Has anyone used the Bronze shift bushings that are selling on e-bay? if so hows the install? our should I stick with the plastic?

I'm using this one,,

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Porsche-914...sspagenameZWD1V

Is this the bushing you're asking about?

It replaced a plastic one that was shot. It seems like I'll never have to replace this bushing again. It slips right in to the shift housing and is held in with a snap ring. It was really easy to install.

That looks like a nice product. He should make one for the firewall as well.

I purchased a similar product from GPR couple years ago and it works just fine:

Click to view attachment
Click to view attachment

If your side-shift housing is ovaled out (as mine was) from the previous bushing flopping & banging around, you might have to JB Weld it into place to ensure that IT doesn't do the same, causing a sloppy shifter.

The reason the firewall is not made is that each chassis varies in its dimensions there....

we had a firewall turned out of delrin.
you have to measure your chassis and have one made specifically for your chassis if you go this route.

delrin is argueably better than brass for this application.

partly the reason the factory plastics are soooo... hard to install.
they are one size (large-ish fits all)

brant

I see...

Paul, dropped this off at the PO about 30 minutes ago. Will be on its way in the morning. Let me know what you think.

Sorta funny that I found this tonight.

I made my own about 4 years ago for my side shift. Easy to do if you have a lathe. It's been in 2 tranny's and shows no wear at all.

BUT I had to hone it to get a good fit on the (sanded) shaft. I WAS thinking of offering this but I felt fit would be an issue. I measured several shafts and the spec was all over the place, mostly do to wear I believe.

I found that without a good tight fit brass was just a waste of time. The only way to make sure it fit every (any) shaft was to make it sloppy to start with.

I'd love to see the ID spec on this, my bet it's way too big on the ID, making it not much better than your worn out plactic one.

Oh...and notice that Rouser JB welded his OD into the hole in the housing... Do to wear these holes are also way out of wack. So I bet the OD is also sloppy.
JB weld is the ticket on the OD but when you do it put everything back together before it hardens

I made/ use bronze (oil-lite).. works dandy. Make sure you replace that piece of crap sitting (socket bushing) behind the clutch release fork. It is plastic and can/does collapse. It will drive you nuts trying to figure out why after tightening the clutch cable to it's fullest extent, you still can't disengage.... also made if from oil-lite.

I need one of these. I'm chasing down my shift into first issues, and it's down to this bushing and the shifter. I'll probably go rennshifter at the front end.

If I send an O.D. on my shift rod, anyone with access to a lathe that can make one up?

Bob (no idea of screen name) gave me a couple of these at Welby's house when we were working on Welby's car. He said that all shift rods were very close in tolerance and that he had no problem making them work and fitting them tight with one universal dimention, IIRC. I was skepticle so he picked up Welby's shift rod and showed me how well the bushing fit. I will likely JB one into my shift console. Some day I would like to make them custome if people could give me their dimentions. I have a lathe, but not time to learn it right now

Gary,
If this is particular area of the shifting mechanism is causing your problem then it will be painfully obvious. Go under your car, grab the shift rod right infront of the shift bushing onthe tranny and see if you can move it up and down/side to side. If you have any appreciable plat in it your shift console on the tranny is shot and you need to either get another console ( I have a good one and will trade you for the bad one + shipping) or try to JB weld the hole and re round it to the proper dimentions. You can try to install the bushing, too if you want, but you may not need it. I have a bushing that you can try if you choose that route, but I an in need of a worn shift console for a project that I am working on so a trade woudl be nice as well

I have some linear bearings and a section of 3/4" precision shaft. These are really cool. If I could work out a seal to keep out dirt I'd use them on my shift linkage.

I am one of the ones that purchased the bushings off ebay. They worked great, made a big difference in the shift. Thanks Jonathan..

Michael

I also made mine out of brass (not bronze). I expect it will wear out and I will repalace it with oilite. I didn't have any on hand earlier. My console was worn out. Looks like this is a very common problem. My solution was to mill the hole oversixe and make an oversize bushing. My bushing uses a "C" clip on the inside to hold it in place.

Sealing a linear motion bearing is available at this link or many others too.

http://www.nookindustries.com/pdf/LinearSeals.pdf

This is only one place. They have the seals where ever you got the linear motion bearings and shafts you have. There is also an option. Wiper seal which works good too. Always keep the shafts lubed or the bearings will create grooves in the shafts.

MikeCool

partly the reason the factory plastics are soooo... hard to install.
they are one size (large-ish fits all)

brant
[/quote]

Well, they're actually made in TWO sizes, early and late. There's a 3rd size, early car to late shift rod, but the OD is the same as the early car's. The OE parts are difficult to install because they have a huge lip that holds the bushing in place after it's installed. Given the relatively low failure rate, the degree of difficulty isn't much of a problem. The Cap'n

Available from Patrick Motorsports(duck...here comes a Z rant ) for $38.

I'm getting one for mine as my bushing has popped out twice, even after the JB Weld treatment.

Thanks for the tip. I'll give PMS a call tomorrow. Any thoughts on how to ream to 0.850 inches?

Hmm. The rod is obviously smaller in diameter than my bushing AND the bushing rattles around in the console. Maybe this is a/the problem? Not sure what the ID of the bushing should be. The O.D. of the rod is about 0.590"

If you figure that it rattling is basically the same as it not being there then it is shot.

Which option are you gonna go for? Replacing the console is easy, ya just need one O-ring. Of the bushings that I have seen, its been 50/50 loose to tight.

Gary, My new bushing measured 0.605". My shift rod is 0.603.

Your 0.590 rod sounds really worn... Measure it farther at the ends where there is no wear.

SMD

Sounds like a candidate for one of your special shift rods, S.

It's a rod fabbed for a -6. Further up the bar (that's proximal for you Dr. E) it measures 0.610. There's an obvious weld to the -4 bar about 5" from where it goes into the console. The bushing rattles in its hole too, so at least two things going on here. Ordered the PMS bushing today - more to follow when it gets here next week.

The biggest issue I see: worn out shift consoles. I have watched people install a new bushings and asked them WTF? buy a new shift console. If the new plastic bushing is rattling around, then it is a waste of time.

I have also seen the shift rods worn beyond belief. Measure it near the cone screw dimple. This area is inside the shift coupler and doesnt wear.

I have used these bronze bushings.. but really didnt notice a difference.



B

Brad,
You can't measure near the dimple under the aluminum arm, that part of the rod is a different diameter. Its stepped down to 0.580" just for that piece.

The best thing to do w/ a worn console (if you cant replace it) is to ream it oversize and make a matching bushing. Id use delrin or teflon over brass/bronze - limits wear to the easier to replace part...

SMD

I bought a brass bushing from Pelican and found that the shift rod was quite a loose fit in it. I measured the outer diameter of the shift rod, went to a hobby shop and found some brass tubing with a matching ID. The OD of the tubing was a good fit within the bushing. I cut a piece of tubing the same length as the bushing. Using a small propane torch I tinned the inner surface of the bushing and outer surface of the tube with solder, added flux and slipped the tube into the bushing, then flowed some additional solder joining the two pieces. I cleaned it up with a file and some sandpaper. Looks good and fits nicely. I used the C-clip but didn’t epoxy it in place in the console. I wasn’t sure if I should.

So, lesson learned - when R&Ring the shifting system, replacement of bushings is not adequate, need to make sure the bushings are tight within the bulkhead and tranny console, and the rod is tight within the bushings.