Shift rod doesn't retract fully into the tunnel...
 

Hey there,

I'm trying to replace the firewall shift bushing, needless to say it is a bear.

I have tried to warm it up and replace without loosening the shifter inside the car, but now I see that isn't happening. I will follow the Pelican tech article, but my real question is whether the shift rod is supposed to fully retract into the tunnel/firewall?

I have looked at a few photos others have posted on the replacement and they show the shift rod fully retracted into the firewall with the gearshift placed into 3rd gear. When I shift into 1/3/5 the end of the rod sticks out about an inch.

Normal? Not normal? Thoughts?

I have the engine out, so the shifter is not connected to anything...

Thanks,
Ron

If you want the shift rod to go all the way into the tunnel, either unbolt the shift lever console from the top of the tunnel, or disconnect the front shift rod from the bottom of the gear shift lever.

What you're seeing is perfectly normal. If the rod went all the way into the tunnel, the coupler would slide off the end.

--DD

Dave,

Now that I think about it, that seems pretty obvious..

Funny how often that happens when I'm fooling with cars.

Ron