Shift Linkage?

[on4now4]

I have noticed that it is extremely difficult to shift this car from third gear back down to second gear. It likes to either go into fourth or reverse.

In a normal road race situation i see how this would not matter because you are never going to leave third gear. but i like to autocross my car and plan to run some hill climbs next season. I really need to use all the gears.

Is there any way i can tighten up the linkage so that there will be less play? or am i just stuck because lets face it it is a vw trans and the setup just is not that great.

[sracing]

Due to the geometry and length of the shift linkage on most Vees this can be a problem. You will have to make sure that you have as little play (ZERO) as possible at every heim, apex joint or coupling that is in the system. And even a thin linkage bar can twist enough to introduce to much play. Then of cours, the geometry itself can exagerate all the above motion. It will take some time and good hardware to make it right. There is no catch all answer, since every Vee is different.

[Dietmar]

on4:

You did not state that you have a reverse lock out on your car.
This would eliminate going into reverse and also allow you to select second (without going into 4th).
If you already have a lock out, then an adjustment is probably in order, or as already suggested, get rid of any "play".

Hope this helps.

Dietmar
www.quixoteracing.com

[veefan]

If you need to replace the apex joints... they go for about $75 + each new OUCH

I've purchased a few from this guy... they are old mil surplus and in good condition... current 17.99 each free shipping. (he has listed them in the past for 19.95 buy it now)


http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/APEX-...item5d3074a272

[on4now4]

Well i went through and there were a few loose things... The shifting is drastically improved but there is still some room for improvement.

The U-joints seems alright but wow... why in the world are they so expansive haha

I will be modifying the linkage slightly to improve shifting thanks for the advice guys

[HayesCages]

Those Ebay ones are an absolute steal! The new Apex ones are around $100 each now... If you can use the 5/8" ID ones go for it!

[scorp997]

I've bought 2 from this seller, nice old stock. One thing to watch for (or ask to be sure) is if the inner bore is smooth or splined. I did get one that was a " 5/8" bore " and it was splined - the other was smooth. I do plan on using the splined one in a different part of my linkage after a little machining (it was REALLY cheap)

Those Ebay ones are an absolute steal! The new Apex ones are around $100 each now... If you can use the 5/8" ID ones go for it!

[Earley Motorsports]

How many would I need to make a shift linkage from scratch. I have no part of the linkage at all. Thanks.

[Hardingfv32]

Two maybe three depending on what is in the way. Make the shifter assembly and put it in position, a driver preference. Then make up the assembly that goes on the shifting shaft. One universal joint goes with this assembly for sure. You then try to connect the two assemblies with two shafts. The shaft near the trans axle can have small bends in it. A second universal usually ends up below the axle tube.

Brian

[Earley Motorsports]

Thanks Brian.
Graham.

[AVR_Shane]

If you need to replace the apex joints... they go for about $75 + each new OUCH

I've purchased a few from this guy... they are old mil surplus and in good condition... current 17.99 each free shipping. (he has listed them in the past for 19.95 buy it now)


http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/APEX-...item5d3074a272

Does anyone know the life span for these things?

[Hardingfv32]

Pretty much forever, as long as the rubber boot is not cracked and loosing lubricate. That is really the issue with older used units. They are probably rubber and can be prone to cracking because of age.

New units us silicon type boot.

Brian

[mwihite]

anyone know how to get a reverse lock out and how it is installed? Thanks.

[veefan]

Here is a pic of a home made one.

[Tiago Santos]

I guess it's fitting that this thread came back to life I seem to be having a lot of trouble with my shifting. I think part of it is the way the linkage was built originally, and part of it is not enough clutch travel (cable clutch).

I think I can fix the clutch travel, but even when that wasn't a problem, the shifting was never all that great. I've tried other cars and the shifters moved easily and smoothly, my car only changes gear with a bit of a bang. It takes enough force to move in and out of gear that finding neutral is a pain in the butt..

