Shift Rod Bushing replacement - cheater method

[BLAU GEIST]

In the middle of swapping out the bushing on my 67 beetle, got the rod and couplers out no problem, cleaned it up, new bushing in with some grease, grease the rod a little, rod goes into the bushing bracket thing and is STUCK. It was really hot today and I was just dying in the direct sunlight so I hung it up after an hour or 2, I think I will try to get a good piece of PVC pipe and bang the thing in and if that does not work I will take it out and try again with the "cheater clip" method that I discovered via this thread.
Tried using a broomstick and that rod is not moving.

[trbugman]

If it doesn't slide in easily do not try to force it, you will bend the thin piece of sheet metal that the bushing goes through. Don't ask how I know.
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[Altema]

[JumpinJ]

Just want to thank everyone for this thread. I played with mine more than once since the end of July. Had a lot of interior rust to remove/treat! I used the PVC push tool method, though mine wasn't as tidy as the earlier poster. Tried the string, but it wasn't all that helpful. I also do not own a pair of ultra long needlenose pliers but discovered a pair of kitchen tongs that worked perfectly. I initially was unable to keep the clip propped open! Partly because my greased rod picked up lots of loose rust from the tunnel. I ended up losing the bushing and the clip in the tunnel and ordered a new set. I blindly used a wire brush in the tunnel to loosen rust, vacuumed that out (attached large clear tubing to my vacuum hose), and used Rust Reformer and paint in the tunnel. Aha, the re-ordered clip stayed propped open, and I was eventually able to get the first new bushing/clip out of the tunnel using the vacuum. I also discovered how great it is to have a smartphone to put up to the front opening and get photos of the inside of the tunnel!

(I still have a transmission issue, but my busted bushing is no longer part of the problem!)

[TwinkyZulu]

I can't for the life of me get the bushing to slide through the tab in the tunnel, I greased up the bushing but no matter how hard I push it doesn't want to fit!
Any suggestions?

[Brassneck]

Put the bushing in the tab first, without the rod, then push the rod through the bushing...should be easier. Make sure to put the ring clip on the rod too, so you can slide it up into three groove once the rod is through.

[TwinkyZulu]

Yeah, that's what I thought I should try

[bobnorman]

I did this just the other day, took me all of 5 minutes. As said, put the bushing (with ring) in first, then grease up the rod (I used white lithium) and push it through. I also ran some fine sandpaper down the rod to make sure there were no burs of any kind on the rod, and I went around the end of the rod (the part pushing through the bushing) with a light file to make sure it was chamfered ok.

It was a bit snug, but a solid push got it going, and once it was through the bushing and inside the tunnel I pushed it with a bit of 1.5 inch PVC pipe. some suggest tugging it along with pliers through the shifter hole, but I didn't want to leave any marks on it so I just pushed from the front, until it was almost all the way in, then pulled from the rear.
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http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=289807

[TwinkyZulu]

bobnorman, Brassneck

That way was 100x faster and easier 👍🏻 thanks

[Brassneck]

You bet! Nothing like having a solid shift, makes it so worthwhile.

Sounds like you figured it out...but in my haste in quick reply, I wrote to put the ring on the rod...I meant the bushing...and there's that trick to keep it held open on it's "edges" so as to simply twist it and it snaps shut in the groove. Very easy.

Glad you got it on there!

[bobnorman]

Glad it worked out!
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http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=289807

[carguy4]

Well I have gone and done something that is beyond my capabilities and need some help from you guys. In an effort to see where the shift rod bushing was located I removed the shifting rod, spring and plate and saw where it was located, found this thread (great information and detail on how to replace bushing) but this is something I think I will leave to my mechanic. So when I went to put everything back together I didn't pay much attention to the plate and not realizing that one side had a bent tab and the other didn't, so I guessed and put it in one way and there seems to be a lot of play in the shifting rod and very difficult to find the right gears. So before I take it apart and try another way I thought I would ask the experts if there is a correct way to install the plate, (should the tab be on the right or left?). Thanks in advance.

[EverettB]

Top version with the larger angled piece on the right side.

But you still have it flipped over.

Earlier version without the piece on the left but the right side should be angled up

Another view of an even later plate

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[carguy4]

[Olli from NJ]

Has anyone used the oil impregnated bronze bushing that is available ? I ordered one. The site has a couple of very good shift rod removal/install video links.
http://ev4unow.com/VWShiftRodBushing.html

Olli

[Mrfun2fly]

Do all year ghia's have this shift rod bushing?

[Vladiiiii]

I don't think of that as a cheater method whatsoever

This is the cheater method :

http://www.bugaru.de/eme-schaltstangenfuehrung-fuer-vw-kaefer/

It's a 2 piece bushing, which you put in without taking out the shift rod. through the shifter opening. The text is in german but you get the idea (maybe use Google translate?), you destroy the old bushing, get the lower part of the new bushing in place.
After that you put the top part with the indentation facing up, and you screw the thread part in the indentation, keeping the bushing well in place. So instead of using 2 bolts to hold down the shifter housing, you use one bolt and one nut for this threaded insert. It is really simple and makes the Job quite easy. Shifting like a new car, with 10-15 minutes of work at max.

The burning question is if such a thing is also sold/manufactured "over the pond". Taking the measures from the original bushing, maybe someone can make a 2-piece PVC (Polyurethane) bushing. OK, it costs 30 euros over here, but makes life really easy and shifting very enjoyable.

Best regards

[sputnick60]

Possibly you are correct but is that part easily available? Further, wouldn't a zip tie be more secure because tape will perish over a short time.
Nicholas
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[John Moxon]

[Mrfun2fly]

I have a 60 ghia, shifting feels like its metal on metal. How do I know if mine gets the shif rod bushing or not?

Thank you

Lee