Another milestone down.. Shifter repair for 73.5

[rockreid]

Well that was a B***th.

I discovered every component in terrible condition. The original shifter poly cup was shattered in the rod receptacle. The Shift rod slider bearing was worn and rattling the rod. The kicker was the shift linkage bearings at the rear were completely gone. I mean, crumbled into pieces and dust. This car hasn't been driven since 1990 and I am wondering how on Earth the previous driver was able to go anywhere.

This job did not go as smoothly as I envisioned. I had little trouble with the rear bearings and pressing them into the housing. Easy. I thought this job was to be a piece of cake. Then I got to the rod bearing that holds the shift rod in place while it slides front and back. The replacement from my kit was hell to press into the frame, and impossible to get onto the rod after it was in. I ended up spending a good hour gently grinding away the poly bearing surface smoothly with a dremel until I could finally slip the unit on. I must have eventually ground 2mm of total surface off. It grabs pretty tightly right now but I think it should wear down with a little driving and lower any shifting resistance. Thankfully the new cup popped right on with a little persuasion.

My 73.5 fuel distributor is currently on its way to be rebuilt so I can't see if my shift linkage is in proper placement but it feels nice and crisp just sitting in the garage after this repair. But now the car is ready to be driven now that I can finally shift gears. I an only hope that my FD rebuilder can bump me up the line a bit so I can see if my efforts have been worthwhile!

[E Sully]

My shift linkage was shot also when I bought my car. One of my first projects, with many more that followed. The worst was when the timing tensioners failed. 2 bent valves. That was back in 1989. I still love the 73.5. Great car for street driving. Now that their value has gone up so much, I guess I'll never take it on the track.
I bought a complete CIS system for back up, original parts are getting scarce and expensive.

[rpc356]

Where are you sending your FD? I've got a spare that leaks a bit and am thinking of sending it out for a rebuild.