A few days ago I decided to take a closer look at my shift linkage, since my car has some serious issues. Took that rear cover off and found this: https://youtu.be/gtFysPUBIO0

I'm no engineer, but that looks nasty to me. I decided to fix it right.

So yesterday I made a trip to 914 Limited and was treated quite well by Brad and Mike. Brad and I had exchanged a couple emails and calls and since I'm less than 3 hours from Peoria, I decided to kill two birds and simply drive in. Brad was kind enough to let me drive his daily 914 to see what a side shifter felt like. Took me about 1/3 mile to decide I would do the conversion. Brad and Mike walked me through a few of the finer points of the process, but this being my first time opening up a transaxle, I figured I'd try and document as much as possible.

I've done a bunch of searches here (and at Pelican) but have not found much in terms of step-by-step. Brad's instructions were provided, and he invited me to call anytime for support, but I'll be taking pics anyway, so figured I'd start a thread.

Can anyone point me to a thread where someone has documented the process? The best I've found so far is mikedsilva's, here. I could not find others.

Sort of off topic too, but is there any way to get rid of the huge smileys window when composing a post? My composition pane is just tiny, like 1/4 the size of the smileys pane.

Dr Evil here has a DVD on how to rebuild the 901 transmission. Send him a PM here or on Facebook.

Evilwerks

As for the smilie thing, just use the fast reply button at the bottom.

You have all the information on mikedsilva"s tread. It's not rocket science.....you can do it.

Use you mouse to grab the bottom right corner of the of the composition pane and drag down and out to make the pane larger.

The is also a "+" and a "-" button at the bottom left corner of the composition pane that will lengthen or shorten the pane.

Jim

One trick:

You have to remove the engine bar to put the SS rod in the center tunnel.

So if the engine is out, put that rod in before you put the engine back in.
If the engine is in, you have to jack up the engine and remove the bar.

And if the car was originally a TS and you are converting to a SS you either need to buy the special bushing from PP, or tangerine racing has a firewall bushing that will work instead (and is better).

Thanks everybody. I don't have any doubts that I'll be able to figure it out. Just hoping to flatten the learning curve a little. Stu, I'm fairly certain Brad included everything I need to do the conversion. I'll keep your sequence in mind. I'm not planning on dropping the engine to do the conversion. I'll eventually drop the engine I suppose, but for now I just want to get the car shifting sweeter so I can drive around this summer and enjoy it while I learn the ropes.

Took the day off to work on this. I spent the last couple days looking for step photos of this process, but came up empty, so I've decided to make my own step photos with explanations for complete neophytes (me of course) Keep in mind this is my first time doing this, or working on a 914 at all for that matter. Feel free to laugh, ridicule, whatever. I'm ready.

First task, remove the muffler. I need a new bracket, obviously...

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Next up, remove the tail shifter components from the back of the tranny all the way up to the shifter. Removing these two bolts is about all that can be done before venturing into the tunnel up front.

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After pulling the center seat out (it just lifts up) I unscrewed the plastic tray underneath to reveal tunnel. I peeled back the vinyl to get at the little access door by the firewall.

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I quickly realized I would need tor remove all the seats to access the tunnel properly. Driver's seat comes out easy enough (it has that little tab to press down on the driver's side--like my 69 bug, only on the proper side!) Passenger fixed seat came out with a few nuts and screws under the bottom seat cushion and at the bottom of the back, then I slide it down and forward to remove. I unscrewed the engine lid release knob too before pulling the seat out.

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I also removed the light, and disconnected the wires before pulling the seat.

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With the seat out I realized I'll need to redo the rear window rubber before I put it back.

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I peeled back the vinyl to expose the tunnel access panel.

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Removed the little screw to remove the panel.

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Pulled the shift knob off (it had a tiny set screw holding it on) removed the carpet, then unbolted the shifter from the tunnel.

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Next I loosened the connection between the two shift rods in the access panel.

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Then the shift connector rod pulled out pretty easily from behind the firewall, along with the rear shift rod.

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Next I dismantled the front shift rod from the shift rod head. It's a single allen head set screw with a cone shaped shaft.

