Sloppy shifter fix avialable ?

Giday, lads and ladies. I'm totally new to the Speedster thing having just bought Ami Pelly's ride and driving it home 3,056 miles to Ottawa, Canada. The shifter seems a bit vague / sloppy but maybe this is typical of the type ? Is there a kit to tighten the shift pattern up a bit ? I was also thinking of bending the lever back a bit to get the business end a bit closer to me but would this effect the down push required to engage reverse ? Thanks...David Stroud

There are lots of options out there. Several of us have fallen in love with the CSP shifter for its robust construction and short, precise shifting. It's available with either a ball shift knob with a T-shaped trigger for reverse lockout, or a T-handle with a pushbutton like the Berg shifters. The Berg shifter is also highly regarded. Both of these are a bit pricey. There are less expensive shifters that are more precise than stock, such as the EMPI trigger shifter. I believe that this is what IM puts in all their cars. The key is to get away from the push-down-for-reverse bit that requires a spring and a loose shifter so that the whole lever can be moved. The trigger (pushbutton, loop, or other) allows the shifter itself to be more firmly located, resulting in a better shift action.

The CSP is available in the two handle styles as mentioned above. It can have a straight or angled shaft, and is available in a 40% or 60% reduction in throw length. Most folks think the 40% is more than adequate.

The cheapest route is a "quick shift kit" that fits under the shifter, changing the ratio of the length above and below the ball on which it moves. Those are about $10, if memory serves, but they still have the rubbery motion associated with the push down reverse lockout.

I loved my Berg shifter, but I didn't think the handle looked that great in a speedster. My new (rebuilt) Intermeccanica Roadster will have a CSP shifter. They may be expensive until you think about how many times you shift gears.

David- Just installed a straight shaft CSP with 40% reduction. Such a drastic improvement over mushy push down that was in the car when I bought it. Down shifting is so much more solid. Driving is just more enjoyable. Hope you find what you want. Bob

Here are a couple of pics. The first is the CSP as first installed, using the nice leather boot that comes with it. The second shows how it looks now that I've gone to ivory knobs and switches, and have a boot that matches the rest of the leather in the car.

Weren't some using the Black Mamba shifter too? $295 so right up there. CRHEMI had it in his Speedie and shifts were precise and tight.

http://www.thesamba.com/vw/classifieds/detail.php?id=680558

May find some help with these links:
http://www.glenn-ring.com/tech/bushing_replace.htm
http://www.shoptalkforums.com/viewtopic.php?t=18781&start=0&postdays=0&postorder=asc&highlight=

My old Berg shifter was a 60% shortie. The shifts were lighting fast and very precise, but it was almost too much of a good thing. The lever moved such a short distance that I often didn't think I'd completed the shift to the next gear.

That's why I like the 40%.

Go to a local library and look up the back issues of "Dune Buggies and Hot Vws (?)" Somewhere between Jan 2010 and the current issue, they did a comparison test of about ten different shifters for VWs. They installed each shifter, evalulated it and gave the price. Complete with pictures. Can't remember which issue, sorry.

So this guy buys a 1983 IM and has a vague shifter (DUH!) and you guys are all trying to get him to spend over $300 for a new shift lever that he probably doesn't need and probably won't solve his problem????

.......Geeeeeeeeeez!!

Dave:

Remove your current shift lever and set it aside, along with any associated hardware on top of the tunnel (lockout plate, bolts, etc).

Look down through the shifter hole and towards the rear and you'll see a bracket hanging from the top of the tunnel. It should have what's left of the shift rod bushing in it - a plastic sleeve with a 1" dia. hole in the middle of it. Order a new one from Cip1 or CB or somebody and replace it. That should cost, maybe, $5 bucks plus shipping. Pull out the old one with needle-nosed pliers and replace the new one the same way. That, alone, should fix a lot of the sloppy linkage....

Search around and see if anyone still offers a nylon cup for the front of the shift rod - it's a thin nylon cup that slips into the cup on the front of the shift rod to eliminate the slop between the cup and the ball on the bottom of the shift lever. Put one of those in, too.

