I have been looking on performance products trying to find a complete shift bushing kit for my car. After looking at a couple of different bushing i decided i have know idea what kind of bushing i need. My car is a 1972 so it has a tailshift transmission and it is a guessing game to find the gears. Once you get used to the way it shifts it is great to drive. I just want to make the shift more precise and easier to find. I have been looking at one kit that says it has a set of six bushing . I have also heard from other bushing kit that it contains one bushing, a set screw(i have no idea what that is), and a ball cup.
If sombody could tell me what i should get to make my shifting a little better i would really appritiate it.
Thanks

The set screw/ball cup/single bushing kit is probably for a side-shifter ('73-on). The kit with the zillion bushings and whatnot is the tail-shifter setup. There are at least six nylon parts in the tail-shifter linkage. IMHO, it was the reduction in these nylon bits (and the their wear points) that caused the redesign to the side-shifter. With new bushings and everything lubed up, the tail-shifter works just fine. Better than a sloppy side-shifter, anyway.

What kind of lube should i use for the bushings? Is i hard to get to all the bushings and replace them?

Did you check pelican? I think they sell them as complete sets there either for a side shift or tail shift
Or just call and explain to them what you need...

cheers,

Jeroen

Dont use ANY lube on the bushings. Lube attracts dirt and dirt causes them to wear more quickly.

Basically the tail shift cars use 3 of the same large ID bushings. One at the shifter..one at the firewall and one at the back of the tranny.



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I just made a set of aluminum bushings for my tailshifter and now it shifts pretty well. Before I replaced the bushings, I couldn't even get 4th or 5th at all. That's how much motion was being lost by the whooped bushings. I only replaced the 3 main bushings and it made all the difference in the world. I was going to get the Pelican kit, but didn't feel like waiting, plus I feel guilty buying stuff like that with a lathe and mill sitting in my shop!

Then what are the other three bushings in the kit for??

I'm not trying to be an @ss, but a manual and learning to navagate the on-line catalog @ Pelican can save you some headaches and good chance you'll learn something new

your right that would be helpfull if i was looking on pelicans parts site, but i an looking on the performance products website for bushings.

Pelicans site is much, much better......not sure about pricing, but I've been happy with Pelican and I know Performance is normally higher or so it seems for the items I've looked at...........

keep looking at the Performance site if it makes you happy, but the more resources at your finger tips, the better....I see too many people get hung up (and screwed later on) by only shopping at one place for all thier needs.

I've got one of the best Porsche resources for new and used parts hands down not too far from me, but I will still check out other sites/places for prices and information...

I believe he is suggesting that the Pelican site will be much more helpful. Give it a try.
The tail-shift linkage does have six bushings. There is a ball cup under the shift lever and a ring bushing directly behind it in the tunnel. These are usually disintegrated. Just replacing them will make a big difference. There is also a ring bushing back at the tranny. Replace those 3 first. More difficult to replace, and usually less necessary, are the ring bushing at the firewall and two plastic "balls" at the dog-leg just behind the firewall. That makes six.

I dont think the plastic ball are replaceable.



B

They are. I've done it. Pain in the ass. And I think the ones I replaced were probably OK.

90% of the time the socket that the ball goes into is oblonged. I have been putting a really good hose clamp around the socket and clamping it down. This takes up the slack on the ball. Kinda redneck backwards ass country fu_k.. but it removes a WHOLE bunch of side to side SLOP.



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