So I have a 1/1/72 1.7L with a slightly sloppy shift (what's new) so I ordered some bushes and dismantled the shift only to find somebody had beaten me to it and it was fine. BUT putting it back with the right alignment is proving difficult, I can get some gears but not others, is there a tip on putting these things back with the correct alignment? Why did I touch it? I note in the Haynes manual I appear to have the later shift, the one with 2 springs which seems odd. Any tips gratefully received.

I’ll do my best, but first…What springs? Pic is worth, well you know. Originally mine was a 1972 1.7L Pics to come.

Click to view attachment

Ok, the adjustment is the bracket that holds the bushing for the shift rod, all the way at the tail. Where the bracket bolts to the trans, if those are loose you can move the shift rod end inside the cage it sits in. Up and down and side to side. That is the adjustment. To start, try to match what you see in the pic, this has 1 through 5. when adjusting have the bracket fasteners snug, so you can move the bracket with a bump, but it will not move on its own.

Thanks for the photo, very useful. See my photo of gear shift (with 2 springs), I'm hoping not to have to get under the car as it was working OK before I took out the gear shift and it's more an issue of how to align it as I put it back. Any ideas?Click to view attachment Click to view attachment

Ok, so your car is a 72. That shifter is stock, with two springs, not unusual. What is unusual is that shifter is out of a later 914 with a side shift. Can you give me a pic of your transmission where the shift rod controls the trans. Whether it is at the tail or on the drivers side of the trans.

Click to view attachment

The shifter shown is the one on the right. If you indeed have a tail shift it would be the shifter with the ball on the end. Whole different setup.

Click to view attachment

I added a two springs, but stock is two.

Filthy. Clean the shifter assembly. Hard to tell…is the detent/1st reverse plate 180* out? As previously noted, post a picture of where the linkage enters the transmission. The differences between tail and side shift setups are well noted in the Haynes manual.

Attached I hope a few photos of shiftClick to view attachment. OK looks like I can only send one at a time........more to follow

Click to view attachment

Click to view attachment

Click to view attachment Photo of actual car.

So its on the drivers side (see photo) so I guess it a side shifter, strange for a 1/1/72 model, does that mean it's been changed?

Side shift transmission conversion.

Do you have to change the whole of the gearbox for that?

Count your blessings. As said a conversion has been done. There is still a piece of the tail shift system left to fill that hole.

No, but that would be the easy way. You can also buy the pieces, take your trans apart, borrow, buy or rent the tools and do it yourself. Dr Evil here has an instruction video on how to do the trans work.

Side, shift linkage enters on the driver side of the trans case. Tail, linkage operates a rod that enters the bottom of the back end of the trans. Photo Post #3. Entire linkage is dif for the SS. As is the dr side warm air guide. See if you can source a Haynes manual. The SS linkage uses 2 set screws. They are typically considered a one time use item. Beware when they back out on their own, near impossible to shift.

Which gears are you getting; which are you not getting? Apologies if you mentioned this later in the thread.

There are MANY threads on here regarding shifter adjustment and methods. Here is my quickest answer. Part numbers are referenced to the typical side shift diagram found here http://www.914world.com/bbs2/index.php?showtopic=96903

1) All bushings have to be in good shape, one at firewall, one back aft at what I call the console
2)The two cone screws (26,23) have to be IN THEIR FACTORY DETENTS and tight
3) The bushings in the coupling (26) have to be good
4) There is one other bushing back in the shifter selector in the console under the black plastic cover (25). Access to this requires some disassembly. 50/50 chance it is good
5) If these are all good, then the easiest way I know to get it right is to take off the little access plate on the tunnel ahead of the firewall. This gets you access to the shift shaft (30). loosen the bolt (1) at the shifter coupling (19) through the access hole in the back of the shifter base (18).

Put a set of needle nose channel locks on the shaft (30). Twisting the shaft in relation to the coupler (19) makes adjustments to the 1/R, 2/3, 4/5 planes. Adjusting the shift shaft (30) fore and aft relative to the coupler (19) makes adjustments in the fore aft planes 1/3/5 and R/2/4 planes.

If you understand that, and take the time to understand how these fore aft and twisting motions operate the aft coupling (24) to shift the trans you can figure it out.

the fore aft adjustment is pretty easy. The longitudinal adjustment is trickier and adjustments of one spline +/- make a difference. It will take some trial and error and thinking through it to get it right.

I suggest that you remove the plastic cover (22) and see how the aft coupling (24) moves to select gears. Once you do that and understand it, Loosen bolt (1) and then you can manually move the aft coupler (24) to select a gear (I suggest 2 or 3), leave it in gear, and then put the cabin shifter (10) into the correct position against the spring shifter gate, re tighten the bolt (1) and see where you are, Make minor adjustments from there.

Good luck. Remember, It was designed to be adjusted by a human being.

Thanks guys all this has been very helpful and educative, you know I wouldn't attempt half of this stuff if this WEB site didn't exist. So I've cracked it with your help but I still have 2 questions left 1) When you say it's had a SS conversion do you mean the whole gearbox has to be changed? 2) The 2 extra springs on the gear shift making it 4 in total in the photo is that just to make sure you can't accidentally crunch into reverse?Click to view attachment

Not at all an authority but my guess is that most side shifts in early cars were just late Trans swaps, not conversions. Side shift 901 were plentiful and cheap and bolt in upgrades.

As for the 4 spring lockout - just one man's idea of an upgrade. Not seen often. The stock two spting setup, if in good repair works pretty well. Besides, it's hard enough just getting the two springs in there!!

Yes the four springs makes it harder to push the plate over. When going from 4th to 2nd or 5th to 3rd it will be harder for me to clip reverse or 1st. They used to sell a spring kit and there are a few here that went through the nightmare of putting in four springs. Two is hard enough. But I was going to fix as much as I could on the shifting this time around.

A crisp detent plate (and clean internals) in the shifter acts as a guide in the 2nd/3nd plane after the trans jumps out of R/1st. Speed shifting and banging gears in a 914 is a recipe for disaster. You should not be nicking gears.