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Next I removed the old bushing from the firewall by prying it out with a screwdriver. It came out fairly easily.

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With the bushing out I could feed the front shift rod out the firewall.

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Next I began removing the engine support bar to replace it with the one that came with my side shift conversion kit.

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I was told to support the engine while swapping this out, so I slid my workmate underneath and used some blocking and a scissor jack to support the engine.

May I recommend while you're going to that trouble, put in a Rennshift at the same time!

I thought Brad's side shift felt pretty great compared to my nearly unshiftable tail shift. What does the Rennshift provide above a nice side shift?

You might want to just get a set of side shift parts and transmission and i think you should fix the clutch tube since it has that clamp already for temporary holding the clutch tube.

ooops sorry your title already said you are converting it to side shift.

The fact that most if not all of the bushings are spent lead to your shifting issues. Note the pivot ball on the post on the firewall.

I will eventually deal with the clutch cable (among other things). One step at a time...

Managed to sneak in a couple hours on the 914 after work today. I took off the old engine support mounts from the chassis. I thought I'd have to replace these since the rubber was cracked, but it turns out the new bar just bolts right to the chassis, no rubber involved.

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After removing the bracket that holds the engine support to the engine I bolted up the new bracket. It's a little tight access to the upper bolts, but its doable.

Can't figure out why these pics are posting rotated...

Next up the U brackets into the chassis points. These replace the rubber mounts.

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The engine bar bolts right to these U brackets. At least that what I was told, and what the parts explosion shows.

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I'm doing things sort of out of order. I can't fully bolt up the engine support yet, because I don't have the firewall bushing in, which means I can't also insert the front shift rod. Which means (still with me?) I need to venture inside and start cutting holes. Here's the template for the access hole for cutting away part of the hole in the bulkhead--clearance for the new shift rod. I punched the corners using Brad's template, then taped off the outline with the ubiquitous blue masking tape.

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I'm making sparks inside my car. There are tools everywhere. I feel like a total hack, yet I'm loving every minute of it. This car will shift like a champ, I can feel it.

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I get the hole cut without ruining anything inside. Yes! This is ripping good fun.

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Look at that bulkhead, will you? This tail shift rod has been trying to escape for years I tell you! I guess I don't need to file any clearance for the new rod. I bet the right side of that puppy comes out with a couple twists. Clutch cable is unscathed, as far as I can tell.

Tomorrow I get to boil my bushing. Always wanted to say that.

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Good work and nice write up. We are waiting with...er...bait breath... for the next step...at least in part because you may be starting with a well worn shifter but very nice everything else. This will shift like a dream.

Thanks! I certainly hope it shifts like a dream.

So this is the first entire day I've been able to work on the 914. Got a bunch done. First up, getting rid of the gnarly part of that bulkhead with a die grinder. I didn't manage to hit any fuel lines. Bonus!

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With the tunnel ready to accept the front shift rod, I boiled me some bushing and popped it in. Easy. What is everyone doing for a boot here? The raised metal flange is for tail shift setup, so I can't use a side shift boot here.

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When I went to finally mount the engine support bar on I realized it was pretty much impossible to bolt the rubber dampers to the engine case (the brackets were already on the case) with the bar in place. So I ended up taking the dampers off the bar and bolting them to the brackets individually. It was still a pain to do this since access to the front of the case is so restricted. The left one went on pretty easy, but the right one was a pain. I had to loosen the upper bolt from the bracket and pivot it to get the damper mounted. Then I pivoted the bracket/damper back up and was just barely able to fit a small socket in there. The oil filter is in the way. Taking it out would make this a much easier task. But I don't have a tool for taking the filter off yet. I finally got them and the bar mounted after an hour of damned tedious work. Glad I'm done with that.

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With the bar mounted I went ahead and fed the front shift rod into the tunnel through the new bushing. No pic of this. I'll take one next time. Next step is to remove the transaxle. Before I got too deep into that I decided to drain the gear oil. The first minute was dark brown and opaque. Looked pretty nasty to me, but I really have no idea what I'm talking about, so it could be okay...who knows?

