Guys, I got my 71 914 running for the first time since I bought it in Sept! hooray! it is running decent, but shifting seems to be very sloppy. This is the first 914 I have driven. In order for me to get it into first gear I have to move my right leg and almost lean to the left to get it into gear. There just seems to be a lot of "play" is there a way to do anything at all to improve the performance of the shifter/transmission? TIA

This is probably worth a read:

914 Shifting Improvements.

Assuming your car still has a tail-shifter, they are notorious for sloppy shifting. The first fundamental thing is: make sure all the bushings are serviceable. You can also get more aggressive and switch to a side-shifter and/or install some third-party products that may help. Here's one that may be worth considering; Precision Shift Adjuster.

First thing though, inspect and replace the various bushings.

Good luck.

Bushings

If your 71 still has the tail shifter- hop over to the classified forums where Bruce Stone has a complete side shift conversion with newly powder coated parts for a screaming deal. The difference is night and day and if the car is a keeper- well worth the investment.

Andrew

Does that include a side shift trans?

Im in the same boat with a 72. Getting into 1st is a chore. Many times I find myself in 3rd when I think Im in first.

With proper servicing, the tail shift setup on early 914s does work OK. Not as well as the later version, but in my opinion the expensive conversion is not at all necessary.

Also consider Tangerine Racing firewall bushing. It can make all of the other parts work together a bit better. Or at least it seems that way.

I am sure the bushings are shot if not completely gone. I remember my '72 had been in storage for about 13 years and when I got in it to move it the bushings were so rotted they fell to the ground in little pieces.

As mentioned above - a well sorted tailshifter works fine.

Replace all the bushings in the shift linkage. Pelican has a kit. Try that before buying the side shift kit, which requires the transmission be removed. Drive the car and have fun, then when you're ready to do other engine/trans work, pull it and install the side shift.

Thanks for all the info! Will start by checking out the bushings. Is there any way to determine if it is a tailshifter?

It it's a '71 then it's most likely a tail-shift unless someone swapped it out. The '73 cars went to side shift. The best way to tell is to look at it from the driver's side and see where the shift linkage goes into the transmission. Here's a picture of the suspension console on a side-shift. The linkage bar goes into this big oval shaped "console" that's just behind the drive shaft on the driver's side. Hence, "side-shift." Sorry, this is the best pic I readily had:

Click to view attachment

More likely yours does not have this suspension console. More likely you will see the shift bar linkage going further back, to the end of the tranny. That is a tail-shift.

Validate which one you have (again, most likely tail-shift) and then follow that article to see if you have acceptable shifting before planning something major like a tranny swap.

Worn detent plate and shift lever at contact point. Clean the crap from under the shift lever where the springs live. Spent ball cup bushing and rod support bushing under shifter base. Unless you've done them, consider all of other bushings, including the pivot ball, from the rear firewall back in need of replacement. It's a very convoluted/complex system and one thing alone can screw things up. Trouble shooting the linkage will be a waste of time if everything isn't just right from the start.