Me either. Bruce, you have nothing to worry about. My cable shifter is very precise in both my Spyder and my Cayman. It is not a "hokey" method in any sense.
My first cable shift car was my 1990 Corrado. I did break one cable end, but was able to weld it back together. It stayed together for 8 years and 98,000 miles, and still shifted like new.
Lane...It's the photo I think. It just doesn't show it well. It's the flat plate on the right side/end of the case. This is the place where the shifter plate will attach. That angular shaft is the shift rod. (similar to the VW hockey stick).......Bruce
Danny, that's reassuring. It's pretty amazing what can be done these days. Especially in the after-market auto parts industry
Lane....I couldn't find another photo of that clear plastic plate in my file....Sorry
Bruce
I'm a big fan of cable shifters, generally, but not of the Subaru ones so we make our own rod shifter utilizing the stock Subaru shifter base form the donor car. Works VERY well. The throw could be a little shorter, but it is very positive and has minimal slop...
No plexi on Lanes transaxle either, not sure what you're seeing...
Oh, I thought it was a cable shifter. How do you get the rods around the engine to the back of the transaxle?
pretty much the same as an old rod shift spyder or a 914, it just kicks around the oil pan/sump/bottom of motor. It's not a bad path to make.
He just drills a couple big holes in the engine, and runs it right through. No big deal.
LOL!
Is that what was in your Coupe that I drove last year? It was crisp enough, and shortening the shifter a couple of inches would have shortened the throws. I kinda felt like it was one of those Rat Fink shifters that stick up through the roof. 
The plastic plate was just to cover that area until the real shifter mechanism is installed. Temporary dust cover ?? Anyway, I just thought it should be covered better than seranwrap which is how it came from Rancho.
Carey....Are you saying that your own shifter for your mid engine model uses rods and not cables ?? I would be interested in hearing more about that. A few photos would be nice too. By the way, a few years ago, you sent me a bunch of very useful info on all the various Subaru engines available. I still refer to it on occasion................Bruce
A couple more pictures from Messrs Hines and Fincher.
The window frame in place. I think Carey's comment was along the lines of "Gee whiz this is hard!" Sort of. There may have been an 'f' involved.
The engine being assembled by Mike. You can see the first bit of Oslo blue on it.
That's a lotta blue on that engine.
You sure you can stand that much color?
It'll be tough, but I think I can. Seriously, there will be a bit more blue as well as some contrasting gray.
@Lane Anderson you will love the pop of color on the engine. Mine has held up very well over the last 4 years. 
Lucky for you, Lane, the official Subaru oil filter from the dealer's parts dept, is the same color Blue as your car.
I know that you planned it that way, just for those people peeking underneath.
When I am feeling blue, all I have to do, is take a COVID, spin, in Lane's blue, and then watch Bear in a big blue house. Then as Julie Andrews said: " And then I don't feel so bad" 
What color is you intake valve covers and alternator stand going to be? I started out thinking I wanted silver and had Carey do them over in red which I think works for my car. The engine bits are an important color choice.
Honestly I’m not sure but I think the valve covers will be blue. I worked out the colors with Mike Fincher and told him just to make it look good. I trust his creativity.
Some more blue for @Gordon Nichols. Mike expects to have the engine finished today or tomorrow.
All powder coated great stuff Lane.
So, the car will be done sometime between Labor Day and Columbus Day, then?
Not a bad guess, I'd say.
And DONE - well, except for the plastic camshaft belt cover that Mike left at the shop.
What about the oil cap and the dipstick
I have the same problem mine are yellow.
Looks great, Lane.
They don’t have to be yellow, mine are red and still look good.
plastidip?
Kinda busy-looking when it's all together, isn't it?
An amazingly compact power plant.
Single cam. Good choice. That engine is gorgeous and it puts mine to shame.
Who cares what the engine looks like? It will be hidden 99.9% of the time. Are the boys in Indiana going to make you a door/cover for oil fill/dipstick access? That would make sense.
P.S.: If Carey doesn't hate me yet, he will now with this last suggestion. I've given Lane a few suggestions and gotten a couple nasty-gram texts from Carey!
Hah!!! 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣
It needs to be under a clear plastic engine cover to show it off -
Fitting you picked blue for a Subaru car. Blue and gold cars have a long history with Subaru rally racing. It’s the reason so many WRXs and STIs are blue with gold rims:
Great looking engine Lane! I love the Subaru power plant in my Speedster. I have recently taken a trip back to the Vw Type 1 world with the purchase of the 77 Puma GTE and had a nice 2276 built with all the best parts by a craftsman and in comparison the Type 1 still engine feels like Chitty chitty bang bang Vs's a formula 1 engine. It is convincing me more and more to have the Puma converted to Subaru this winter.
You will love your car Lane. Be ready for the post build blues (pun intended). You will have a period of adjustment once you have your car and all the excitement of the build and anticipation to have it finished is over. Enjoy this time because it is a big part of the fun even though you may not realize it now.
Any blues will be short-lived, @Jimmy V.. After waiting for several years I just want to drive it.
@Gordon Nichols posted:Kinda busy-looking when it's all together, isn't it?
An amazingly compact power plant.
Agreed. Packaging is (one of) the miracles of modern manufacturing. That's a lot of engine occupying a very small amount of space.
@WOLFGANG posted:It needs to be under a clear plastic engine cover to show it off -
Umm, no. People do this to their Caymans. It's not a Ferrari people.
And please, for the love of God, no neon lighting in the engine bay.
The word I'm looking for is......tacky.
Lane has class. Lane is not tacky. Lane will not do this.
P.S.: I like how the AN fittings are installed in both the upper coolant manifold and lower hose/thermostat housing. Very clean.
"Lane has class. Lane is not tacky. Lane will not do this."
Sniff! That's the nicest thing you've ever said about me, Danny.
@Gordon Nichols posted:Lucky for you, Lane, the official Subaru oil filter from the dealer's parts dept, is the same color Blue as your car.
I know that you planned it that way, just for those people peeking underneath.
I was getting ready to change the oil in the wife's subaru and decided to do some filter research. I found out that the filter shown, blue one, is made in the USA, but isn't of the highest quality. If one were to be concerned with quality, then the black one made by Tokyo Roki #15208AA160, made in Japan, should be used. Of course, you can't get them from you local Subaru dealer anymore. You'll have to source them elsewhere.
This guy in this video cuts them apart to show you.
Just for your information.
Also, for all you DIY Subaru owners, after your done filling the oil, you should floor your gas pedal then turn you motor over until the oil light goes out to fill the filter with oil. The engine will not start when the pedal is floored. I don't know if this trick works with all models though. We have a Crosstrek. It probably won't work with our plastic car conversions though.
I love little tidbits of info like this. It shows that someone was thinking. I also found a way to disable the "put your damn seat belt on" warning signal that's oh so annoying if your just moving the car around.
