Shift Bushing R&R

[914Ghost]

I've got a tailshifter and have my shift linkage completely removed front to back- I was wondering what advice or experience anyone has on top of replacing ALL bushings that helps get these things shifting as well as can be expected.
It was actually not too bad before, when in 1st/reverse there was little or no play, but 2nd-5th had some slop.
The plastic 2 'balls" at the pivots just snap off?
Also, My rear shift rod had "some" wear at the rear bushing at the nose-cone, anyone ever epoxy/JB weld this area to get it flat again?
Seems like it should hold up through a plastic bushing.
Also, the "ball" at the tail end of the shift rod has 2 small flat-ish spots where its worn at the shift selectors, is this worn, or should they be like this for free shifting?
Is a short (weltmeister) shift kit worth it in a tailshifter?
Anything to tell me?
TIA
Bob O

[red-beard]

Go buy brazing rod, brazing flux and a bottle of the acetylene propane mix (It's in the Yellow bottles).

Braze the worn point and then sand them down until smooth and fitting perfectly.

You also want to do this "inside" the tranny. _AFTER_ draining the tranny oil, pull the retangular plate on the rear cover. Remove the shift rod and the triangular looking item. You want to braze this one as well, to make it just fit the slot in the internal shift rod.

This will make the tranny shift as well as possible.

1 more thing. A lot of the slop in the trannies can come from the shifter itself. There are 2 bushings and 1 spring in the shifter (not counting the 2 with the lockout plate). It's about $45 for these bushings and I've heard that "the bird" now carries them.

The ultimate fix for the sloppy shifter is a Rennshift.

[914Ghost]

Hey again, I know I'm nobody, but could use some helpful advice. ..please?
I just replaced ALL the shift bushings in my tailshifter, 70'.
The slop in the shifter is WORSE, and it grinds going into 5th and pops out. No amount of adjustment has changed it. I spent 5 hours on it today and cannot get the shift pattern even close to what it previously was. I marked the front/middle shift rods before disassembly and the marks seem arbitrary (irrelevant to where it needs to be lined up NOW).
Also- under my shift plate at the front is a small aluminum block, the two 5mm allen bolts go thru it to the shift-bushing bracket- seemingly to space the bracket/bushing UNDER the tunnel..
Its not in any parts diagram- is it added?
Can anyone help me at all, just a little??
TIA
Robert O

[Dave at Pelican Parts]

First of all, you're not a nobody. In my case, my experience with the tailshifters is very very limited, so I didn't (don't) really have much to say. But I will offer what I can...

First, a short-shift will make the slop smaller by the same amount that it makes every motion smaller. You will also need a little more effort to move the lever, and you will tend to shift more quickly, wearing the synchros a little faster. Not a real solution, to me.

It sounds like Something Else Happened while you were messing with the linkage. Something slipped, or the bits that you marked were not the important ones for setting up the geometry, or something didn't get put back in the correct orientation, or.... Well, something.

The aluminum block sounds very much like an aftermarket modification. Don't know why.

Have you read through the tech article about the tailshift linkage in the Tech Articles section of this site?

--DD