I'm still taking a bit of a break from body work. It pays to vary the work to avoid burnout, since the project is taking so long. Next week, back to outer longitudinal replacement.
The Porsche 356 uses a solid shift rod mechanism to actuate the various gears in the transmission, which is located in front of the engine, but well behind the driver. This is contrary to cable shift mechanisms or shift mechanisms where the shift lever directly interfaces with the transmission.
Various bushings are used where the pieces of the shift linkage come together on their journey to the transmission, and after 40 years, they are often worn well beyond their useful tolerances. The result is a wobbly shift lever that is all over the place when you are trying to shift, and if things get really bad, you can't find the proper gears at all.
There is a tech article on the 356 Registry web site that explains this process in detail for the 356 C, so I won't bother relating it all over here. Suffice to say, I did it. The only difference I had from the article was I had to remove the guide ring bracket along with the shift rod; a metal ring behind the bracket prevented it from sliding off the rod, and it was held on with a roll pin I had to drive out later on the bench. See my accompanying pictures for detail.
Now the shift linkage is all set, and hopefully when installed, shifting will be solid and precise.
