Shifter Adjustment With Shift Lock

I’ve had a shift lock very similar to this one on my 61 Bug for several years now, and it’s been a trouble free unit. However, after changing out the shifter bushing in the tunnel and the shift coupler recently, I was unable to get a satisfactory shift pattern back after reassembly. I’d typically feel resistance going from first to second, no matter which way I adjusted the shifter. Finally, it dawned on me that I may not be getting the proper side to side adjustment needed to make the shifter work properly. I removed the shifter and lock, compared the holes on the bottom of the lock where the two bolts pass through that bolt to the tunnel against the adjustment plate (the piece with the reverse ramp), and lo and behold, the plate had wider holes than the lock. I Dremel’d out the holes on the lock to match the plate, reinstalled, adjusted, and I have smooth shifting again! No idea why it took so long for this issue to rear its ugly head, but I thought I’d offer this up in case anyone has encountered a similar problem with this shift lock type (and also because it’s so rare that I solve puzzles like this that I just had to brag a bit ).

Cheers,
-David

Last edited by stereotype one (2011-06-02 04:22:10)