Anyone care to post any pictures of what they think is a great shift linkage design? Just wondering if I can get some good ideas that I could possibly implement on my car.

It's possible that the problem is just worn out joints or something, but even so, I think this can be improved.

[FVRacer21]

What type of car do you have and can you post pictures of your linkage?

ChrisZ
Citation 84V

[mwihite]

any other pictures of reverse lock outs?

[jwolf]

any other pictures of reverse lock outs?

Mine has an after market shifter with a lock out.

http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fb...3&l=a05374f59a

[Steve Davis]

The BEST reverse lockout will be one that mounts at the trannie nose instead of the shifter end. Ones at the shifter end don't address all of the sloppiness in the linkage.
In my case, I was able to mount a simple 1/4" tab abount 2 inches long on the rear trailing arm mounting plate. It is just beneath and behind the hockey stick. (I sold the car and don't have a pic, but will try to explain).

This is as simple as it gets and it's VERY effective (see attached rough drawing).

I drilled a hole in the tab and threaded it. Drilled a hole in the plate and threaded it. Run a bolt through the tab THROUGH the plate - leaving the tab 'snug' but not tight against the plate (so it will rotate), then put a lock nut on the bolt beneath the plate to hold it in place. The tab doesn't HAVE to be threaded, but it seemed to me to make it less sloppy. (You COULD get REALLY sophisticated here and use a real BEARING.)

The tab needs to be thick enough to take the load of the shifter clamp extension so that it doesn't bend when the extension hits it (3/16 plate at least I'd say - to be safe). The geometry isn't shown clearly (I can't draw worth a crap), but when the cable is pushed IN (extending the cable) the tab will rotate out of the way of the clamp extension, allowing the shifter to reach reverse. The rotation point of the tab has to be BEHIND the most rear extension of the hockey stick so the tab will clear when you go into reverse. When the cable is shortened (the normal position), the tab rotates underneath the clamp extension so that it HITS the tab when the trans is in position to go into 2nd (or first). The clamp will slide along the tab, so they need to be in the same plane (parallel). Add an adjustment bolt to the clamp extension to provide some adjustment. In my case, it just happened to come out PERFECTLY .

With some ingenuity, this mechanism can be rotated into any orientation to take advantage of whatever you have to mount to.

I'll leave it up to you how/where to mount the push/pull end of the cable. (you can get a cable at a bike shop, or order them online from various places).

Hope this helps,
Steve, FV80

[mwihite]

Thanks for the lock out idea. I guess as long as I can prevent the linkage from rotating to the "reverse" postition while still giving me the 1st/2nd gate it should work. Seems to me to fab something at the trans would work better than at the shifter. I'll have to look at my trans to see how I can fit a "tab and stop" along with a method to "bypass" the stop. I alway like a challenge!!

[FVRacer21]

I saw a great design that was an external version of the Hewland/Webster lockout plunger. I never got a chance to take a picture.

It clamped onto the transmission housing and was spring loaded. I will try and do a sketch unless someone has sen this and has a good picture.

ChrisZ

[HayesCages]

It's not really that difficult; your linkage needs to have NO play in it at all to start with. Even if you use 3/8" socket U-joints (if your cheap like me..or use Apex joints if your not cheap) you can attain this by removing the pins and replacing with AN bolts so you can set the tension on them to take out any slack. You want NO slack.
I've used both lock-outs; the one at the shifter seemed to work the best, the spring loaded one at the box seemed to have more problems.
The one mounted at or near the shift handle just needs to be on some kind of pivot so you can swing it out of the way of the shifter travel to allow you to move the shift handle into the R position.
The picture shows this pretty well but doesn't show the actual moveable part.
This 'arm' needs to have some amount of shims on the center bolt to allow for adjustment. The center bolt is left slightly loose so you can lift the arm up to move the gear change lever into the R position.
Always remember to use the KISS method when possible
Hope this helps,
Lawrence