Shifter alignment: In middle of fixing..Help needed
 

Right now I'm into the shifter that went limp fix. As suggested it appears to be the shifter shaft turning in the cylinder at it's base.

In an earlier thread one mentioned that the shaft is epoxied into the cylinder. Should I replicate what the factory did with J&B or MIG weld together permanently? Will welding come back to haunt me if I'm back in here for an upgrade or other project?

Also, should the two tabs align perfectly parallel to each other when I reattach?

Both shifter bushings get replaced while I'm in here.....

TIA for any help.



http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1125943174.jpg

Bumparoo

Rick,
Yes, they're epoxied together from the factory; I'm guessing so the tabs are parallel during final assembly.

I would suggest lining up the shift lever, then apply alignment marks on both pieces before welding.

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1125954016.jpg

Here's some additional info you might find interesting.

Sherwood

[Non engineer mode ON]

I can't remember, but is the housing and tab assembly alloy or steel?

For some reason I am thinking alloy, but it makes more snse for them to be steel..

In the event it is alloy, be very careful rebending the tabs to paralell, lest they fatigue and fail, eithr now or later.

Thank you, Sherwood. Just what I needed. I'm thinking I can put a tack or two with the shifter assembled (out of the car) and everything protected with a fireproof cloth.

Tabs don't need to be bent. Merely aligned as the shifter shaft is positioned within the cylinder it sits in.

One more question.

Even though I took pics and documented the procedure I'm stuck on the alignment of the ball cup receptacle...for lack of a better term. :p

I marked the shifter rod and the receptacle so I could line up accurately upom reassembly. Now that I've lined it up and tightened it's cock-eyed. Should it be parallel to the floor?

Here you can see the the shift rod bracket is parallel but the recepticle is off a few clicks to the right.

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1125961308.jpg

Rick,
Should be okay, but there's a shift tube adjustment at the shift coupler attachment. If shifting is not giving you any problems (other than the dangling shift lever), I'd think twice about "fixing" it.

However, if you want to:
Loosen the shift coupler clamp and rotate the shift tube CC so the ball cup receptacle is vertical, then tighten the clamp. This may or may not throw off the adjustment which I assume is fine now.

Sherwood

PS: Don't forget to mark the tube and coupler so you can reference your adjustments

Sherwood, Since it was fine before I'll leave as is and assemble enough to make a determination. If it's messed up I'll do the adjustment at the coupler as you suggest.

I thought I'd have time to do the brass coupler replacements but I've been taken my time today. Those will have to wait.

After this round your system goes in :)

Thanks again for your sharing your expertise.

OK

Seems the shift rod was in gear so it was held in a cock-eyed position. As I reassembled it straightened right out.

The ride into work this morn was real nice. Nice crisp shifting. Next week the couplers go in. Actually I'm kind of glad I didn't do them yesterday. Now I'll be able to make a before and after comparison.

Thanks for your help Sherwood.

BTW, I'll post pics of the process. I tried a few techniques for removing and replacing the shift rod bushing. I'll post what I found to be the easiest.

Amazing what a difference that makes! :)