shifting Q .....firewall bushing Q, can i make a brass bushing Options

[pete-stevers]

i am looking for a bushing that is a bit more robust than a stock bushing....
any one have any solutions.....
i would love to tighten up my shifting and belive that cleaning up the play in the bar should do the trick..
is it posible to build a bushing out of lubricated brass and bolt it on?
or is the side play in the shift bar a necessary thing?
any ideas welcome........

[r_towle]

Yes the brass bushings make a huge difference.

I made a set for my car, posted here, but the pics are long gone.

So,

The front and rear cup bushings.
These nylon bushings rely upon the bushing itself riding up and down in the piece, and they rely upon the round ball holdin them.
They do wear out, they wiggle, the have slop...get rid of that slop.

I had these two made a bit longer, with no capturing of the ball, now the ball rides up and down in the bushing, works much better.

The shifter console bushing.
At the time I did this, these bushings were a normal item at PP, so look and see if that is still the case.

You need a bit of wiggle in that bushing, the rod changes angle there, so it needs to be a bit looser than the firewall.

Now, the firewall.

I hated that bushing, I had replaced all the others, and I still knew there was a good way to improve it.
I ended up making a brass or bronze (cant remember...) bushing that the outer diameter fits tight in the hole in the chassis, and the inner hole is 1.5 thousanths bigger than the shifter rod.
The shifter rod is steel, the bushing is brass/bronze (doesnt matter really) the rod will never wear out prior to the bushing.

The firewall bushing has an outer flange that is 1/8 inch thick, and its as wide as the flat area on the firewall that is right around that bushing.
This makes is close to 2.5 inches,,,might be more or less. not the point.

Then I drilled and riveted the bushing to the firewall.
I was going to use bolts, and good luck to you doing that...there just is not enough room to get in there from the inside and get a nut on there...plus my arms are to short to do both sides...so I used rivets.

Go to a good autobody supply store and buy rivets that are 1/4 inch shank, they have lasted 7 years, no issues.

I grease it once per year in the spring with lithium grease...works great.

So that is the bushing answer.
Look at your shifter, get new springs, and rebuild it...it also helps.

The car shifts like a snap, no issues.
There is no wear on any parts.
Its crisp, and I know where the gears are.

I also twisted and pre-loaded the shifter, it always lands in the 2-3 gate
This is the autox gate that you need anyways.
One last item for safety, once you have adjusted the shifter, you like the way it shifts, all is well....fabricate a small piece of metal to mount on the shifter to prevent you from ever going into reverse, put it on a pivot so you can swing it out of the way when you need reverse, but at the autox, once you are aimed forward, swing it into place..it helps.

Rich