Stuck shift rod head; access hole cut in floor pan

[osvolant]

I am a newbie 914 owner- recently bought a '76 2.0 as a project car for me and my 15 year old to tinker with. Our first Porsche of any kind. The car is in very good condition, both mechanically and cosmetically, but was shifting sloppily and I kept "nicking" (nice euphemism) reverse trying to get 2nd, so I decided to re-bush the shift linkage. I got the two shift rods apart at the coupler, replaced the firewall bushing, and rebuilt the shifter with a new lockout plate (the old one had near-zero wear on it).

Now I can't get the rear shift rod head off of the rod to replace the rear rod bushing and the ball cup. The rod bushing is quite worn and sloppy. It looks like the head is rusted to the rod. Cone screw came out fine. I have tried a rust penetrant spray (PB Blaster, recommended by local mechanics), gentle tapping with hammer, and a small gear puller. Due to the cramped space and shape of the rod head, it's very hard to get anything around it. I am trying not to damage the aluminum casting or the rod head, but have gotten nowhere.

I have thought about trying to drive out the retaining pin for the ball-ended linkage going into the transmission, just to get the back end of the shift rod down where I can get a gear puller on it. Alternately, I thought about reassembling and driving it without the rear cone screw just to see if it would loosen up, but I don't fancy being stuck somewhere.

Any ideas?

Also, in removing the console, I found a PO had cut a 3-sided rectangular flap into the central tunnel in front of the shifter, presumably to get to the clutch or accelerator cable guides. They just bent it back; no repair. Looks like it was done with a cutting wheel leaving a 2-3mm kerf. Seems like this has to affect the structural rigidity of the chassis. Would you weld this back up, with a patch of some sort, bolt on a patch, or just leave it alone? How often do you need access to this area? I haven't seen anyone sell a reinforcing plate for this location.

Thanks for any advice!

[Nostril Cheese]

the tunnel repair was likely to re-weld the tube for the clutch cable to the center tunnel. they are spot welds and can break. I cut a hole in the same spot and welded the hole closed when done. I don't think it will affect the structure all that much (depending on how big the flap is). Rust is the bigger issue.

As for the ball cup linkage, Kroil and lots of heat. It may take a few days. Keep at it.

Make sure you replace the boots and check that the cover for the linkage is good, to prevent moisture in there.