CFR Firewall Shifter Bushing, Fasteners Options

[TargaToy]

I'm installing Chris Foley's firewall bushing which is a beautiful design.

Has anybody installed one using fasteners other than the sheet metal screws or pop rivets that came with the kit?

I've been contemplating installing #10-24 riv-nuts after reading someone else's experience with either the screws or the rivets (I can't remember which) working loose over time.

What's your experience?

[Dlee6205]

I've installed a couple so far and always used the rivets... I've never had an issue.

Rivet nuts aren't a bad idea.... I suggest keeping it metric though. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/poke.gif)

[jim_hoyland]

Ric-nuts sound interesting, tell us what you decide. I have the CF bushing but haven’t installed it yet.

[gereed75]

I fabbed a little nut plate to put on the interior side. Was able to install it one man that way. Rib nuts should work also.

[jim_hoyland]

I fabbed a little nut plate to put on the interior side. Was able to install it one man that way. Rib nuts should work also.

? How did you get the plate behind the firewall ?

[TargaToy]

I've installed a couple so far and always used the rivets... I've never had an issue.

Rivet nuts aren't a bad idea.... I suggest keeping it metric though. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/poke.gif)

Please don't think that wasn't my first idea. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/biggrin.gif) The predrilled holes in the bushing housing are smaller than 6mm but fit #10-24 perfectly. I want a little more beef than 5mm bolts. Although I may open the holes up to 6mm before it's all over.

It's hard to buy riv-nuts in small quantities. I can get a 10 pack of them from McMaster-Carr but with shipping, a 10 pack is more than a 100 kit from amazon. And something in me hates buying a bulk of things which may rarely or never be used again.

The nut plate idea is a very good one and I'm going to strongly consider that.

Thanks for the input!

[ChrisFoley]

A friend of mine said he installed one with self tapping screws so he wouldn't have to drill holes first.
A couple of people have told me they had to remove it after installing with rivets, and then had difficulty acquiring 3 more of the 3/16 x 7/8 pop rivets.
One customer mentioned that drilling for the screws had a downside - the small drill bit can go offcenter easily enough that the screws become difficult to install. A simple solution is to wrap the drill bit with tape, but that may come under the heading of an "advanced technique" which bears mention in my installation instructions.

I would consider offering (or including) an alternate/upgraded fastening method if there was some consensus.

[jim_hoyland]

What does a drill bit wrapped in tape look like ? And, how does the tape help ?
I have yet to install mine……

[GregAmy]

I am a massive fan of rivnuts, use them in any application I can, especially if the piece needs occasional removal.

That said, I've been running two of these bearings in my two cars, secured with the supplied rivets, without issue. If I had thought of rivnuts I'd have probably gone that way.

But that piece shoudn't need to be removed, certainly not "occasionally". Having already secured it with the rivets then if I ever have to remove or replace it I can easily replace it with rivnuts using the same drilled holes location.

Chris, I don't think you can change your design to use rivnuts given the installation tools is specialized. Pretty much any garage will have a pop rivet tool, or can get a cheap one from Home Depot. Not so much rivnuts.

[VaccaRabite]

I installed the spherical bushing from Chris in 2016 I think - so about 8 years and many thousands of shifts later...

The pop-rivets are starting to get loose. When freshly installed they were tight - zero play. Now when I'm under the car I can wiggle the housing that holds the ceramic bushing very minutely. It has not made any difference at all in shifting, but the pop-rivets are allowing some movement after a bunch of years in operation.

I have thought about putting rivnuts in there, but won't until there is a damn good reason to unhook the shifter.

BTW - this loosening could very well be rust forming on the firewall, or from just wear and tear on the pop-rivets. I drive the car a lot, and that includes through downpours that always seem to happen when I have the car over 100 miles from home.

Zach

[Flyinlow]

I also used the rivets but used j b weld on back just to keep it there

[gereed75]

I fabbed a little nut plate to put on the interior side. Was able to install it one man that way. Rib nuts should work also.

? How did you get the plate behind the firewall ?

Hmmm. Many moons ago. Don’t remember exactly. Believe it was triangular and made from thin gauge aluminum. Used aviation rivet retained nutplates. jiggered it into the hole, and I used some longish screws to skewer it

Remembering back makes me like the idea of rivnuts even more

Aha…it just came to me - it was circular. Put a cut through it and “spiraled” it in through the hole. Necessity being the mother of invention and all

[FlacaProductions]

I also used the rivets but used j b weld on back just to keep it there

I like this approach.

[TargaToy]

Here's a little follow-up.

Picked up a large washer with an ID of 1.25" (give or take). With just a little filing, it fit over the shift rod flange on the inside of the tunnel.






I ended up opening up the holes in the CFR housing to accept 6mm bolts and then used it as a guide to drill the same pattern on the large washer. Tacked the 6mm nuts. On another go-round, I would find a thinner gage washer or cut one myself out of thinner steel. At 1/8" thick, I had to have the heat set so high on my welder that I had to be very careful not to liquify the nuts.




And here's the final product installed in the car. Ended up going with button head allens for a cleaner look. I will note that I used 30mm length bolts but will likely be replacing these with 45mm as I didn't get as much squish as I expected and would like the bolts to run through the backer nuts completely (vs. just flush).

[technicalninja]

Thanks for posting that!

I'll do something similar.

It almost looked like the washer was thick enough to thread.

That looks stronger than anything that's been posted yet.

Find something double the thickness and you won't have to weld nuts on...

[Montreal914]

This is a very elegant solution to this installation. I made my own version of Chris’ bushings a while back but next time I install it, I will used your backing nut plate solution. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smilie_pokal.gif)

Thanks for sharing Conrad!

[jim_hoyland]

Are the nuts put on through the hole in the firewall…?

[913B]

Here's a little follow-up.

Picked up a large washer with an ID of 1.25" (give or take). With just a little filing, it fit over the shift rod flange on the inside of the tunnel.






I ended up opening up the holes in the CFR housing to accept 6mm bolts and then used it as a guide to drill the same pattern on the large washer. Tacked the 6mm nuts. On another go-round, I would find a thinner gage washer or cut one myself out of thinner steel. At 1/8" thick, I had to have the heat set so high on my welder that I had to be very careful not to liquify the nuts.




And here's the final product installed in the car. Ended up going with button head allens for a cleaner look. I will note that I used 30mm length bolts but will likely be replacing these with 45mm as I didn't get as much squish as I expected and would like the bolts to run through the backer nuts completely (vs. just flush).

How hard is it to place the washer inside the tunnel?
Did you have enlarge the access hole or something.
I would buy one of those washers with welded nuts from you.

[TargaToy]

Are the nuts put on through the hole in the firewall…?

Jim,

There’s an access panel on top of the center tunnel just a few inches from where the OEM bushing resides. With the cover removed, and with some smallish hands, the nut plate can be wriggled into place.

It’s been so long since I removed the interior that I do not remember if the access panel is easy to reach by pulling back the carpet. I suspect it’s not a big deal since that’s where linkage alignment would be performed with a tail shifter.

[jim_hoyland]

Thanks: so you reached back from inside the cabin to put the nuts on….hmmmm
Sounds doable