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Coming home today after about 200 trouble free miles pulled off the highway tried to down shift to 3rd and had lost all foreward gears no grinding nothing. Reverse stll works perfectly Pulled the shift lever and see no issue there bolts were tight I did find a wire tie attached to the rod going to the trans any ideas?

Broke from the tow Richard
1957 CMC(Flared Speedster)
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Several related topics using SEARCH-https://www.speedsterowners.com/forum/readmsg.asp?t=5350

Tie wrap probably held the nylon bushing for the shift rod. I'd check the bushing - then the coupler under the inspection plate in rear seat area - then the bowden tube and arm on the trans. Does clutch still feel normal? - the cable stretches just before it eventually breaks (as individual strands let go).
Scott,

While I had seen the aussie site but I missed the STF thread, that is so clear, I feel more comfortable hacking into the tunnel now if I need to. (cup holders or something)

I used the SuperBeetles.com site for my clutch cable replacement and I think it is a super site for DIY's the pics are informative.

Wolfgang, the site you shared is also tops! I got a coupler in my extras box when I bought my D. I am sure some day I will need to replace the old one.

Thanks for the Links

Dave

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I wouldn't cut out any more than necessary to safely gain access or to give wrench or tool clearance. Make a mock-up out of cardboard and tape for an approximation if in doubt. I have read elsewhere that you may not have to completely cut out a hole. Assume a "square" cut: cut three sides, bend open at the "hinge" point, fix your main problem, bend back. Then weld cut lines or double-up the cut lines (overlap) then install heavy rivets. (You might even want to prep the edges with JB weld prior to riveting). All this runs a distant second to welding though-especially since the tunnel is a bearing member and is subject to torsional stresses.
Add-
Should go to an image of "pan shortening"-it's just a visual of tunnel modification which may be cause for a "light-bulb" moment. Good luck!
http://www.lightner.net/manxclub/images/tech-tips/shorten/short09.jpg?Removing+Vw+Floor+Pan+Tunnel+Section&
I have about 1" of the panel showing in front where the fiberglass meets the hump. Presume I have to cut the fiberglass to gain access to remove the panel. Thought I would make it a permanant correction to the design so if I need access later it is available. Do you think it is better to cut the area immidiatly above the hump where the fiberglass meets or come in from above where the "seat" pad sits?
Richard, when do you plan on the fiberglass surgery? I also have the same car as you and took out my transmission a couple of months back to change some gears. I had to cut out a piece of fiberglass to gain access to the coupler, and somehow managed to cut out just the right size. If you desire, I can take a few measurements and a picture to post. Let me know.

Chuck
As luck would have it, I even saved the piece that I cut out, so I do not need to pull my carpet back to get the dimensions. I left the hole open and just covered it back over with the carpet since the carpet is naturally stiff as it goes over the edge. If you want to recover the hole, the simple way to do it would be to cut a piece of aluminum flashing and use some sheet metal screws to fix it in place, with a little caulk for a good seal.

I used my sabre saw with a coarse tooth wood blade. You will find that cutting fiberglass will kill a sabre saw blade, so use a coarse one. I was very relieved when the piece was cut out to see that it was the ideal size to cut out to access the coupler, at least on my CMC.

The width of the piece is 3.25". The hole is centered over the hump and I used a grease pencil to lay it out. A Sharpie would also work. As I recall, after laying it out, I drilled a hole on the top side to put my sabre saw blade into to start cutting. Picture 844 shows the piece from the side, in the same orientation that it would be on the car. The top dimension from the front of the seat to the edge of the curve, is 2.25". Those dimensions should do it for your surgery. I did not want to cut out more than necessary, and this small hole allowed me to get a wrench onto the coupler and the small set screw for the tranny shifter.

If you need any other information, let me know. Also, Richard, please write up any difficulties that you encounter moving the shift rod forward all the way to where the front tire usually sits. I know that my car does not have a hole in that area and you will probably have to use a hole saw in your drill to open up a place. I think that I will also have to replace the shifter bushing, so hope to benefit from your experience.

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I guess we are not supposed to advertise on this site but a brag for CIP1 ordered Monday from CA and my parts just arrived in MS. Very good service in my book, looks like I'll cut and bolt come Saturday. I got under the car and mine does have the front access panel so pulling the shaft should not be a problem. Will let you know when I either get in over my head or am back in the madness!!!!
Nothing like a lost set screw with no wire retainer my coupling is just that a larger segment with 2 set screws. Now that that is taken care of..... HELP setting the shifter seems to be a real trick. can get 2,3,4 and reverse finding 1st is real trouble any suggestions get me a phone number and I,ll call for help. Nothing like being this close to madness and yet so far away..
land line 601-268-2887
cell 601-297-0351

thanks all
Richard

By the way try a rotozip to cut with fast and clean took 2 min to make cut out.
Uh oh..that may be troubling. The hockey stick(shaft that sticks out from trans.) in the nose cone operates the same selector shaft in the transaxle for 1st & 2nd. It pushes the shaft in for 1st and pulls it forward for 2nd. You could try loosening the shifter bolts and nudging the shifter about trying different positions to find a sweet spot that will select all gears. I'd initially try nudging it rearward.

~WB
Shifter Stop Plate Adjustment
(Reverse Lock-Out Plate Adjustment)


~~~

If you remove the shifter lever for any reason (e.g., to replace the shift rod bushing), you will need to readjust the stop plate. This adjustment is quite sensitive -- the slightest amount of maladjustment can throw things out of whack and cause difficulty when shifting gears.

Note: There are two styles of stop plate -- the older style has square turned-up ends which cup the base plate; the later style has round ends which are flat. With the later type, the stop place can move uder the baseplace more than the earlier type. Regardless of the design of the stop plate, the important thing to remember is that the stop plate must be reinstalled with the tabs oriented exactly the same way they were before removal. If the stop plate is put on backwards when you reassemble things, you will not be able to get the car into reverse.


Before removing the shift lever, put the transmission in neutral and mark the position of the stop plate in relation to the shifter flange to ensure proper alignment during reinstallation.


When removing the gearshift assembly, note how the shift stop plate underneath the main cover is oriented
You may wonder from Alan's well-detailed post where the shift lever is properly positioned before the stop plate is adjusted.

Well, the answer is wherever it feels comfortable to YOU. There is a good bit of slop allowed in both shifter base and stop plate, so you can kind-of position the lever where it "feels good" for you and then adjust the stop plate to accomodate.

This "feature" was to allow for different positions for different drivers, and the VW mechanics knew how to adjust the stop plate for proper shifts. You can actually move the shift lever up to 15 (sometimes more) degrees from one side to the other and front-to-back and still get it to shift OK (at least most of the time and without popping out of gear anywhere).

The reality was that they were all adjusted the same from a particular dealership (usually because the same guy did the adjusting in that dealership) and the owner/drivers, not knowing any better, got accustomed to however the shifter felt.

gn
Could use a little help on my rig - got the new to me gearbox in ( thanks Mickey ) and all is good using advise above but the lockout does not work right for reverse ( worked great before on my last tran - empi unit ) and when down shifting from 3rd to 2nd I take a real chance at hitting reverse - not a good thing.
1st gear is a bit hard to find as well.
Any further advise?
Thanks,
Dale
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