my recently purchased 73 "Teener" has a stiff feel to the shifter. also very short side to side throw. I have read and looked at a lot of pictures and articles on this subject. cannot not find any logical answer. also the stamped steel base for the shifter has a 1/2" aluminum plate underneath it. ??? of all the pictures I have seen, not one shows or mentions this plate. not even the Hayes repair manual. does anyone know what it might be for?? could that be the reason for the shifting issues I am having? tomorrow I will remove it and see what happens. thanks in advance for any and all replies. also, one more question. can anyone recommend a 914 shop in the San Francisco Bay Area?thanks again!

It is most likely a short shifter.

Yup- short shifter kit installed.

Thanks for the reply. So its a good thing then?? Im really itching to drive this car. I owned a 76 a few years back, absolutely loved it! Had to sell it for economic reasons. Hoping to get that thrill back!

Pro's and con's. I have one in my v8 car. It's nice not having to move the shifter fore and aft as far, but supposedly its harder on the synchro's, so don't speed shift it.

The springs that control the L/R movement and the dentent plate may have been replaced with the ones that came with the SS kit. Super stiff. Thicker. Overkill. Check the condition of the detent plate for wear on the lever contact point. More often than not the plates are spent. Do you have to push really hard going to the R/1 plane? Always grind a bit? Short shift" doesn't nessesarily mean 'speed shift'.

yes. 1st and reverse take a concerted effort. seems the higher the speed, the easier the shifting.You guys are great! thanks again for your thoughts on this matter! I am following the steps of a post I read here on changing out the worn bushings on the shifting linkage. I would like to put the shifter back to stock for a more pleasant shifting experience.