Guys,
This has been bugging me so in the interest of actually solving the problem, I did a little more digging and pulled the linkage from one of my spare transmissions. It was out of a parts car and had been well loved. By that I mean that it definitely had some play.
Before removing the linkage, I shifted by hand through all the gears and felt for where the play is coming from. Keep in mind that any play in the shift rod is going to be amplified by about 6 ft of lever once it gets to the front where we can feel it.
What I found was interesting and I've got some pictures to illustrate so that we can have an educated discussion.
This is what the contraption looks like exploded on the bench. Not including the linkage arm, which actually acts as a top pivot point more than anything.
#1 Exploded View
What I found was that the original design has 2 major points of slop. Taken together both of these translate into some major movement by the time you get to the actual gear shift in the front.
1st major point:
#2 Major Bushing Slop
2nd major point:
#3 Sloppy Bushing
With that information I started thinking about how you could tighten it up without breaching the current rule set as I tend to agree that if we can fix the problem without adding more rules we should try that route first. Supposedly, there is a replacement for the plastic bushing in the 2nd and 3rd pictures but I can't seem to find it for sale, that may solve some of the slop for a short time but just like in the front, the issue will return quickly as it's just a plastic part.
The current rule set does not allow for a fix that will address the real problem, which is the stock part is inadequate. If you look at it as a wear item, that's fine but where would one find the replacement part and for how long will they be available if they still are? If you can find the part, the name of it is the intermediate shift lever part #944 424 013 02
Even if you replace the shift linkage arm with this one,
It won't address the biggest problem with the plastic bushing in picture #2. It will help the feel as the side to side sponginess will tighten up slightly but the major slop in the plastic bushing from pics #2 & #3 is still going to be there. Believe me when I say that the movement from the shift linkage arm was nothing in comparison to what was happening with the other two points and they all seem to work together as the linkage arm is simply the top pivot point.
In conclusion, I don't think anything is going to help fix the problem unless you tackle it with a solid piece such as the one sold at only944.com. It solves both of the weakest points in the system. I'm also ok with the shift linkage arm because it will help but would not give any advantage at all in terms of shift throw.
It may also be worth a call to Only944.com to see whether or not they would be willing and able to manufacture the part with the stock tolerances so that we don't have any issues with the short throw problem.
Just so we're clear, I'm saying that this part will fix the problem in the rear. This part coupled with the linkage arm would be the best solution. The linkage arm alone is not the right solution as it's only the 3rd weakest point and doesn't address the sloppiness in the two major areas.
Hopefully, this will shed some light on the issue and lead to some meaningful discussion.
-Jeremy
