Which 915 shift bushings?

[Jay Laifman]

Ok, I see there are endless posts on changing to short shifters and about brass bushings and so on. I have been going through pages of them looking for an answer, but have not found what I am looking for. So, I feel I can in good faith now ask the group a question that perhaps has been asked before.

The brass bushings are no longer available. I'm not interested in a short shifter. I just want my stock 915 to be as good as it can be with original parts.

Pelican has a kit that includes all 4 parts - the two shift bushes, the one bushing for the shifter tube to slide through, and the cup for the bottom of the shifter. Performance has the two bushes and the cup by Weltmeister, and doesn't seem to list the tube bushing. I called Porsche. They have the cup and the tub bushing but don't seem to have the rear shift bushes which I particularly need.

I will admit that there have been times when I've found the more expensive Porsche supplied part is noticably better than what is available from the other suppliers. When it comes to shifting, I'm willing to spend for that. But, since they don't seem to have it, anyone have any opinions on the pros and cons of the Weltmeister versus Pelican versions? Any other versions out there?

Thanks,
Jay

[Oh Haha]

I would get the 4 part kit from Pelican seeing as how Wayne lets us use his neat playground.


Seriously, that is all of the parts you need, in one package. Order 'em, install 'em, and enjoy.

I don't believe that the OEM Porsche parts is any better than Wayne can get and sometimes, Wayne carries the factory parts.

[waynesco1]

Pelicans parts are the way to go and when you remove the shifter shaft guide bushing soak the new one in very hot water this softens for ease of instalation . Do you have 101 projects
by wayne at pelican a must have also

[moneymanager]

There is one part you ought to try to find. I can't tell you who makes it, but I can give you what I believe is an aftermarket part number for bushings for the shift coupling. 911 424 024 98 is the number. It could be a Weltmeister part number, though mine weren't so labeled when I got them. These bushings have round, NOT OBLONG, holes. They make an incredible improvement in the overall performance and feel of the stock shifter which now feels tight, not sloppy. For about $20 you can make a big difference.

[Jay Laifman]

Well, I opened it all up. It turns out the rear shift coupling is fine. It is the little cap at the bottom of the shifter that was, in simple terms, destroyed. I bought that and the little bushing for the long shift tube from Porsche. The price was basically the same.

But, here is my newest question. On the bushing for the long tube, the one in there has only a tiny bit of play, but not no play. The new one from Porsche, on the inside edge, there is sort of a mold/flashing tiny bit of plastic that is there. The one on the car is completely smooth - but of course it has 36 years of smoothing action.

Should I put the Porsche one in with the flashing? Sand down the flashing? Is it a designed feature? Or, just leave the original one in there. We're talking feeler gauge type of play, not significant play.

Jay

[moneymanager]

Hi Jay, can't imagine it matters. Within reason, less play almost anywhere in the linkage should yield a firmer, less sloppy feel. By the way, Joe has the round not oblong bushings I mentioned above.

[Jay Laifman]

Oh, two more things.

First, great to meet you in person up at Schneider's ******** the other day. Beautiful car!

Second, Porsche did not sell just the bushings for the rear coupler anymore. You could only get the whole coupler with the bushings in it. They gave me a deal I could not refuse. So, even though I now see I don't need it "yet", I'll put it in a safe place. But, that said, what I did learn in playing with it (and seeing those oblong holes), yes those oblong holes do give it play but ONLY in the BEND from side to side. There is NO play in the side to side rotation. There is NO play in the forward-back motion. So, when you would move your sifter from side to side, which rotates the shaft through that joint, there is no play. When you move your shifter 1st to 2nd, there is no play. The play would only come into effect if the transmission moved separately from the chassis. So, I think that it might actually be a design feature.

[moneymanager]

Thanks. But note these little bushings aren't I think a Porsche product. I understand what you are saying about the movement, but the round-not-oblong bushes do tighten the whole shifting experience quite a bit! GOod luck. Nice rainy day for a project!

[911pcars]

The shift coupler bushings from the factory come in two flavors:

Round (914)
Oval (911)

The 914 versions are the ones referenced above.

The archive has the part number.

Sherwood

[moneymanager]

Thanks Sherwood, that explains it. I'm guessing now that the part number I supplied above is in fact a 914 part. Now why in the world do you think they would use the looser feeling oval unit in the 911 and the tighter round unit in the 914? Why would anyone want slightly sloppier shifting in a 911? And what possible design purpose could it serve (there being people like me who have used the round version for more than 15 years without any discernible ill effects?)

[Jay Laifman]

For what it's worth, the "other guy" with Joe intentionally puts the oval ones on his 911s. He confirmed it was designed that way, and just what I said. Note that on the 911, the tranny is connected straight to that coupler. Thus, if you have a round hole, every movement of the tranny will move the shifter. Whereas the 914, as we all know, has a lot more play in its shift linkage getting all the way around to the back of the car. So, it didn't need any more play in it.

I put in the new cap and new rod bushing, but left the coupler alone. Feels great. Yes, there is a little bit of fore/aft play in it. But, I strongly doubt if someone is having delay problems with shifting that that designed-in play has anything to do with it!