Rear shifter bushing hardness

[Garrison]

I'm shopping for the rear shifter bushing replacement, and i went to eBay to look. I found 3 different types, brands with different hardness'


-Generic EBAY- 75a
-Cobb tuning - 85a
-Kartboy- 95a

Now all of them are under $40, and obviously the ebay generic is the cheapest. Which of them do you think would be the best one to choose? Does the hardness really make that much of a difference (both in terms of performance and vibration)?

Thanks

[mike-tracy]

Well you don't drive with your hand on the shifter the whole time. I'll have to say I've owned both Kartboy and Group-N rear's and the kartboy was noticeably stiffer. I swapped out to the Group N when I accidentally tore the back out of the Kartboy when I reinstalled the tranny, DOH! (tip: remove that shifter stay till after the tranny is bolted in, lol)

I prefer the less hard one to the kartboy, however. It's more like a new car feel than a "I upgraded every damn piece of rubber on this car" feeling, lol, that I find annoying on a DD. (I'm guilty of doing that tho)

[Garrison]

Mike,

Thanks for the advice; I went with the 75a from torque solutions. I'll let you know how I like it!

[Garrison]

Mike,

I just finished installing the bushing today. My goodness that was a pita! Spent a couple of hours on it, but it's done now and hopefully I'll get to break it in this afternoon/evening. I already can feel the MAJOR difference with the engagement of the gears. Everything is very crisp and controlled now.
https://sl-i.net/FORUM/images/imported/2012/04/IMAG0448-2.jpg

[mike-tracy]

That looks very close to the Kartboy model. Did you have to use different bolts? Or did the stockers fit? Yeah I do this to all my subies - up there with a suspension mod, IMO, in order of importance.

[Garrison]

Yeah they included the typical 13mm bolts like kartboy, and yeah they fit like crap :P
The center hole for each bolt is maybe a MM off, but due to the "softness" of the rubber, I was able to stretch it out and make it fit. I really like the way 1st-2nd shifts now. It's like you're throwing a major switch, haha.

[Wiscon_Mark]

I bought cobb and will be installing tomorrow. I'll report back with info.

[Garrison]

I bought cobb and will be installing tomorrow. I'll report back with info.

I followed the directions on scooby mods, and i have only one piece of advice. Pull the heat shield before you start working on it, it'll give you a ton more room.

[Wiscon_Mark]

Oh yeah, I've done this job before.

[Garrison]

Oh yeah, I've done this job before.
Ah, lucky you; I'm sure it's much smoother going the second or third time around.


Mike, thank you tons for the suggestion of softer material, the shifter feels brand new! I absolutely love this modification, recommended to anyone who reads this thread :smt023

[Wiscon_Mark]

Did you rebuild your linkage too? Or did you inspect it?

[Reason]

Replacing all the shifter bushings is a good Idea. I have all of mine done along with the engine, tranny and crossmember and its like a sports car compared to others.

[Garrison]

Did you rebuild your linkage too? Or did you inspect it?
Mark, I did inspect my linkage. However, I had already done the other kartboy bushings (the large, circular ones); so the final product really does make an amazing amount of difference.

Huffer is right (I have the same mods as you do), it does feel like a sports car. Which i absolutely love. I don't even know if my 300z was as crisp and controlled as the drive-train of my soob.

[Wiscon_Mark]

Okay, question for you guys - I'm doing a linkage swap to the newer style (96+) and I need to disconnect the linkage from the rod that comes out of the transmission. I'm having a lot of difficulty getting at the pin that sits in there. Any tips besides dropping the whole transmission?

[Garrison]

Are you talking about the punch? It's actually a double roll pin; you need a small punch, then follow up with a larger punch. Hold up and I'll try to find the link to the directions I used.

Edit: I followed the turn in concepts directions --> http://turninconcepts.com/instructions/ ... ge_update/ (http://turninconcepts.com/instructions/subaru/linkage_update/)

Now that I think about it, I'm pretty sure I did have to drop the crossmember (but that was to install the crossmember bushings).
Dunno if that's mandatory for what you're doing, but the instructions are helpful for sure.

[Wiscon_Mark]

I'm also noticing that the newer linkage has a much larger hole for this thing. I may have to use a bolt or something....hmmm.

First thing's first, gotta get the old one out.

[Wiscon_Mark]

Okay, there was no pin in there. I put a punch right through the thing with my fingers, and it didn't exist.

But - the linkage won't come off the rod. Any ideas?? I'm pretty stumped. I really had my heart set on replacing this god awful old linkage.

[Garrison]

You tried the ol' persuasion mallet (hammer)?

[Wiscon_Mark]

Yes, it wasn't budging even slightly. Tried hammer, crowbar, screwdriver, etc.

On the plus side, the hardened bushings feel a lot more firm without any more noise (from what I can tell).

[Garrison]

Update: this thing has broken in very nicely. Shifts are very direct, without the vague ("wish I could find that gear") type of engagement. The shifter, while in gear, used to move about a 1/4-1/2" side to side; now, like Mike said, it's like a new car, that wiggle is gone and shifting has become an enjoyable experience again. Even first isn't the bastard to get into that it once was.

If I were to get a fresh soobie to do this again, I reckon I'd buy the entire shift kit and only spend once underneath the car.

[sobhambi]

I have a question. Would it be a bad idea to weld the rod to the old mounting and forgeting the bushing. It would definately be stiff, but would that be bad idea...

[Wiscon_Mark]

Yes, the welding will probably snap because of transmission flex. The bushings are there for a reason.

[Garrison]

Further update:

Approximately 4000 miles after installation. I feel like my transmission is starting to show fatigue as the shifter binds a bit on the 2-3 shift, still finding missed shifts occur too often (1 in 50) for my liking. Thinking strongly of going back to Oem shifter. Opinions?

[Zangado1]

I went and got my shop i use to fix my rattling shifter and they only replaced the broken spring and not a bushing so it is %50 better now,only rattling when im on the throttle in gear. Im just wondering with so many bushings in there which one needs to be replaced to stop the rattling once and for all.

[Wiscon_Mark]

Stronger shifter stay bushings will help if there is excess play causing rattling. It may also be worn out bushings in the shifter joint itself.

[Zangado1]

Stronger shifter stay bushings will help if there is excess play causing rattling. It may also be worn out bushings in the shifter joint itself.
What would be the best place to start with replacement the top bushing under the shifter, and is it best to buy genuine Subaru or go aftermarket to save a couple $$$$? Thanks...