many shifter questions -HELP!

jay castriotta · 11-01-2005, 06:55 PM

I am currently replacing the shifter in my 914/6. It is a '72 converted to a 2.7 with a side shifter. My first question involves the rear bushing mounted to a bracket of the tranny that the shift rod runs through. Because of the aftermaket mount used to mount the motor I cannot pull the shift rod forward out of the bracket enough to put a new bushing in. My options are to remove the bracket from the transmission (two bolts/nuts) or to install the new bushing backwards (I can always destroy the old bushing to get it out). I assume I will have to drain the tranny if I remove the cover as part of the shift linkage goes through this cover and I would guess I would need a gasket there as well. Thoughts?
The next question involves what I found in the interior after I removed the shifter. The shift rod that goes back through the fire wall seems to be supported only by the bushing in the firewall and the shifter itself . Is this correct for a side shift?

Dave at Pelican Parts · Dave at Pelican Parts's Garage

The side-shift console has an O-ring, not a gasket. If it's sealing well, you can remove it after draining the transmission fluid and just re-install it. Might not be a bad idea to have a spare O-ring and more transmission fluid around, though.

However--you should be able to remove the front shift rod from the shift coupler (the universal joint thing just aft of the firewall) so you can slide the rear shift rod backwards, then forwards again underneath the car. That will let you slide it out of the side-shift console to replace the bushing.

I believe that what you have found inside the tunnel is correct.

--DD

jay castriotta · 12:42 PM

I'd already disconnected the front rod to no avail. Is their any reason I couldn't install the bushing by pushing it in back to front?

Dave at Pelican Parts · Dave at Pelican Parts's Garage

If you've disconnected the front and rear rods from each other, you should be able to slide the rear rod forward and under the floorpan of the car. That will let you slide it out of the side-shift console and replace the bushing.

I don't know of any reason you can't push the bushing in the other way around, but I also don't see a need to...

--DD

John Rogers · 11-02-2005, 03:41 PM

As Dave said, if the coupler has been disconnected then the rear rod should pull out the front of the bushing after loosening the set screw. When you put in the new bushing back there and it seems a little loose, you can use several small nylon wire ties through the bushing to make the fit tighter but it will not cause binding. For the coupler it can be replaced with one of the sealed aircraft type couplers and then free play will be almost totally eliminated. For best results you can then add one of James Adams' Rennshift shifters and it will be magical!

orcadigital · orcadigital's Garage

Actually i had a similar problem, with my headers, i cant rotate the shift linkage rod enough to get it below that lower lip of the firewall. My linkage is bent (intentionally) to clear the headers, so it has a gentle bend to it, and that rotation is necessary to remove the rod. And of course, the rad has to be removed to drop the headers. My tranny swap in the end, involved disconnecting everything, then dropping the tranny/shift rod/headers in one step. Getting it back in was the challenge...

Of course, i forgot to put in that bushing, and wasnt about the drop the tranny again just for that. I put it in backwards, and it has worked fine for about 4 months of track driving. I do clean it out regularly and relubricate everything in there though. I'll do it correctly this winter, but it has worked ok so far.

Grant

jay castriotta · 11-02-2005, 04:26 PM

I guess I have a similar problem as Grant does and the aftermarket engine mount doesn't help. Part of it is a metal tube that runs across the car so I can't drop the rod far enough to clear the floor pan.
John, your reply was really timely. I had just come to see if anyone else had had a similar problem with slop (1.5 to 2mm) between the bushing and the bracket hole. I like your idea. I was going to make a metal spacer, but your plan is a lot quicker and effective.
I guess since no one else has said anything, that what I'm seeing in the interior is correct. It still seems strange that the front shift rod is located only by the shifter and the firewall bushing.
This is a great forum! Thanks for all the help.

jay castriotta · 11-02-2005, 05:44 PM

Well the bushing is in. I succumbed to making a metal spacer which was basically so thin it amounted to a shim that wrapped around the bushing. Anyone could achieve this by buying 1-2mm shim stock (if the bar were out of the way I could be more exact with the size) and cutting a strip to fit. The bushing is TIGHT in the bracket now.

jay castriotta · 11-02-2005, 07:20 PM

Actually I made an error in my last post. Since the total amount of mismatch between the bushing and the arm is at most 2mm the greatest thickness of the shim should not be more than 1mm. Because it wraps around the bushing it will close the gap by 2mm. My home-made spacer/shim was about 0.76mm (closing the gap by about 1.52mm).