I am helping a good friend bring back from the dead an old ‘67 Bug he bought about a year and a half above. As part of the work we installed a rebuilt Rancho transaxle and we installed a new shift rod bushing and coupler. Ironically putting the bushing and metal clip on the carrier inside the tunnel was a cinch. We pulled the shift rod through the front and greased it. After pushing it in through the bushing it slid back fine until it hit a snag. I put my hand through and felt what I believe are either heater tubes or emergency brake tubes. Felt like an X or a Y at the top of the tunnel. It was a bitch but we managed to get the end of the shift to show up at the rear access compartment. It is going perfectly through the bushing but the shift rod is at the bottom of the tunnel and it feels a little stiff. I did this before on a friend’s dune buggy and my recollection is that it didn’t feel as stiff. We believe we cleared the obstructions in the tunnel. I wonder if this will sort itself out once we hook up the coupler and install the shifter. What are your experiences? Thank you in advance.
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