Shift rod hanger

[gerg]

Guys & gals - just doing a reality check before I start drilling - safe to say if my shift rod and bushing move up and down in the hanger the hanger is worn? I removed the bushing hoping it was bad but it’s as good as the day I installed it 10 years ago.

Can’t believe I didn’t inspect it before I built this car.
_________________
Gerg

. . . I got 99 problems and my bus ain't one . . .

'65 Sunroof Beetle
'65 Vert
'60 Singlecab

[toxicavenger70]

There should not be much side to side play at all.

[gerg]

Ya, I can lift the shift rod / bushing easily 1/8” or more. I’m fixing to drill the plate out.

Thanks!
_________________
Gerg

. . . I got 99 problems and my bus ain't one . . .

'65 Sunroof Beetle
'65 Vert
'60 Singlecab

[ashman40]

Did you confirm it is the bushing moving around in a wallowed out hole in the hanger bracket? I wonder if the 10yr old bushing has just worn on the ID and/or OD and now just moving around in a proper sized bracket opening?
_________________
AshMan40
---------------------------
'67 Beetle #1 {project car that never made it to the road }
'75 Beetle 1200LS (RHD Japan model) {junked due to frame rot}
'67 Beetle #2 {2019 project car - Wish me luck!}

[gerg]

Well, I can tell you the new bushing fits in the hole just a sloppy as the old bushing. And the old bushing looks identical to the new with respect to wear. It’s 10 years old, but the car has less than 10,000 miles on it. Rarely driven so minimal use.
_________________
Gerg

. . . I got 99 problems and my bus ain't one . . .

'65 Sunroof Beetle
'65 Vert
'60 Singlecab

[gerg]

Does anyone know what size that hole is? I could find something that is rigid in the same diameter for a second check.

I watched a video this morning and one thing that stood out was the fellow mentioned how snug the bushing felt when he snapped it into place. This is anything but that.
_________________
Gerg

. . . I got 99 problems and my bus ain't one . . .

'65 Sunroof Beetle
'65 Vert
'60 Singlecab

[gerg]

So - I managed to snap a picture. I seriously doubt the bottom half of this ring was that thin originally.

Can't find any pics of OG hangers . . I know the replacement is thicker, but not certain they are made exactly as OG . . other than the ID of the hole.

_________________
Gerg

. . . I got 99 problems and my bus ain't one . . .

'65 Sunroof Beetle
'65 Vert
'60 Singlecab

[ashman40]

One things I might suggest... place your bushing around the shift rod and with a caliper measure the OD of the groove the bracket sits within. This will give you an idea of the bracket ID the bushing will fit within. If your bracket opening is much larger, then a new hanging bracket may be in order.
_________________
AshMan40
---------------------------
'67 Beetle #1 {project car that never made it to the road }
'75 Beetle 1200LS (RHD Japan model) {junked due to frame rot}
'67 Beetle #2 {2019 project car - Wish me luck!}

[67rustavenger]

I'd replace the bushing hanger. Yours is worn from years of service.
New WW hangers are something like $8.95 plus shipping. Cheap and easy to install.
Old vs. new hanger,

Locate the spot welds around the hanger. And drill them out,

Align the new hanger in the tunnel and use the gear shift bolts to hold it in place. Yeah the new hanger is not perfect. but they work,

Weld the hanger in place and grind down the new welds and paint,

Make this cool tool to get the shift rod out and into the hanger and tunnel,

The whole process should take a couple hours to complete. If your slow like me!
_________________
I have learned over the years.
Cheap parts are gonna disappoint you.
Buy Once, Cry Once!

There's never enough time to do it right the first time. But there's always enough time to do it thrice.
GFY's Xevin and VW_Jimbo!

[gerg]

Very cool and thanks for the reply!

If that first picture is your old hanger, then this is kind of funny. I did a search for pictures on the samba and that one came up from 2004. When I went to look at the actual thread it looks like I was the first person to post against it asking you a question LOL

Anyhow I have a new hanger on the way, as well as replacement U.S. spec bumper blades as my also 10-year-old WolfsburgWest bumpers rusted / chrome flaked prematurely in my opinion. Luckily the over riders and uprights were fine.
_________________
Gerg

. . . I got 99 problems and my bus ain't one . . .

'65 Sunroof Beetle
'65 Vert
'60 Singlecab

[60ragtop]

The hole size in my new aftermarket hanger is 26 mm
_________________
Rick
Certified Mechanic by the State of Michigan in 1977
ASA certified in 1987
Certified Hunter Wheel Alignment Master Technician 1986

[scottyrocks]

[74 Thing]

You can use steel pop rivets too if you decide not to weld.

[scottyrocks]

[scottyrocks]

I've been researching pop riveting. I think what would work best are countersunk rivets. But I need to get an idea of how big the holes will have to be drilled before the old bracket releases from the tunnel before I buy rivets.
_________________
“If you care for a thing long enough, it takes on a life of its own, doesn't it? Mending old things, preserving them, looking after them – on some level there's no rational grounds for it.”
– D. Tartt, 'The Goldfinch'

[Pruneman99]

Only thing holding my shift rod hanger is the shifter bolts. It's been that way since I've had the car. Didn't find out until I needed to swap out the bushing. My welder was broken when I put it back together so it just went back the same way with just the bolts. Works just fine. Maybe I'll tack it in if I ever need to get in there again.

[scottyrocks]

Okay, that's even better to know, thank you.

So, do I just keep drilling with larger bits until the old bracket comes free?
_________________
“If you care for a thing long enough, it takes on a life of its own, doesn't it? Mending old things, preserving them, looking after them – on some level there's no rational grounds for it.”
– D. Tartt, 'The Goldfinch'

[scottyrocks]

I have tried a number of ways of inserting a new shift rod hanger bracket, and so far, none of them have worked.

It's too big to go through the hole it needs to be mounted to. It won't go in through the front of the tunnel (in one piece, anyway). It stops about 12 inches back from the opening.

And although it drops easily through the rear hole where the shift rod mounts to the transaxle, I cannot pull it all the way through to where it mounts (I'm using a fish tape, with a retrieval line at the starting point, made for pulling electrical cable though conduit or behind finished walls). It always hangs up on something.

Is there a steel plate in there with holes for the shift rod, and clutch and accelerator cables, or is it open all the way through? If it's open, will it even fit? If so, is it just a matter of incessant jiggling until it comes through?

In short, how does one get the new bracket into place inside the tunnel?
_________________
“If you care for a thing long enough, it takes on a life of its own, doesn't it? Mending old things, preserving them, looking after them – on some level there's no rational grounds for it.”
– D. Tartt, 'The Goldfinch'

[KTPhil]

I'm thinking you are hitting other pieces in the tunnel. It may take some fiddling to get past them.

[scottyrocks]