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The magnet had some filings on it. But nothing big (what's big anyway?)

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While the tranny drained I started disconnecting stuff. First the speedometer cable. I loosened the light colored nut here. Discovered it was a left hand thread before I destroyed it thankfully.

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Then I unbolted the CV joints.

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Removing the reverse light switch. Add this to the shopping list. This looks like its been at the bottom of the ocean for a century. Weird, since the boot is in great shape.

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Then I disconnected the three wires going into the starter motor solenoid (I think that's right, right?)

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Two nuts and a washer came off the end of the clutch cable, which allowed me to pull the cable from the lever.

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The center nut in the middle of the clutch pulley allows the pulley to come off and the cable to detach from the transaxle.

Tomorrow I hope to get the tranny removed completely. Then the real fun begins.
Get the popcorn, because this greenhorn is about to crack open his first transmission.

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Wonder why you had to cut out that access hole in the tunnel? When I converted my '71 to a side shifter MANY years ago I didn't have to do that.


When adjusting the shift rod, if you experience difficulties, Tangerine makes a slick part that allows easier adjustment- check Tangerine Racing website...

watch out on the reverse light switch. There should be a small rod in the hole that pushes into the switch to activate the switch. Look in the hole in the trans to see if it is still there. If it is it may fall out and you won't notice it.

Looking good!

Brad is a great guy and will always takes good care of people. I messaged you back about the DVD. Ill help however I can.

Great info! I read about that in the Haynes manual, but sort of spaced it out. Going to fetch it now.

Thanks Dr. Evil. DVD ordered, $ sent.

Had an hour today to fiddle with this. First up, I loosened the four bolts holding the front end of the trans to the engine.

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Then supported the trans and engine. I later swapped the jack and block of wood so the jack was under the engine. Gave me more adjustability.

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Then I unbolted the rear trans mounts.

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Then with some help from my brother and a few rearward tugs, the trans was out.

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Next up, evaluating the condition of my pressure plate, friction disc and flywheel. Something tells me they need a little attention....

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Moving along....I removed the side cover plate which is attached to the fork piece.

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I tried lifting the intermediate plate out of the case, but it would lift up maybe 2 inches before encountering resistance. I called Brad Mayeur and he said to press the end of the shift rod for 2nd/3rd gear a little bit (the lower one that just protrudes out the int. plate, just above the rod for 1st/rev). I did that and the whole plate and guts lifted right out. Awesome!

With the gears out, I could disassemble the internal shift rod by removing the cotter pin and driving out the pin. This was a little tricky. Thankfully I had a helper to hold the rod steady while I drove it out with a punch and hammer.

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With the intermediate plate out I carefully measured the two gaskets from a section of the casting that fell between the bearing surfaces to get a good measurement from gasket that had not been compressed. It was still a bit tricky. One round of measuring showed one shim at .005 and one at .004. Another round of measuring showed .004 and .003. So I'm not sure what I've got here. I'll try again. Not sure what the tolerances here are, as the Haynes manual doesn't mention this. I'll do a little searching.

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Here's my pinion gear. Looks really nice to me. But that's probably just wishful thinking. I'm heading out to the garage now to take my flywheel off.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RYFn5VvpZ4U

Hard to tell in the video, there looks to be some material missing on the teeth face. Normal wear. You will have a hard time finding a perfect R/P that is 40yrs used. If you are not blasting lots of power through it then it is fine. Gasket tolerance is +/-0.03mm. Consider that is with new bearings in perfect shape. Used bearings are going to have some serious play so close enough is good for the gaskets. Consider that the kits only come with 0.24-25mm gaskets, you get as close as you can with that and roll with it. Sounds crazy, I know. Next question would be, "What if you change to new, tight bearings?" Well, there are other size gaskets that you can order. Also, there are shims under the pinion that you adjust. Now, you can rebuild the box using the standard kit with the 0.25 gaskets, get close enough, and things are all good. How? My only educated guess is that the R/P are worn and the tolerance on them is much looser than new which allows for there to be wider tolerance range. What happens if you are not spot on? Noise. What happens in an old transmission usually? Noise. So, you can be pretty bold in assembly if you just get real close. Thats kind of a gist of the stuff mentioned in the DVD.

