I just converted to a side shift setup and everything was great until I started grinding while trying to shift into second. I jacked up the car and located where the problem was.

You can see that the bushings that attach the rear shift rod to the coupler that attaches to the front shift rod crumbled to dust.

What part is this and where do I order it from?

Yes the bushings are gone. Soak everything with PB Blaster. Let it set for a little bit, then start the disassembly. You can get the bushings and cone screw at autohausaz.com by putting in 73 model year. About $20 for both plus shipping or buy $50 worth and the shipping is free.

I still don't know what bushing to order?

Try German Parts and Restoration, or performance products. Hopefully the metal that is left is not wrecked. You may want to get an entirely different coupler to rebuild.

Would it be these that I need to rebuild.

its this bushing, however you dont have to get brass. I just cant find the regular ones on Pelican right now

Shift Coupler Bushings

Those are the correct bushings. They come in black as well. It is a real PITA to install them, and you may split a knuckle doing it, but they only fit in one way, and they may all the difference when installed.

DO NOT lose the cone screw, and have all the surfaces clean and dry before you insert the bushings. DO NOT use any lubricant.

They are plenty slippery when installed correctly.

Good luck! You will find gears you are missing when done.

John

Thanks everyone.

I found them on Autoatlanta but how are the installed? which side goes in and which side goes out?

Frank

They go face to face, and the half moons are on the bottom with the half flange on the outside. Drive out the center shaft, install the bushings, they only go in one way, and drive the pin back into place. Make sure your cone screw is tight.

Good luck,

John

$8 from Pelican and they'll probably ship USPS Priority Mail for $5.50.

http://www.pelicanparts.com/cgi-bin/smart/...20%281973-76%29

They are on Page 2 of the Pelican link Brett posted ... $8.00 for the pair.

Be careful pressing the pin out, you don't want to damage the alloy yoke (it can be bent pretty easily). The pin needs to be pressed out with a shop press or with a large vice using some small shop aids. Same for pressing the pin back in.

I believe its better to have someone who has done it before there to help you to keep things aligned - the shift rod needs to be supported while the assembly is being pressed apart and back together. I had a couple of knowledgeable guys here helping to do my first one.

Any machine shops that could do this. I took out he Rear rod and the coupler looks rusted but only surface rust. I think I can clean it up good but pressing the pin out may be beyond what I have available. I have a vise but I think I need more to make this work correctly.

Frank

You want to tap the pin out. Use a flat nosed punch and hammer and tap the pin out. Be careful not to put pressure on the aluminum bracket as you tap out the pin. The bushings should pop right in with some work, then tap the pin back in.

Yes, a machine shop could do it pretty easily, and that may be a good idea, but it's not too difficult once you've seen how its done.

THOMAS recently made me some brass bushings for a 911 coupling ... should last my lifetime

Click to view attachment

I did mine with a vice, but if I were to do it again, I would find someone with a press or a machine shop, it was a bit of a pain only because of the odd shape of the coupler and the bushings, but it is possible.

got the part today. used a deep socket to support one side fo the rod while I used a flat punch to hammer the pin out. Came out pretty easy. the only tough part was putting the new bushings back in.

I used a bigger deep socket to drive the first bushing in but the second was a little tougher. I positioned the bushing in place, and then slid a rod into the coupling so that I could put pressure on the bushing and press down. it took a couple of tries as the bushing and the coupler assembly kept slipping out of place, but eventually it pressed into place.

installing the pin back in place was a little tricky but once it starts to go in, it's a matter of time.

I installed and took it out for a drive, perfect. no grinding, I can quick shift. works great.

I'm gonna have to get some bushings for backup later on.

Frank

I purchased the brass bushings from Pelican when they were still available they are a very nice upgrade to the rubber in my opinion. Very tight tolerances and should last a very long time. Only downside is they probably transmit more noise then rubber but with a 3.0 with carb's behind my head that really doesn't matter .

Driving the bushings in? WTF??

I redid the coupler on my wife's 82SC, which uses pretty much the same coupler and identical bushings. I used a vise and some sockets to press the pin out, pushed the bushings out either by hand or using a socket (I forget which), pushed the new ones in using a screwdriver as a lever. They go in from the inside of the coupler, one at a time. I then put the middle part back into the coupler, and used the sockets and vise again to press the pin in. No problems.

--DD