Lastly, the original Porsche shift lever had a gentle bend in it to be more convenient to the driver than the VW shift lever (but, then, the Porsche seats were mounted farther back and lower than a VW, too, right??) So.....See that locating pin sticking out of the side of the shift lever ball at the bottom?? See where it slips into the slot in the shift rod cup to keep it oriented "straight"? Orient your shift lever in a vise such that it is "straight" and then put a gentle bend in your shift lever towards the rear. I often use one of those concrete-filled lally columns in my garage as a convenient bend radius for a shift lever - seems to be just about "right". Just figure out where the "front" of the lever is and bend accordingly. You won't even need any heat. I just hold it horizontally on the far side of the lally column and pull the ends toward me until it's got the "right" bend in it.

Total cost so far? About $10 bucks with shipping......

Gordon
The "el Cheapo" Speedstah Guy from Beaufort

Hi Gordon, "hope you find what you want" doesn't sound to me like a sales pitch. Just relaying my limited experience. Bob

Yes, and that's the point - if the shift rod bushing isn't tight, then even a Berg shift lever won't feel all that "crisp". All of those after-market shifters are great, but you should make sure that the fundamentals are up to snuff, first!

BTW: You should, after all these years, probably spring for a new rear shift coupler, too!!

g'nite!!

gn

Gordon-see the 2nd link to STF posted above; isn't that what you are talking about...?
(pictures too-wheeeee!)
Add-pix of Aussie (RHD) tunnel x-sect for a visual-this image was labeled as shown ('63) so consider this as a reasonable reference and do not know if an RHD tunnel config is mirrored but doubt it.

I did all that stuff on my TD a few months ago. Added the cheapo "quick shift" kit while I was at it. Made a huge difference. I can even get 'er into second gear most times now on the first try! I recommend this procedure to anyone who wants to have a good day.

David,
The bushing replacement on my 83 IM was literally hell on earth!!!! That said if it needs to be done than it needs to be done. The shift rod bushing is pretty straight forward, the HELL is the shift coupler and bushing replacement. It is a serious PITA to get to, or at least it was on my car. There is a 2x2" piece of steel (part of the subframe) that is right in the middle of everything.
The good news is you only need to do it every "once in a blue moon" so when its done you probably wont ever have to worry about it. Also, when it was done, and I also had an Empi trigger shifter, the shifting was sooooooo much better!!!

I'll be more than happy to walk you through it one step at a time as it's etched in my mind forever ;)

David, I would be interested to hear more about your "vintage BSA motorcycles."
Hoss

Who is that stranger in that BSA photo, and in what part of the 70's was that picture taken??

8>)

That was quite a while ago. As you can see, not only is the beard dark, but the hat is only a sprout, far from its current expansive growth.

Caption reads 1887.. ooops,that's 1997.

~WB

Gosh fellas, has retirement been that hard on me?

Lads, thank you all for the good info and pics. On the recommend of Henry from Intermeccanica I've ordered an Empi 4451 short shift kit and will look into the bushings etc. when it arrives. I won't get much else done to it this year as the weather is turning too cold to drive in another month and I've got to focus on the airplane project. Sure having a blast driving it though...3,750 miles in the
last three weeks including driving it home. The little bugger just hums along and at 70 mph it gets over 36 mpg US. I also equired to IMC to get a couple more latches for the convertible roof to windshield attach as it admits rain in the center area at high speed. Hoss, I sent you a few photos of my BSA's directly as they were too high resolution for my alloted file space till I make a donation which I will do shortly. I think it might be easy to make a couple of better fitting side windows over the winter too. Don't want to rip my existing frames apart right now so I'll probably make a set from scratch and just weld up a simple frame. Again, thanks for the shifter help.

All I can say is WOW,,,What an improvement. I checked the related bushings and all was ok so I just greased up the ball on the EMPI 4451 kit and it works perfectly on the first install...no adjustments required. Short, direct and pretty smooth is how I'd describe it...no fears going into second and reverse is direct and positive too. Keerikees.......now my Wife will be able to drive it (what have I done to myself ) DS.