Thanks for the info. As for recognizing noise, I have very little experience with the 901 tranny (I've driven three 914's, and a 71' 911S) and my own car has dual 40IDF Webers and a loud exhaust. I guess I could try coasting downhill in gear off the throttle to hear the possibly noise. I can see myself making improvements to this car little by little, and now that I've removed the transaxle once, I'm not afraid to do it again. I'm going to have the tranny looked at by the gents down at Stalltek next week, get some experienced eyes on this thing. Can't wait to get the DVD and learn more.

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I did get the flywheel off this morning after making a quick and dirty locking plate. I like not having to deal with a 300lb. torqued gland nut! The five bolts came off relatively easily with my breaker bar.

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Cleaned up the flywheel and put a straight edge across the face. Wow. No wonder my clutch didn't feel very grippy. I hope I've got enough trough at the perimeter for a resurface. I was hoping to not have to buy a new flywheel.

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Dropped my flywheel off this morning, got it back the same day!

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I just resurfaced mine for my six conversion. For $40 bucks there's no reason not to. Also replaced the bearing. It's just a couple dollars.

Things to consider:
1) Was the flywheel finished to within spec?

2) You may need to grind down, ever so specifically, the tops of the new flywheel bolts as the clutch disk will sit closer to the crank and will often hit the bolt heads after an aggressive resurface such as what looks like you needed.

3) You will need to put another washer under the pivot ball. Use teflon tape as the threads with two washers will seep oil pretty easily.

Specs

One thing I spotted early on--one of the wires going to the interior light is always "hot". So either disconnect the battery or tape up the black wire so it doesn't short to ground.

--DD

I didn't get off quite so cheap. Mine was $73. But I ain't complaining!







I disconnected the batt. But I'll remember that!

While studying the good Dr.'s DVD I've been trying to examine my trans without taking it completely apart. I'm just not ready for that yet. So here's some things I've observed so far.

First gear dog teeth look to be nice and pointed.

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Here's another grouping of teeth. The synchro ring is worn.

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The 1st/rev slider teeth are definitely worn in comparison.

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And here are the 3rd gear teeth.

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And here's a video of my pinion shaft. What do you think of the play there?


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E_7_PfFhaYI

Amen on Tangerine's products RE: side shift conversions

And Dr. Evil's work is unparalleled in the rebuild of the 901 area. You can pluck the gear stack and he will tune that up to spec and with a little educated effort, you can reassemble your gearbox after enduring his video set as a baseline edu.........

Who is the gal in Dr. Evil's Hollywood production?...

The dog teeth in those pics look pretty good.

One more thing to consider checking:
When I installed the side shift in a tail shift car, I also installed a rennshifter.

When the shifter was in the extreme 4th/5th plane, the bottom of the lever on the rennshifter was dragging on the clutch cable tube.
I ground the side of the rennshifter a little and moved the shifter up 1/4" with an aluminum plate.

I was reminded of this when I was in my tunnel checking for a clearance issue where you cut into the tunnel above.
There WAS an interference at that point you identified, so I enlarged that hole a little towards the driver's side.
I used a 3" hole saw instead of your angle grinder above and had enough room to fit a 90deg porting tool in there.

Thanks for showing that or I wouldnt have known to check it.
I always could hear something rubbing beside the seat when I shifted it without the engine drowning out the sound

Wow! I helped somebody. Cool. I guess they are right, although slow and dangerous behind the wheel, senior citizens can still serve a purpose.

So what are we doing with a firewall boot for side shift conversions since neither style work with a conversion? I hunted around for a pic, but didn't find one.


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There was an article in Panorama many years ago on making an adapter plate to use the late style boot, I'll see if I can find it.

Found it

http://www.914world.com/bbs2/index.php?showtopic=88401

My Panoramas only go back to '92. Any chance you've got a scan?

