The rod bushing is a nigglesome job alright. But you are doing a heater
channel replacement. That would have to be the toughest job in a
restoration. Most people give up short of that!

Randall Brink

"dragenwagen" > wrote in message
...
> congrats... that simple little piece can be a bear to replace....not the
> one
> in the back but the one just behind the shifter.
>
> --
> ************************************************** **************
> dragenwagen
> 1966 Type I - Daily Driver
> 1969 Type I - Undergoing heater channel replacement
> http://www.ramva.org/dragenwagen
> "Old VW's Don't Leak Oil, They Mark Their Territory."
> ************************************************** **************
>
> "Randall Brink" > wrote in message
> ...
>> For anyone who drives a noisy, vibrating, obnoxious-sounding, gear
>> shift-grinding Beetle, this story may change your life.
>>
>> Having replaced nearly every engine-related component in my bug, I was
> still
>> driving a car that drove me crazy. The noise made by the shifter was
>> annoying at all times and nearly unbearable at highway speeds. I finally
>> decided on Friday that I'd had enough and changed the bushing.
>>
>> Pulling the rod was exactly like the instructions set forth at:
>> http://huelsmann.us/bugman/ShifterTech.html. My thanks to Eric Huelsmann
> for
>> this very helpful treatise on the subject.
>>
>> Getting the bushing in was challengeing, but acheivable. I highly
> recommend
>> using the circle clip that was part of the original installation, because
> it
>> greatly helps to keep the neoprene bushing in the rod bracket while you
>> replace the shift rod.
>>
>> Anyway, after the project was complete and the stick shifter reinstalled,
> I
>> took the car out and WOW! a new VW wouldn't drive any better. Shifting is
>> buttry smooth. The vibrations and rattles are gone. I can actually hear
>> my
>> new engine purring. This one little project to replace a $1 part caused
> the
>> whole engine replacement/restoration to finally come together.
>>
>> The reason for the amazing transformation is that the shifter rod rests
>> in
> a
>> round metal bracket just behind (toward rear of car) where the shifter
>> couples to the rod. An old, brittle or missing bushing causes the
> vibration
>> and noise from the engine and transmission, the road, etc. to be
> transferred
>> into the shifter rod, which I belive is a hollow steel extrusion. The
> result
>> is noise just beyond the threshold of psychic pain.
>>
>> Heading out onto the road...
>>
>> Randall Brink
>>
>>
>>
>
>