[josephvman]

I had a very experienced air-cooled tech drive my '84, to give me an opinion on the shifting. I've previously installed a Wevo coupler, which improved it. I've had multiple later cars with G50's and a couple of 930's with 4 speeds which shifted better than my car. This being my first 5-speed 915 I wasn't sure exactly how it should shift, but first gear just seemed like it often needed double clutching when stopped to slip in cleanly. The tech said he thought the first synchro was probably on its last legs, and second was soft. The good news is that he said everything else felt good this was likely nothing resembling a total rebuild. I want to stay ahead of this and just address it now instead of risking damage to the gears themselves.

Seeing as the engine is going to come out there are a few other things that I've got on my list to address. I'll probably do the clutch. Upgrade a/c system with barrier hoses and possibly a few other things is on the list. Replacing any original fuel lines ('84 Targa), and address anything that might show signs of leaking (though oil tubes were replaced within the year and only 2k ago).

Is there anything else from a mechanical standpoint that it makes sense to do while I'm at it? How about cosmetic stuff? My fan doesn't look great, so I was thinking of refinishing it and the housing.