Shift Linkage adjustment...again...confused

[gforbess@attglobal.net (Gordon Forbess)]

On Tue, 10 Sep 2002 21:18:12 -0600, "Ken B" <Indiana_Red@hotmail.com>
wrote:

>I have I think 5 "A1" repair manuals.  They all have the same picture of=
 the
>"finger" 19mm (or 15mm I forget at the moment)away from the lock out =
plate
>on the bottom of the shifter.  Only one of them mentions the orientation=
 of
>the top of the shifter when this measurement is taken.
>I have been struggling with this little mini project for a week or two =
off
>and on.  Do I need a "friend" inside the car to make sure the stick is =
in
>the middle of its side to side travel so that then and only then can I =
get a
>meaningfull pivot adjustment on the shift rod/clamp up near(under) the
>firewall?  Is this the step that I should be doing to make it work?  The
>error is that I keep getting back up in the car and it just feels like =
the
>stick needs to go to the left more.  I lean it all the way over to the =
stop
>(the finger below hites the lock out plate) and the stick is only then
>almost perfectly "centered".  It's like 1st/2nd gate should be over =
there
>more, left of center.
>For 16Vers or for that matter any 5-spd out there, when you lean the =
shifter
>over to the left about to go "up" into 1st, is the shifter vertical (in =
the
>side to side range of motion) or leaned over towards the driver.  What =
is
>its range of side motion in relation to where each gate is.  It just =
feels
>wrong.  I know about the 2 small bolts under the shift boot that lets =
the
>plate slide around a bit and this is centered now.  It was off a hair.  =
Im
>pretty sure I am using all 16v linkage parts forward of the long shift =
rod.
>yes my bushings may be a bit worn but I am convinced  this is more due =
to
>installer error.
>I know Im babbling...Ill shut up now....
>Thanks for any input

I hesitate to say anything since mine required a sawzall job to make
room for the plate and cup/finger assembly to begin with (since 75
linkage was totally different).  But.. I struggled with it for a long
time and finally figured out the plate wasn't perfectly aligned with
the centerline of the car.  Just a bit of a twist made the difference.
If you have loosened those 2 bolts on the plate, could you have that
problem?  Only way I could check it was having "friend" move stick
forward and back while I checked the finger clearance at both extremes
under the car.   I was having trouble getting it far enough left to
get into first but second was ok.

My shifter is pretty much straight up on the 1-2 part of the H while
3-4 leans right.  YMMV.. mine is a weird combo.  Good Luck. ( I am
assuming trans/motor mounts are not tweaked)

Gordon
75 Mk I/Drake 1.9
http://home.att.net/~gforbess/scirocco/scirocco.htm