Group buy- Delrin bush for shift rod

[Bali]

Thanks Mike, mine was waiting for me when we got back from holiday last night.

I definitely think the wrong part has been sent. I found this other bush on my “parts not yet fitted shelf” and it’s clearly different in size as Steve has suggested.

I’ll wait and see what the supplier comes back with before getting my hands dirty

View attachment 8044

I've also dug out my new plastic and did some comparison measurements. The width of the pin hole on the Delrin is 10mm while the width of the white plastic is 12mm.

The flange end that goes into the shift rod on the Delrin is 6mm while on the white plastic it is 4mm.

 

[matty74]

I seem to remember, can’t remember where I bought the bush kit from (probably Schofields) that there was an option to buy an upgraded bush (the smaller black item here) to go inside the white bush, which I have. Probably should’ve had a look at what I had already

 

[YellowBay69]

Had a swift response from supplier in US. See below. I have contacted the manufacturer for a response.

…
Hi Steve,

Thanks for reaching out. That's strange that you are having that issue. I have one installed on my own 69 Baywindow and while it was a tight fit, it does snap into place. We are not the manufacturer of the bushings, we are a dealer for them, as they are made by Washburns Metal, seen here:

https://washburns-metal.myshopify.c...1973-bus-delrin-shift-rod-bushing-made-in-usa

If you would like to reach out to Brian over there, that might be helpful as he designed the part and may have more insight on it than I do. If there is an issue, sending them back for a refund is not a problem, but I suggest speaking to Brian and we can go from there.

Thanks

Jason Reich
Aircooled Vintage Works

 

[matty74]

Certainly looks like it fits on the linked website.

Perhaps just a very very very tight fit. The barb is wider but the grooved slots are longer.

But how to fit without damaging it, although the properties of the material on the manufacturer’s website would suggest it can take extreme force.

 

[Clem]

Interesting. Nice buck passing by AVW though …

 

[sparkywig]

Interesting. Nice buck passing by AVW though …

I thought that as well.

 

[YellowBay69]

Seem like both are pretty well established and highly recommended business.
Not heard from manufacture yet. Just sent a direct email.
Maybe they need a bit more persuasion to fit !

 

[Bali]

Interesting. Nice buck passing by AVW though …

You could say that but considering he is just the distributor and not the designer or manufacturer, I don't know what much more he could do other then what he did.

Thinking further I'm wondering if, in the back of the bush tube, there is not a build up of old hardened grease that is preventing the bush from fully seating. Or maybe the inside of the tube is corroded enough to block the bush. After cleaning out the tube it would be good to hit the pin with some fine sandpaper.

 

[YellowBay69]

Certainly worth a try. Got the feeling they’re definitely a tight fit.

 

[Clem]

You could say that but considering he is just the distributor and not the designer or manufacturer, I don't know what much more he could do other then what he did.

Thinking further I'm wondering if, in the back of the bush tube, there is not a build up of old hardened grease that is preventing the bush from fully seating. Or maybe the inside of the tube is corroded enough to block the bush. After cleaning out the tube it would be good to hit the pin with some fine sandpaper.

Yes I was thinking last night, I was just trying to fit it quickly and also I tried by putting the bush on the pin and pushing the shift rod onto it - which clearly now will never work. I'll go again tomorrow with a more thorough approach and bearing in mind what we now know. Hopefully the other guy may have some information that can help too.

 

[andrewblackwell]

Is it possible that Washburns gear linkage used in their pictures is a remanufactured part with a different bore detail compared to an OEM linkage?
It struck me how crisp it looks for a 50year old part.
Just a thought, so if the case, theirs may have a shorter front bore compared to others.

 

[Clem]

Is it possible that Washburns gear linkage used in their pictures is a remanufactured part with a different bore detail compared to an OEM linkage?
It struck me how crisp it looks for a 50year old part.
Just a thought, so if the case, theirs may have a shorter front bore compared to others.

I'm hoping it was a blasted/painted og one! But! I may be being naive , but if there were any caveats to it fitting, they surely would have made mention of them.

 

[andrewblackwell]

Was just thinking with it looking so new, could it be a CSP or WW rod, & maybe some internal difference not previously considered when they created their delrin bush.
I wish my bus was closer to hand so i could try to fit mine. Its securely dry stored a few miles away.

 

[YellowBay69]

Both advertisements clearly stated it’s replacement for stock bush and guy at Aircooledvw said his was on 69 bay.
I’ve not heard anything back from manufacturer.
Hopefully get some info soon.

 

[W1K1]

I have the original shift rod from my 71 in the garage, it was kinked badly so I had to replace it. Sooo I could measure the distance inside for the lip, or just cut it in half so we can see the cross section

 

[YellowBay69]

I have the original shift rod from my 71 in the garage, it was kinked badly so I had to replace it. Sooo I could measure the distance inside for the lip, or just cut it in half so we can see the cross section

Now that’s a good idea.
I tried a few different ways of trying to measure the ‘step’ in mine but not accurately enough to be satisfied - given the tolerances we are debating.
In the whole process I’m afraid i’ve ‘misplaced’ my Delrin bush.
In the back of my mind I feel getting it cleaned up and giving it a firm donk with a mallet maybe all it needs.

Still nothing from manufacturers.

 

[W1K1]

took a quick chop of the old shifter shaft with the grinder, the distance to the notch is .410" so if the bushing spacing is less than that, that would cause the notch to hang up.
and the cavity behind is measuring .620" , just in case it's the OD of the notched area on the end squeezing down the bore too small for the shaft to go in.
might be a simple fix for those who already have their bushing in hand.

after looking at the tiny tiny size of the bushing, $50 US for that little bushing it should be freaken perfect out of the box !!!!!!!!

 

[YellowBay69]

Thanks W1 for taking time to do that. Kind of disappointing though as seems to reinforce the fact that they just won’t fit.
Gonna email supplier again. Possible ring them Monday.

 

[YellowBay69]

Found mine ….

 

[mike202]

Today I fitted my Delrin bush. About five years ago I did some renovation on my bus and in an attempt to improve the sloppy gear shifting I replaced a few things. The gear stick or shifter was replaced, the coupling link, and a new front shift rod made by Wolfsburg West from VW Heritage. The old shift rod was worn where the gear stick fits into it. The only thing that was left was the cheap front bush. However it has worked ok.
Upon removing the shift rod today the white plastic bush came out without too much difficulty. I cleaned up the hole and for comparison got my old shift rod and took a pic of them both.
New shift rod



Old shift rod


I measured the distance down to the where the bush fits and it is about 8mm on the WW one and about 10 or 11mm on the old shift rod. I assume that the old one is OG. I fitted the new delrin bush into the WW shift rod and it went in very firmly but definitely fitted ok. Obviously I didn’t try to fit it to the old shift rod, as once fitted the bush feels like it would be very difficult to remove.


The gear shift feels very positive with the new bush.
My conclusions are that the OG shift rod may not work with the new bush which is 3-4 mm shorter than the white nylon bush, as one or two people have said it won’t fit theirs.