Spring in the tunnel of Automatic Stick Shift Beetle

[BIGMIKEY]

When I was disassembling my 1973 Beetle, Inside the tunnel under the shift coupler, I see this spring hooked to a tab welded to the bottom of the tunnel. The other end of the spring looks like it may have been hooked to a clamp on the shift rod. The car was formerly an Automatic stick shift. (All the autostick parts were gone when I bought it.) I've taken apart quite a few Bugs and never saw a spring there before. Never saw one mentioned here on the SAMBA either. Searching turned up nothing.

It looks to me like the spring puts tension on the shift rod keeping it rotated. Do any of you AS owners have that spring?

thanks;
Mike T

See the clamp behind the shift coupler.

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BIGMIKEY

Deserter Series 1 project.
https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=787047&highlight=

1973 Beetle Driver, Marina Blue.

[Q-Dog]

My autostick had that spring before I converted it to 4 speed.
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Brian

'69 Dune Buggy
'69 Beetle Convertible
'70 Beetle

[Raymond73]

My '70 has it installed. There's a diagram on the thread below regarding a '68 that has it.

https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=...highlight=

Edit: I knew I had a pic somewhere. It gave me quite a bit of trouble getting it reconnected.

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'70 Auto Stick Beetle
113 905 205AD
30 PICT-3

[BIGMIKEY]

Awesome. Thanks for the info. Now that I know what they're called I have found several threads with explanations. Funny, I have a 5 gallon bucket full of misc nuts, bolts etc. from all the VW's that have passed through my hands over the decades. Items 18, 19, 20 are in that bucket. The ones from my current '73 will get tossed in that bucket too.

Mike T
_________________
BIGMIKEY

Deserter Series 1 project.
https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=787047&highlight=

1973 Beetle Driver, Marina Blue.

[Q-Dog]

I used to run the spring on the 4 speed too. It makes shifts from 2nd to 3rd a matter of simply pushing the shifter forward. But downshifting took a little more thought to counteract the spring. Made it a little harder for those unaware to get the car into 1st gear.
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Brian

'69 Dune Buggy
'69 Beetle Convertible
'70 Beetle