Need help with 5 rib manual transmission

[CME__]

Hello,
I have been unable to find any helpful resources with this problem due to how niche it is, so I am reaching out to the VW wizards on the Internet as a last resort before I call the shop.
The transmission (manual 5 rib from mid-‘74 Baywindow) suddenly had issues shifting out of nowhere. No grinding or growls. Shift pattern just went from an H-pattern to a O-pattern when I went through an intersection. I managed to limp it home in third gear. (R.I.P. clutch)
My first thought was the shift linkage. Everything was looking good, motion was getting all the way back to the coupler (as much motion as possible, considering the circumstances) and I knew I was in for a journey. I disconnected the shift rod at the end of the hockey stick and tried to move it around. Completely stuck, zero movement inside the nose cone.
So here’s where I’m stuck: I’ve pulled all the bolts off the nosecone, and I pulled the reverse switch out, and I drained the gear oil, but I still can’t get the dang thing off. I’ve seen videos of guys working on these transmissions, but they just whack it with a mallet after pulling all that stuff and it pops right off. It’s definitely not a stuck gasket, it’s way too stubborn for that. It feels like I missed a bolt, but I’m certain I did not.
I know it’s a long shot, so any help is appreciated. How do people get inside the 5 rib nose cone?

[GS]

Could be the ball inside the nosecone.
Got pictures of the situation?
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1971 Baywindow westy m-plate
1972 Bug

[RLFD213]

Sounds like maybe the hockey stick came out and is jammed against something. You can try and tap and pry the nose cone off of worst case take a dremel and cut it in half. Either way you’re gonna have to get in there and see what happened.

[lil-jinx]

this may help,you say you removed the bolts,was it really bolts or nuts on a stud,often times corrosion will build up between the stud and the flange hole,making it very hard to remove,taping gently around the stud mayb free it up,sometimes heating the stud/ flange and quenching it quickly with water will soften the corrosion.
https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=...highlight=
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https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=620186
https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=668799
1974 Bay Westfalia. she likes to be called Ethel.
1968 Dune Buggy sold dec 2024

1974 parts bus
A smart man learns from his mistakes,a very smart man learns from other's mistakes.

[timvw7476]

if it is stuck it is the stick loose, the ball socket or bracket . The bracket likes to crack after the third decade of use. Right at one of the bolt holes.
It might mean pulling it all to get access.

[CME__]

All right, y’all were right once again. I looked and, sure enough, there was a nut hiding beneath the crapload of gunk on the nose cone still holding it on. Also, as one of you pointed out, the bracket holding the gear selector pin was in fact broken. (It’s well past it’s “third decade” best-by date ) here’s a photo of the situation inside the nose cone:

Are these brackets easy to find online, or will I have to spend a day at the junkyard?

[timvw7476]

As far as brackets I would use a fab shop & weld up yours.
Or have them fabricate one for you.
Finding one in the junkyard means it is bolted to a transaxle with a $2,000 core charge. As in you'd buy the whole trans if you were to come across one out there..... boy that would be N I C E . But its 2025. : l