Improved shifter bushing?

Tom,  As shown on the video at 44 secs, he wiggles the bushing and it shows lateral movement ( just like a worn out OEM VW $1.00 nylon bushing) .  IMHO not a product for a Speedster or Beetle unless you cut open the tunnel for access to install the rear clip they talk of.

I did a similar mod on my first Spyder after having 3 VW bushings fail within 2 years due to the extra side thrust caused by the shift rod offset required by the system....

A machine shop let me turn down a piece of Naval Bronze to replace the stock bushing...  The bore was .015" oversize to allow for movement of the transmission nose cone during operation, and the lateral linkage movement caused by the offset bends...  When installed, it removed all slop within the system and was still on the car almost 7 years later when it was sold...  The only maintenance was a squirt of oil at each oil change, which was probably unnecesary....  It actually shifted better than the BIG BUCKS cable system that came on Spyder # two....

With only .0075 inch clearance per side, it would have been very minor.....  The ambient Spyder Noise Miasma precluded even a hint of noise registering....

I just did this install on my CMC using a similar bushing my shop let me have for free. It was a pain in the A$$ getting it in. What ended up helping me install from the front was using a medium binder clip (for hold paper) to hold the bushing in place on the hanger. Then using small snap-ring pliers to install the clip. The bushing can be installed in either direction, so you don't need to cut the tunnel to get to the back. Took many, many attempts, but I got it in there after a few beers and some swearing. Shifting is really smooth, but anything installed would have been better as my bushing was toast (in half in the tunnel) when I bought my CMC. 

Right there in their video it says if you buy the whole kit it includes an installation tool and you get a video showing you exactly how to do the installation.  They say nothing about cutting the tunnel.

It looks like Scott figured it out with their installation tool but I imagine it'd be a lot easier with it.

Are the symptoms of a 'toasted' shifter bushing intermittent difficulty engaging either first or reverse gear from a dead stop?

If so, is the replacement procedure and bushing for a 912 the same as the VW?

Thanks, Carl 

Leon, my Vintage Spyder with rod shifter has a heim joint behind the shift box BECAUSE of that sideplay. No, it doesn't vibrate Tom, but like Leon said, if it did you wouldn't hear it anyway!

Carl, yes, pretty much the same procedure, although the 911/912 has a pretty good sized access hole in front of the seats and under the carpet!

IMHO, that cheap factory bushing is responsible for too much frustration. Brass sounds like a great idea!

Shift bushing install, use a long 3/8" extension and set that into the bushing hanger hole, drop the bushing over the extension allowing it to slide down to the bracket, slip the busing into the bracket with a screwdriver being careful to not damage it and it should go right in, lube the inside of the nylon bushing and work the shift rod back into the bushing using long needle nose pliers to slide the rod along.

The Beck Speedsters have access panels underneath that allow easy access to the inside of the tunnel, so that is not a problem. 

In my case, when I went thru the bitching process of replacing the bushing and shift rod connector in the rear, I think my car shifts a bit worse.

~WB

Bill,

Did you replace the bushing and the coupler one at a time and check shifting after each procedure... but before the attempting the other?

If not, then I expect that your dissatisfaction is caused by the coupler because problems have a direct relationship to component complexity...and the coupler is more complex than the bushing.

I replaced both in one shot. It's ok as is but I could do a little fiddling with shifter position to get it a little better. The up/down shift 3rd to 2nd isn't as clean as I'd like it to be.

~WB

It took me a while after I put my transaxle back in to get it to shift as I wanted it.  

I like to just pull the shift lever over to the left stop and haul it into 2'nd without having to think about it.  

When I first put everything together I had to hunt to find 2'nd by pulling to the left stop and then going right just a skosh and messing around to find the gear.  

Definitely not cool.  

Had to mess with the lever base position a couple of times til I coerced it into submission.  Now, I'm back to thoughtless downshifts and can concentrate on missing or scaring unsuspecting pedestrians.

Yeah, any movement of the trans can throw the adjustment off. A tiny bit makes a difference.