1969 gear shift base plate destroyed

[jeffy69911t]

While backing out of my garage last week, my shift lever suddenly came apart at the base plate. I removed the carpeting and noticed that the base plate—which is made of tempered steel, mind you—had literally ripped apart (see below). I bought the car (1969 911T) about 15 years ago from the original owner, who drove it sparingly. I, however, drive it daily.

I sourced a used replacement locally, then took it apart, cleaned it, lubed it, reassembled it, and installed it no problem—except, of course, for those two springs on the underside of the plate associated with the 1st and reverse gears. They're super stiff, but I eventually figured out a technique that worked quite well.

As such, I can't believe how easy it is now to shift into 1st and reverse, and also the other gears. Those of you with 901 gearboxes will understand what I mean.

Moral: Time permitted, remove, clean, and lubricate your shifter unit. It makes a HUGE difference when shifting, and may also help prevent a similar catastrophe.

Cheers,
Jeff