TheSamba.com :: View topic

Tue Feb 09, 2010 8:48 am

Hi All,
Looking to replace the shift rod bushings on my '87. Currently, both the front and rear utilize the soft (and incidentally NLA) rubber type. Winter driving has be wreaking havoc on shift components, so I was hoping to convert the rear bushing to the later, better protected type bushing (hard nylon with 2 rubber boots). Van-cafe's site says the 2 types are not interchangeable, though I've only ever seen one type of the metal flange (which holds the bushing) available.

So...can anyone confirm whether these bushings are interchangeable?

Thanks!

p.s. I searched the archives on this...honest.

Tue Feb 09, 2010 8:59 am

The rear bushing is supposed to be the nylon, groved bushing with the two rubber boots on either end.

The front one is the softer, hollow bushing.

They both used the two bolted together metal plates to retain them.

Everything is NLA---
The boots,& both styles of the bushings.

I have a few sets of the stock, soft , hollow shift shaft bushings, which can be used in place of the nylon bushing & the rubber boots.
Somebody replaced the bushings in your van--this is why they are both the same.

The trick here is to load the inside up with no wash out grease to preserve them & make them last with the moving shift shaft inside of them.

This is the biggest reason they fail.
Petrolis Neglectus.

Tue Feb 09, 2010 9:07 am

Thanks for the response. The information I found suggested that up through 7/87, both bushings were the softer rubber type. My question is, if I wanted to convert to the hard nylon type (which a few vendors appear to still have in stock), will I have to swap any other parts?