Just wanted to share some info on my B&M shifter install. I did a search but found nothing in the archive, which was quite surprising.

OK here's how it went ... my brother and I just installed the quickshifter. I was a VERY tiring job, and greasy too. Should take about an hour or more for DIY, but pro shops should be able to do it faster. Some pointers:

1) Grease the dust seal up really good to slip out of the original, and
slip over the bottom ball section of the new shifter. Use steady and slow
force. The rubber CAN expand, just needs slow and steady force. However if you tear it ... perhaps its better to buy a replacement just in case.

2) Clean your shift housing (on the car) properly. Some solvent wipe and
perhaps even light 800 grit sandpaper gently used will clean off years of
caked up, baked on grime.

5) Use NEW `top hat button' bushings on the shift connect rod (shifter to
transmission). These will really improve 'feel', if your current shifter feels sloppy.

6) Some thermal wrap on your exhaust section just below the shifter might
help a lot in extending the life of the shifter bushings.

The removal of the plastic bits inside the car is nothing special, just try not to scratch anything.

DRIVING TEST:

The feel has definitely improved. Shifter travel, surprisingly was not
reduced very much. I was expecting a drag shifter like the Gene Berg item on my friends Beetle. Compared to a Berg 40% shifter on a post-68 Beetle, the B&M is almost stock. But there IS some difference. The advantage of having a throw that is not TOO short, is that I can still flick the shifter with just 2 fingers.

No superhuman effort like the Berg (Just imagine how a 60% drag race Berg
feels like!). The Berg on a friend`s VW feels like it has almost zero travel, so that was what I was expecting from B&M. No worries though, because since the car is a daily driver, I welcome the fact that now, I won`t have to worry about my left arm getting bigger than my right!!

I bought the `Tall Shifter` **** from B&M, and my only gripe is that it has a mild finger groove best suited for LEFT HAND DRIVE! It is also not symmetrical. Not a big problem, because I don`t shift `riceboy style`, like its a pistol grip anyway. When everything is installed the shift boot even covers the B&M engraved bottom collar, so the installed shifter looks very `Stealth`. Ideal for my `Sleeper` concept for the car.

CONCLUSION: A very subjective way to blow a bundle of cash on the shifter, tall leather **** and air freight. Depends on your priorities I guess. I`m happy though, because shifting `feel` is very important to me!




Modified by nickgomez at 11:39 AM 2/8/2004