Question for the gear shift experts: big scrap in R-1st shift plane on side shifter Options

[raynekat]

I've got a 71 914-4 that I converted to a 914-6.
The problem is a very loud annoying squeak when I'm in the R-1st plane.
Something is really scraping badly.
Pulled the shifter which looks to have been changed out from an early shifter to a later shifter.
Greased it very well and that didn't seem to help.

So I looked a bit deeper and put a flashlight in the tunnel where the shifter sits pointing backwards.
Using a small mirror about 6-9" rearward, I see that the shift rod goes through a circular opening in a small bulkhead that is welded into the tunnel.

Looks like the scraping/squeaking is when the rod is hitting the edge of the circular opening in the bulkhead in the R-1st plane.
If you don't pull the lever all the way to the left, then you don't hear the scrape.

Is this typical of a side shifter conversion for an early 914?
Am I shifting incorrectly by pulling the lever hard to the left for the R-1st plane?
Does that bulkhead need to be removed by opening up the shift tunnel from above?

Any thoughts or ideas are welcome.
Thanks in advance.

[Retroracer]

So I just went through this recently - here's my findings, but obviously, as with most things with these 50 year old vehicles: YMMV.

My 1970 chassis had been converted to sideshift when I bought it. I only drove it home before stripping the car down for the -6 and GT conversion, so vaguely remembered it must have got into the gears....

On getting the car back on the road, I replaced the firewall bushing with a new nylon one, as well as getting a new PMS rear shift linkage (which misses the -6 headers) + brass bushing for the console. The shifting was OK but I - like you report - did detect a slight scraping in the R/1st plane. This never baulked any changes and was fine for a few thousand miles; until I noticed this scraping sharply deteriorating after WCR2020. To the point where I needed SERIOUS effort to move fore and aft when the lever was in the R/1st plane.

The fix for that appears in another thread on the world here http://www.914world.com/bbs2/index.php?showtopic=350350

but to summarize, the main (scraping) issue was solved by the combination of:

1) replacing the front shift linkage rod (which was an early one modified) with a proper sideshift one (special thanks @mepstein for his generosity), and
2) replacing the firewall bushing with a decently engineered one (Tangerine Racing in this case)

The combination of the above meant that no scraping is felt anywhere, and once adjusted, shifting is much more predictable. Main point here is that the front linkage rod diameter was larger than the later (sideshift) skinnier one - which MAY be your issue too.

- Tony