels like fine machine tool operation.
That being said, there are plenty of ways to mis-align and mis-maintain the system. Remember this shifter is at least 3' from the transmission and ANY mis-alignment/adjustment from optimal, will adversely affect the accuracy of the shift system. When I work on my shift system, I measure changes in single spline and thousandths of the inch in axial changes. My car has aprox. 125,000 miles and will shift into any gear without force or crunching. My 2nd to 1st shift can be done at 20 MPH without throttle blipping or heel and toe work. That being said I don't regularly do this type of shift, but I can. If you want a speed shift, buy something with paddles.