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Square73 Samba Member
Joined: March 13, 2008 Posts: 246 Location: Ohio
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Posted: Fri Dec 02, 2016 6:38 am Post subject: Early 80's Shift Knob question. |
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Wish I had a picture, but I'm at work. Anyway, I was pulling some parts off an early 80's Rabbit. 4 speed manual. After getting the big stuff, I started pulling some smalls that were easy to get. When I got to the shift knob, it has R - 1 - 2 - 3 - E as the pattern. I'm assuming the E is for "Economy", but I've never seen an E on a shift knob before. None of the pics I've pulled up online have an E, always a 4. I doubt this is an aftermarket piece, as the Rabbit was bone stock all around.
Ideas ? Or have I led a sheltered life to have never run across one before ?
Thanks _________________ There's not a pill you can take. There's not a class you can go to. Stupid is fo-evah. Ron White |
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ps2375 Samba Member
Joined: April 24, 2014 Posts: 2471 Location: Meridian,ID
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Posted: Fri Dec 02, 2016 6:57 am Post subject: Re: Early 80's Shift Knob question. |
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That was prolly an 81 or later 4 spd. It has a wide ratio 4spd. 1st is the same as all the other trannies, but the rest are spaced out and 4th is about the same ratio as 5th in the "normal" ratio 5spds. |
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Square73 Samba Member
Joined: March 13, 2008 Posts: 246 Location: Ohio
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Posted: Fri Dec 02, 2016 10:49 am Post subject: Re: Early 80's Shift Knob question. |
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ps2375,
Makes sense to me. Anyone have the "official" word on what the "E" stands for ? I'm only guessing that it's "Economy" _________________ There's not a pill you can take. There's not a class you can go to. Stupid is fo-evah. Ron White |
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ps2375 Samba Member
Joined: April 24, 2014 Posts: 2471 Location: Meridian,ID
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Posted: Fri Dec 02, 2016 11:14 am Post subject: Re: Early 80's Shift Knob question. |
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That's it, remember, this is at the end of the first "Gas Crisis". |
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mk13nb Samba Member
Joined: November 17, 2016 Posts: 13 Location: Winnebago, IL
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Posted: Fri Dec 02, 2016 12:46 pm Post subject: Re: Early 80's Shift Knob question. |
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My 82 truck came with a 4+E shift knob. Some of the paperwork I have with the truck covers it. There is a brochure in the archives area under Formula E that covers it.
http://www.thesamba.com/vw/archives/lit/82forumulae.php |
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Square73 Samba Member
Joined: March 13, 2008 Posts: 246 Location: Ohio
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Posted: Fri Dec 02, 2016 1:11 pm Post subject: Re: Early 80's Shift Knob question. |
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Thanks everyone.
I assumed it had to do with the gas crisis, the documentation seals it. Even though it's a five speed, I think I'll put the "E" shift knob on my 82 Diesel. _________________ There's not a pill you can take. There's not a class you can go to. Stupid is fo-evah. Ron White |
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ach60 Samba Member
Joined: May 14, 2001 Posts: 4139 Location: Santa Maria
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Posted: Tue Jan 03, 2017 2:43 am Post subject: Re: Early 80's Shift Knob question. |
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I had a '82 Gas Rabbit with a 3+E.
The car had a shift light that's kind of a Pavlov's dog deal.
Unless you were at full throttle,
the shift light would light up telling you to shift to the next higher gear. _________________ Good Luck
Al |
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kamzcab86 Samba Moderator
Joined: July 26, 2008 Posts: 7892 Location: Arizona
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Posted: Fri Jan 06, 2017 3:29 pm Post subject: Re: Early 80's Shift Knob question. |
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ach60 wrote: |
I had a '82 Gas Rabbit with a 3+E.
The car had a shift light that's kind of a Pavlov's dog deal.
Unless you were at full throttle,
the shift light would light up telling you to shift to the next higher gear. |
Shift light existed through the 1987 model year and was for optimum fuel economy (basically, get to the highest gear as soon as possible). From '88 onward, economy shifting was up to you.
The base Rabbits in '84 had 4+E ("overdrive ratio"), while the GTI and convertible had 5 ("close-ratio"). By the '85 model year, 4+E was finally out the window. _________________ ~Kamz
1986 Cabriolet: www.Cabby-Info.com
1990 Vanagon Westfalia: Old Blue's Blog
2016 Golf GTI S
"Real knowledge is to know the extent of one's ignorance." - 孔子 |
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