See my post below for the much higher resolution scan of the August 1990 Pano article that includes an adapter diagram that enables the use of the sideshifter boot at the firewall.

Yer teeth are worn. Like saggy roofs. Look to the inner aspect, not the profile.

Your March 31st video shows visible end play on your pinion shaft. If you can feel end play, it is too much; if you can see the play, it is way too much.
The pinion bearing is probably turning in the intermediate plate and has worn into the retaining plate. The plate should clamp the bearing with about 0.08mm preload. The attached picture shows a clamping plate with wear on the mainshaft bearing retaining area. The mainshaft bearing turns first because it is not clamped well; the pinion shaft bearing follows. You need to replace the retaining plate and will probably the intermediate plate as well. Click to view attachmentClick to view attachment

Here are some more pictures showing indicators of loose intermediate plate bearings. You can see the wear signs on the bearing even though it is hardened steel. When the bearings start to turn, they only get worse.Click to view attachment Click to view attachment Click to view attachmentClick to view attachment

Aha, I get it. So not the shape of the gable end of the roof, but the condition of the ridge and the "roof surface".

I just got a new 1st gear syncro and slider set from Brad, so I'll be swapping them out.

Thanks for the tips oldie914. I'll look closer when I have everything apart.

Thanks for posting that. I'll have to hunt around for a boot now.

Got some deliveries past couple days. I have everything I need, except for the boot/cover at the firewall. If you've got an extra of either style, I'd be interested.

I grabbed my old clutch and hacksawed the rivets out, then had a friend weld up a drive shaft tool ala Dr. Evil. I see a welder in my future...

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I've decided to replace 1st gear, 1st /rev slider and syncro band with a good used one from Brad Mayeur. So first step is to get the shift forks and rods off, along with the detent assembly. If you're a rank beginner like me, and you're reading this sometime in the future, just do yourself a favor and buy Dr. Evil's DVD. I won't be covering the assembly of the side shift rods and forks here because he obviously covers it better than I ever could. Plus, it's already a pain to try and shoot cell phone pics with gear oil all over my hands.

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Someone has cracked this tranny open before I think. They scratched the numbers of the gears into the bronze shift forks. Thanks for that, whoever you are!

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I was also surprised to see a Volkswagen symbol cast into the shift forks. Is this normal? I thought the 901 transmission was a Porsche product, same as the early 911's.

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Started getting tired, so I pulled off the tranny and did a little grunt work. Since my flywheel got .023" removed to resurface, I ground at least .023" off the raised rim of the flywheel bolt heads so they don't interfere with the clutch.

Tomorrow, if I everything goes well, I may get this thing put back together!

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Lots to report today. Here's my setup for taking off the pinion shaft nut. I found that it was better to turn so the pinion shaft was turning "into" the drive shaft. This helped prevent the two shafts from spreading. Of course the jig (Brad Mayeur kindly lent me one of his) helps this too.

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Here's my first gear. The dog teeth definitely look worse with the gear out of the stack.

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The new used gear and syncro from Brad.

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After replacing the gears I replaced the tail shift rods with the side shift rods. This was a tad finicky, but I actually enjoyed it. I spent a good 45 minutes getting everything lined up as perfectly as I could. I want this to shift sweetly. I followed Dr. Evil's steps from the DVD.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dj35Zq-tt98


The inner surface of the intermediate plate was kind of messy. Looks like someone had put some RTV in there at some point. It was really on the surface or the gaskets, just thin remnants mostly in the voids of the casting. I picked it all out with tweezers

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To prep the case for cleaning I removed the starter motor. The side with the long through bolt had a thin washer under it, but no washer on the stud side. I couldn't find this washer in my Hayne's manual. Any clues here?

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It felt good to do something brainless for a change. Tomorrow I may have this back together.

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Well, I guess I screwed up. Sort of half assed cleaned my case today by scrubbing off the thick sludge with mineral spirits and a brush, then sprayed that off with just water. I guess I missed that from Dr. Evils notes when I read them earlier this week. So now I guess I need to clean it all the way so the paint will stick. Cripes. What an idiotic mistake.