Shift Rod Coupling Bushing

[LevisJeanz]

This is a picture of the Shift Rod Coupler Bushing. I am considering having my local machine shop make me a pair out of aluminum or trying to track down someone who sells them.



Has anyone had any experience with using metal bushings? Do they offer much of an improvement over the ones pictured above? I know pelican has some bronze ones but the $50 price tag is absolutely too steep for my taste.

Also I would love if someone had or could point me in the right direction of the dimensions of these bushings. My car came without the originals.

Thanks,

Levi

[John Rogers]

The original poly type are best for street use while the bronze type will work well for racing. Aluminum is too soft and will trap the dirt and gall badly.

[The cap'n]

The big question is "Why"? The bushings, as designed and as produced, provide precise shifting, good noise/vibration reduction, and extremely long life. What's to improve by going to metal? With metal, the life may or may not be lengthened, the noise/vibration levels will most certainly increase, and I doubt you'll get an improvement that anyone but your now-poorer self will ever be able to detect. At the end of my 40+ years in the business, I was still replacing original shift coupler bushings, indicating to me that the perceived market for them may be somewhat overblown. BTW, from my experience in the trade, you may be hard pressed to find a machine shop willing to make those bushings for 50 bucks a pair, even as a "side job".

The Cap'n

[LevisJeanz]

Thank you for the info. That was exactly what I was looking for. I assumed metal meant better. I am trying to improve the shift linkage as much as possible without buying a whole new system.

[John Rogers]

If you want to improve the shift linkage the only way is to spend a bunch of $$$$$ on parts. On my race car I had one of the earliest Jim West shifters (NLA), an aircraft coupler in the middle (still available), a home made bronze bushing at the firewall (Patrick motorsports sells them now) and a home made bushing at the transmission which was a stiffer type of plastic. The car could shift into 1st while going 25 MPH during a race with ease and I don't think I ever missed a shift.

[Dave at Pelican Parts]

I believe that Rennshift is the same as the JWest shifter.

There are also setups that replace the bushing in the firewall with a bearing, for a more precise fit there.

And there are setups that add some length to the rear shift rod and a "flap" to the rear edge of the side shift console, so the rod is supported in two places with the shift coupler bit in between those. (Sorry, confusing wording, I know.)

Put all of those together with firmer motor and transmission mounts, and you're supposed to get pretty good shifting out of a 914 gearbox.

--DD

[LevisJeanz]

Very tempting. Where does one find a firewall bearing such as that? Are the increases from these mods going to be much better then shift linkage with brand new bushings all over with hard plastic engine and tyranny mounts?

[Nostril Cheese]

Delrin is your friend. Do a search here for the Coupler Whisperer. He makes them.

[Dave at Pelican Parts]

I don't know which improvements account for how much of the improvement.

I am told that someone who went from new stock bushings to a Rennshift said that there was a noticeable improvement.

Most of the people who have spent $$$ on the improvement kits from Jwest and from Tangerine Racing have noted improvements. I do not know if that was the placebo effect, or if they were replacing parts that were already worn, or if the improvement was all in the new parts designs.

My own 914 has a pretty worn stock shifter. I can work it just fine, but my wife calls it "mop in a bucket", and refuses to shift gears unless she absolutely has to.

I am not sure who made the bearing setup for the firewall. It can be put together yourself, if you search for a bearing with the appropriate ID. You want one that is like a rod-end, where you can rotate the bearing element inside the holder.

--DD

[Madmax914]

Patrick has the fire wall bearing for $45.

Gear Shift Rod Bearing Kit for 914 Fire Wall / Bulk Head