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.

[raynekat]

What a pain to remove the seats.
I've got GTS Classic seats in my car and the bottom of their seats wasn't perfectly flat plus I don't think the mounting holes in the seats for tracks are in exactly the right spot.
Tough to put them in (they don't slide so great) and much tougher to get them out.
I moved them forward enough to get access to the bolts that hold the seat bases to the car and removed the seats that way.



With the shifter out of the way, and a mirror & flashlight in the tunnel, this is what you see:



Pretty apparent that the shift rod takes up a lot of room in that opening of the bulkhead/hoop.
My estimate was the diameter of the opening was about twice the diameter of the rod.
Not nearly enough for these side shifter conversions.

I do have the updated Tangerine Racing firewall bushing already in place, so that wasn't going to be the solution to my problem.
Possibly a perfectly bent shift rod could do it, but then you'd be up against the side of the opening in the 4th-5th shift plane and have possible scraping there....which I don't at this point.
Still planning to open up the top of the tunnel so I can get a die grinder in there.
It will be tight, but doable I'm thinking.
Luckily I'll be working in the part of the tunnel away from the wiring, tubes, cables, etc.
Most of that stuff is well over towards the passenger side were as the shift rod looks like it's mostly situated in the driver side of the tunnel.

More to come later.....