I have a 72 914 with 1.7 eng. It has the long shift rod that goes all the way to back of engine / trans . The previous owner has placed about 4 heavey duty wire ties around this junction and I assume they are taking the place of some type of bushing that may be missing ?? Is there a bushing that goes here ? Is it hard to replace ? It shifts ok , a little sloppy but I am sure it will improve if I can get what is supposed to be there replaced. Any help is appreciated. Thanks

Tail shift linkage

and Tail shift adjustment

those links should help you out a lot, I'm not sure where you mean..

if you have a tail-shift, I would watch for a cheap side-shift to upgrade... you'll need the tranny, all linkage, the engine bar, and the outer engine bar mounts.

Are the covers for the shift rod end still available?

The stock 72 setup has a whole mess of bushings that need to be correct and in good shape.

Call GPR and order a complete bushing package. Do them all, then check the shifter adjustment to get the best out of your stock setup.