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Shifter Bushing Question


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Just a thought: Wouldn't the harder material wear out the shifter forks faster than the plastic one? I assume Nissan designed it with the plastic bush so the plastic bush wears out and needs replacement but the shifter fork shouldn't. Happy to hear other opinions.

 

By the way I waited a little too long to replace mine and the plastic became brittle and ground up in the gearbox. So I Can certainly see advantages of the brass item.

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Brass is a pretty soft metal, especially compared to the steel shifter as beermanpete said. I use a brass mallet on my strut tubes to free up gland nuts, and it doesn't leave a mark on the tube. I noticed that they list an aluminum bushing as well. Aluminum is a little stiffer than brass, yes? Would that give a better feel than the brass? I'm sure these wouldn't wear out the assembly either...

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Don't spend that much money on those. Go to the help section of your local auto parts store. Purchased I believe the Chrysler door hinge pin bushings, I bought the whole kit for like 5 or z dollars. They are tight but a little tap from a hammer and they slide in, the require very small filing/sanding on the inside diameters for your pin to fit through but it was night and day. Super solid shifts, now if only they were shorter shifts.

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Im curious for these bushings as well. I was just looking at them the other day. I would want to buy them since my piece is a bit worn.

 

Anyone have a link for the shifter pin and end bushing? Any upgraded end bushing? I saw a link on ebay it was like $14! Im guessing that one wouldnt be a good idea to make out of brass as well?

Edited by makaofox
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They aren't really a wear item once changed!

 

i put stainless steel bushings that I made into a shifter in 1985. Now with well over 147,000 miles on them and having gone through three transmissions for internal failures, there is no detectable wear to the original pin, shifter, or e-clip which has been transferred from tranny to tranny as they bit the dust.

 

On my 74, that car has 103,000 on "Help" Hinge Pins and there is nothing showing for wear.

 

As for 'where it goes' it's a dead spot, it can't migrate it just would grind out into dust and fall into the endcup of the transmission. If you have ever looked at the transmission you will know exactly what I'm saying. Frankly, how gear oil gets in there is a mystery to me, but I imagine it's flung by gearing to the top of the shift rod, and migrates back along the rod eventually ending up in the cup there at the back where the shifter pivot is...

 

I would NOT worry about it prematurely wearing anything.

 

If you had a worn shifter pin (which I hardened, I believe!) then it was from YEARS of banging that shifter against the pin without any bushing in there at all. The plastic ones break out and fall into the cup on a regular basis if you are 'grabbing' gears.

 

I've turned them out of SS, Brass, Aluminum, Delrin, and PTFE.

 

My favorites when I don't make them custom (and haven't in quite a while as these work so well) is to use the Oilite Bronze Hinge Pins from the "HELP" card rack at the local auto parts place. They are a little tight, and basically become a permanent part of the shifter...but I haven't had any trouble or difficulty any different than the oversized bushings I would make (lapping them incrementally to fit as tight as I could and still have smooth shift action.)

 

Frankly, the car shifts better now at 140K+ miles on the bushings than it did new as they have finally "loosened up"--which is why I went to the bronze bushings. Stainless Steel takes to long to work in (to those concerned about wear rate...)

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Don't spend that much money on those. Go to the help section of your local auto parts store. Purchased I believe the Chrysler door hinge pin bushings, I bought the whole kit for like 5 or z dollars. They are tight but a little tap from a hammer and they slide in, the require very small filing/sanding on the inside diameters for your pin to fit through but it was night and day. Super solid shifts, now if only they were shorter shifts.

 

We installed the MSA short throw shifter kit in our Z. It works well and we like it. My only complaint is the shift knob the supply is very heavy and looks to modern for the Z.

 

http://www.thezstore.com/page/TZS/PROD/PRC02A/20-1050

Edited by beermanpete
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Do you have a part number for those?

 

I am sorry I don't have a specific part number, as Tony said though, I just went in there and bought a Chrysler door hinge pin kit and used the bushings, I believe they offer an assorted bushing set in a box as well, you could likely just purchase that and match the bushings to the closest fit. There is a thread somewhere on here with part numbers, it is pretty old if I am not mistaken and I stumbled upon it probably a year and a half ago? I don't really remember.

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Yeah, I keep forgetting and the assortment kit has two sets in it that will work.

One set is 'too long' and you sand the small ends down.

The other set is 'too short' as it won't bush the shifter all the way through, but it works for someone who comes to your place trying to sponge something off you for nothing.

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I brought an end bushing on ebay and the assortment pack of brass bushings at Advanced auto parts. The assortment pack cost me $5 and 2 of them fit perfectly, BUT you do have to mill them to fit the pin. You can buy another pack that has a pin already in it with the bushings, but I wasnt sure if they would fit. I also brought an assortment of "E" clips for $3. I broke one of the brass bushings by mistake (How beats me but probably from the bit I used with the hot and cold) But when I had it in and the pin fit, HOLY MOSES with the addition to the end bushing the shifter feel was NIGHT AND DAY! Granted my z isnt running and the tranny is out of the car but feeling it out there was a nice feel to it in gear and a nice feel while shifting. For less than $10 you can have such a simple and worth while fix!

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Make note of the part numbers, one by the set of bushings and the other on the package.

 

I used a bench vise and a flat file to make them fit. I used the vise to install the bushings, then used the vise to run the pin through the bushings, then worked the pin with pliers to loosen it enough so it would move a little easier. Then I used a flat file on the flanges of the bushings on both sides so it would just fit between the ears on the transmission.

 

Don't forget to use lubricant when installing the bushings and pin.

 

shifterbushings38374text.jpg

Edited by Darrel
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